The Body Shop's Newest Collection Is Made With Carrots Too "Ugly" To Sell As Food

The Body Shop is bringing back an old favorite, but with a new, sustainable twist. The Body Shop's Carrot Collection is enriched with organic carrots and 100% recyclable packaging. The collection features two products: Carrot Wash and Carrot Cleanse.

To help reduce food waste, this mini collection uses carrots that are a bit too wonky to sell at supermarkets. But rather than having these imperfect carrots tossed into the landfill, The Body Shop is sourcing thousands of them from a British family-run farm. The brand doesn't care about the carrot's shape or size ⁠— The Body Shop is just interested in the veggie's antioxidants and what its nutrients can do for our complexions.

"The UK Soil Association estimates that in the UK, 20 to 40 percent of produce is rejected simply because it doesn't look quite right. At the Body Shop we don’t think this is right! So we are trying to tackle this issue by using either ingredients derived from second grade/second choice food products (like our wonky carrots), or by-products from the food industry (like our Strawberry seed oil made from seed leftover from the jam industry)," Diego Ortiz De Zevallos, Global Brand Development Director for The Body Shop, shares with Bustle. "We try to use all parts of the ingredient, ‘ugly’ or not, to support minimal waste."

Not only is this new collection helping to cut back on food waste, but the ingredients are genuinely great for your skin. "Carrots are a great source of antioxidants, which naturally help to protect your skin from external aggressors and preserve moisture on your skin," Ortiz De Zevallos, says. "They help skin maintain a healthy-looking glow and overall enhance your natural skin tone."

The skincare routine consists of a cleanser and a moisturizer. The Carrot Wash is enriched with 93% natural ingredients, and it lathers up to wash away your impurities. "Skin feels cleansed, smoother, energized and purified from daily urban grime," the product description reads.

The Carrot Cream is a daily moisturizer that uses 97% natural ingredients. The lotion locks in 72 hours of hydration, and uses the antioxidants from carrots to help reinforce your skin barrier with moisture and fight off free radicals.

Knowing how important it is to reduce plastic waste, The Body Shop also made sure the collection's containers were eco-conscious. Both the Carrot Wash and the Carrot Cream come in 100% recyclable packaging made from 55% recycled plastic.

Both of these formulas also use Community Trade organic aloe vera, which is sustainably sourced from farmers in Campeche, Mexico. Grown on organically certified land, the aloe leaves are harvested and sliced by hand within six hours to ensure the highest quality. This partnership has supported indigenous female farmers with a sustainable income since 2015.

While the Carrot Collection is amazing for the planet, The Body Shop does not plan to stop their food waste minimization efforts there. The brand has more lines coming out that use rejected foods in formulas.

"In addition to our new launch of our Carrot collection, The Body Shop recently launched its limited edition Banana Collection," Ortiz De Zevallos says. "This collection is enriched with Community Trade organic banana puree sustainably sourced from El Guabo in south-west Ecuador. The Body Shop uses bananas that wouldn’t sell in the food industry ⁠— mostly for being the wrong shape."

These fruits and veggies might not be pretty enough to sell at the supermarket, but they're perfect for our skincare routines. You can shop the Carrot Collection at The Body Shop starting July 8.