The Body Shop rebrands 'anti-ageing' skincare products

The Body Shop has changed the name of its Drops of Youth skincare range to Edelweiss, in an effort to move away from the beauty industry's 'anti-ageing' narrative.

The new name comes with a new formula and extended line-up of products. Reformulated to deliver double the concentration of Edelweiss, the range also features natural-origin peptides to help boost the skin’s defence mechanism and barrier function.

The range includes an "improved" Edelweiss Daily Serum Concentrate, Edelweiss Serum Concentrate Sheet Mask and brand-new Edelweiss Cleansing Concentrate and Edelweiss Intense Smoothing Cream.

The decision to rebrand follows the launch of The Body Shop's self-love campaign in 2021, which led the brand to reflect on its own practices. The global anti-ageing market is worth $140 billion, so The Body Shop said "this isn’t a decision that could be taken lightly".

Lionel Thoreau, Global Brand Vice President of The Body Shop, said: “We are taking a huge commercial risk in changing the name of our most popular range, but it is worth it to stay true to our purpose. We are a change-making, B Corp, activist brand. It is our duty to ensure we aren’t sharing the wrong message. Everyone who uses our products has the right to feel powerfully, radiantly themselves.

“The Body Shop believes that ageing is a joy and a privilege, and our job is to lift people up, helping them age powerfully, rather than wish they were in a time-machine.”

The Body Shop could be put up for sale by its owner as part of an overhaul of its health and cosmetics business, according to This is Money.