Anita Roddick

Dame Anita Roddick
Dame Anita Roddick
Born	Anita Lucia Perella; 23 October 1942 (age 84); Littlehampton, Sussex, England
Died	10 September 2007 (aged 64); St Richard's Hospital, Chichester, England
Occupation(s)	Entrepreneur, human rights advocate, environmentalist
Years active	1976–2007
Known for	Founder of The Body Shop, advocate for ethical consumerism and human rights

Dame Anita Lucia Roddick (23 October 1942 – 10 September 2007) was a prominent British entrepreneur, advocate for human rights, and environmentalist, widely recognized as the creator of The Body Shop, a cosmetics brand that emphasizes natural ingredients and pioneered the concept of ethical consumerism. The firm was among the earliest to prohibit animal testing and actively support fair trade initiatives with developing nations.

Roddick engaged deeply with environmental and social issues, partnering with groups such as Greenpeace and The Big Issue. In 1990, she established Children on the Edge, a charitable organization dedicated to aiding marginalized children across Eastern Europe, Africa, and Asia. She maintained that businesses should lead with ethical responsibility, exerting greater societal impact than religious or governmental institutions.

During the late 1990s, Roddick championed the cause of the Angola Three, African-American inmates subjected to prolonged solitary confinement at Louisiana State Penitentiary, helping to elevate global awareness and generate support for their legal appeals.

Early life

Born in a bomb shelter in Littlehampton, Sussex, Roddick was one of four siblings born to Gilda (née de Vito) and restaurateur Donato Perella. Her biological father was Donato’s cousin, Henry Perilli, who owned an ice-cream and soda bar. She received her education locally at St Joseph's Convent and Maude Allen secondary modern school before training as a teacher at Newton Park College of Education in Bath. Subsequently, she taught history and English at Maude Allen.

The Body Shop

In 1976, Roddick opened the inaugural Body Shop in Brighton, England, initially to support herself and her two daughters while her husband was overseas. She concentrated on offering high-quality skincare products packaged in refillable containers and small sample sizes, promoting them with straightforward honesty rather than exaggerated claims. Upon his return, her husband became involved in the enterprise.

Reports from 2002 revealed that Roddick had adopted the name, concept, and marketing materials from an earlier Body Shop founded in Berkeley, California in 1970. The brochures she used bore strong resemblance to those from the Berkeley establishment. When expanding into the U.S. market, she secured rights to the Body Shop name for $3.5 million from the original proprietors under confidentiality agreements. The initial Body Shop later rebranded as Body Time and continued operations until April 2018.

By 1991, The Body Shop had expanded to 700 outlets globally; that year Roddick was honored with the World Vision Award for Development Initiative. Reflecting in 1996 on the brand’s growth, she highlighted its universal appeal across cultures and noted that early recycling efforts were motivated more by practical considerations than by environmental concerns.

In 1997, Roddick introduced The Body Shop’s most notable campaign featuring Ruby, a size 16 doll symbolizing body positivity. This initiative was developed alongside ethical communications firm Host Universal and photographed by Steve Perry.

By 2004, The Body Shop operated nearly 2,000 stores worldwide serving over 77 million customers annually. It ranked as the second most-trusted brand within the UK and held the 28th position globally.

On 17 March 2006, L'Oréal purchased The Body Shop for £652 million. The acquisition attracted criticism due to L'Oréal’s involvement in animal testing and partial ownership by Nestlé, which faced criticism over its treatment of producers in developing countries. In response to these concerns during an interview with The Guardian, Roddick described herself as a 'Trojan horse', intending to influence L'Oréal’s policies through her continued albeit part-time association with the company.

Charitable work

Roddick gained recognition for her environmental advocacy and participated as a member of the advisory council for the think tank Demos. Although The Body Shop was established with a philanthropic purpose, it refrained from making charitable contributions during its initial 11 years. The company's first charitable sponsorship occurred after its 1984 public offering, supporting Greenpeace poster campaigns in 1985.

In 1990, inspired by visits to orphanages in Romania, Roddick founded Children on the Edge (COTE). This organization focuses on assisting vulnerable children affected by conflict, disasters, disabilities, and HIV/AIDS.

During the late 1990s, she championed the cause of the Angola Three, helping to raise both awareness and funds to support their efforts to overturn wrongful convictions.

By 2005, before selling The Body Shop to L'Oréal, Roddick revealed her intention to allocate her estimated £51 million ($104 million) wealth entirely toward philanthropic endeavors.

