Body Shop fans are trying to cash in on eBay by flogging vintage smellies & oils for a whopping £895 as chain collapses
THE BODY Shop fans have rushed to eBay in a bid to flog their nostalgic products at sky-high prices after the chain fell into administration.
Hands up if you ever slathered yourself in The Body Shop‘s coconut body butter and a spritz of white must perfume before school?
Well, you definitely weren’t alone – with the likes of passion fruit cleanser, watermelon lippy, and fuzzy peach and dewberry perfume also proving a hit.
But sadly for many Nineties kids, the iconic beauty retailer fell into administration last week, putting its almost 200 stores at risk of closure.
Yesterday, the high-street chain confirmed to The Sun seven branches will close with immediate effect – and it hasn’t take long for savvy sellers to rush online to try and profit from their nostalgic beauty buys.
Amongst the hundreds of items that have found themselves onto eBay include a 200ml bottle of ‘Aloe Calming Toner’ priced at an extortionate £895, and a ‘visionary’ perfume oil from the 1980s at £335.
One quick glimpse at the re-seller’s website reveals hundreds of nostalgic items up for sale – ranging from both the 1980s and 1990s.
However, the much-loved classics are being sold with hefty price tags, so it’s not good news if you’re hoping to wash in your vanilla bath and shower gel for months to come.
We spotted one seller who listed The Body Shop‘s much-loved white musk 25ml perfume for £40, and another looking to profit from the high-street store’s demise selling ‘ananya’ perfume oil for a staggering £230.
Meanwhile, a retro colourful makeup bag emblazoned with the words ‘animals in danger’ has made its way onto the re-sell website for £38.50.
Despite it being in ‘used’ condition, it’s had 3 people ‘watch’ it in the last 24 hours alone.
The Body Shop Dewberry bag gift was also uploaded for £40, while another seller was hoping to get £49.99 for ‘vanilla bath and shower gel.’
Administrators FRP said last week the move to place The Body Shop in administration provided “the stability, flexibility and security to find the best means of securing the future” of the chain.
The Body Shop was founded by Anita Roddick and her husband Gordon in Brighton in 1976.
Who was Body Shop founder Anita Roddick?
Dame Anita Roddick, born October 23, 1942, was a British businesswoman, human rights activist and environmental campaigner.
Throughout her lifetime, Anita was best known as the founder of the Body Shop – a cosmetics company producing and retailing natural beauty products.
Anita opened her first Body Shop in Brighton back in 1976.
The brand first started as a small shop providing quality skincare products in refilled bottles, with the belief that the business could be a force for good.
Following this, the Body Shop went on to become a global retail business serving over 30 million customers worldwide.
As a keen campaigner, Anita was involved in activism for environmental and social issues, such as involvement with Greenpeace and The Big Issue.
In addition to this, in 1990, the late entrepreneur founded Children on the Edge – a charitable organisation which helps disadvantaged children in Eastern Europe, Africa and Asia.
In 2007 Anita, who also worked alongside her husband Gordan, sold the company to L’Oréal, but still played an active role in the business.
French firm L’Oreal paid £625million for the company, providing Anita and her husband Gordon with more than £100million for their 18 per cent share in the business.
In September 2007, Dame Anita Roddick passed away at 64 from a brain haemorrhage after being admitted to St Richard’s Hospital, Chichester, West Sussex.
Her husband Gordon, and her two daughters, Sam and Justine, were at her side.
Prior to her passing, Anita had revealed that she was diagnosed with Hepatitis C in 2004.
The late founder’s illness was first discovered during a routine blood test for a life insurance policy.
She had lived with the illness for more than 30 years before it was discovered – by which time she was suffering from cirrhosis of the liver.
In 2008, a year after her passing, Anita’s will revealed that she had given away all of her £51million to charity and the rest to tax.
The high-street store focused on ethically sourced and naturally-based ingredients in a bid to set itself apart from its competitors.
The brand joined the L’Oreal group in 2006, before being bought by Natura and Co in 2017.
The Sun has taken an in-depth look into what went wrong at the beloved chain.