British personal care brand The Body Shop has launched a new 3200 sq. ft beauty innovation hub in East Croydon, London, which will foster development in marketing, sustainable sourcing, product development, sustainable development and ethical product development and sourcing. 

It is thought that the hub will support the brand in further reducing the environmental impact of products and giving the company the ability to create and develop new ethical products using natural and Community Trade ingredients sourced from communities and bio-diversity hotspots all over the world.

Gaetane David, Research and Innovation Director, The Body Shop says, “Today, The Body Shop is as committed to innovation and sustainability as ever. By broadening our in-house expertise, we’re bringing product innovation and sustainable product development back in our hands and to the heart of our business.
“Our investment will not only enable us to accelerate our innovation pipeline but will importantly see us reduce the environmental impact of our product formulas. We will continue working closely with manufacturing partners to deliver best in class products”.

The hub will be located at the company’s head office in East Croydon and, with an initial focus on reducing the environmental impact of popular products that will have the greatest impact, it will also test new ingredients sourced from around the world in order to protect biodiversity.