She also penned Take It Personally, a work advocating for labor rights and equality while condemning exploitation in developing nations.

Following her passing in 2007, her husband Gordon Roddick established 38 Degrees as a tribute to her legacy.

From 2009 to 2014, the Roddick Foundation provided £120,000 in funding to CAGE, led by Mozzam Begg, which supported detainees at Guantánamo Bay and others impacted by the War on Terror. Due to concerns raised by the Charity Commission regarding public trust, the Foundation ended its support for CAGE. Nevertheless, a judicial review in 2015 concluded that charities could fund CAGE without interference, highlighting that prior investigations were influenced by political pressure.

Roddick was also a patron of Littlehampton Community School, contributing funds that facilitated its transformation into a Business and Enterprise specialist institution in 2003. A facility financed by her donation was named The Roddick Enterprise Centre ('REC'), and the school organizes 'Roddick Days' dedicated to fostering community involvement and global consciousness.

Illness

In 2004, Roddick was diagnosed with liver cirrhosis resulting from chronic hepatitis C, a condition she publicly revealed on 14 February 2007. She actively promoted awareness through The Hepatitis C Trust and campaigned to enhance understanding of the illness. Shortly before her death, she appeared on the UK television show Doctor, Doctor to discuss her experience with hepatitis C.

Her diagnosis came after a blood test required for obtaining life insurance showed abnormal liver function. She believed her infection stemmed from a large blood transfusion received in 1971, prior to the routine screening of UK blood donors for hepatitis C introduced in the mid-1990s. Roddick developed cirrhosis accompanied by symptoms such as itching and difficulties with concentration. Although she found interferon treatment unsuitable for her condition, she maintained an active lifestyle and regularly attended hospital appointments, including evaluations by a liver transplant team.

Death

On 10 September 2007, Roddick passed away due to a massive stroke at St Richard's Hospital in Chichester after being admitted the previous night with an intense headache. Honoring her wishes, she bequeathed her entire estate valued at £51 million exclusively to charitable causes rather than family or friends.

Awards and honours

1984 – Recipient of the Veuve Clicquot Business Woman of the Year award
1988 – Appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)
1988 – Awarded an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Sussex
1991 – Honoured with the World Vision Award by the Center for World Development Education, USA
1993 – Received the Australia Environmental Award from the Banksia Foundation
1993 – Recognized with the Mexican Environmental Achiever Award
1993 – Granted the National Audubon Society Medal, USA
1994 – Winner of the Botwinick Prize in Business Ethics, USA
1994 – Conferred with the University of Michigan Annual Business Leadership Award, USA
1995 – Earned an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Victoria, Canada
1995 – Honoured with the Woman Power Award by the Women's Business Development Center, USA
1996 – Recipient of the Women's Center Leadership Award, USA
1996 – Awarded the Gleitsman Foundation Achievement Award, USA
1997 – Recognised as an Honouree by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) under Eyes on the Environment
1999 – Granted an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree by the University of Bath
1999 – Winner of the British Environment & Media Award
1999 – Bestowed the title Chief Wiper-Away of Ogoni Tears by the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People, Nigeria
2001 – Named Woman of Peace by the International Peace Prayer Day Organisation
2003 – Elevated to Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE)
2004 – Received an Honorary Doctorate of Public Service from The Sage Colleges
2005 – Placed third in Shell liveWIRE’s inspirational role model survey, following Richard Branson and close associates
2006 – Honoured with the Spirit of the Rainforest Award by Rainforest Action Network

Bibliography

Anita Roddick authored multiple books focused on business and social issues:

The Body Shop Book – Published by Macdonald in 1985 (ISBN 0-356-10934-8)
Mamatoto: The Body Shop Celebration of Birth – Released by Virago in 1991 (ISBN 1-85381-421-0)
(co-authored with Russell Miller) Body and Soul – Ebury Press, 1991 (ISBN 0-7126-4719-8)
Take It Personally: How Globalisation Affects You and Powerful Ways to Challenge It – Anita Roddick Books, 2004
Troubled Water: Saints, Sinners, Truth and Lies about the Global Water Crisis (with Brooke Shelby Biggs) – Anita Roddick Books, 2004
Business as Unusual – Anita Roddick Books, 2005 (ISBN 0-9543959-5-6) (most recent edition)

External links

AnitaRoddick.com – Official website and blog of Anita Roddick
College Students Pay Tribute at the Anita Roddick Memorial Service – Littlehampton College