Bodycare, the value health-and-beauty retailer that was a mainstay on many high streets in the 70s, has had an unexpected glow-up that beauty-lovers can't get over. The store is appearing on high streets once more, and its new look has left shoppers floored.
Anyone looking for bargain beauty products on the high street until the 2010s likely found themselves heading towards one shop in particular, where fragrances were dirt cheap, and there were makeup products aplenty. However, when it comes to Bodycare, people would likely say it was… functional. But not any more, as it’s had a serious glow up!
A Makeover Revealed in Derby
Leila Nikea admitted that she used to “shop there every single week,” and she’d been invited to see the new-look store before the general public. She was left floored at how amazing it looked compared to when she was a teen. She visited the Bodycare store in Derby, the UK's worst-rated city.
Apparently, the decor of the store previously was “giving depressing” due to its black-and-grey theme. There also wasn’t much personality in it compared to other high street beauty stores. However, now there was colour, brand-new products, and Leila said it was “so much better than it used to be”.
New Products and Experiences
There were loads of face masks to choose from, and even a Korean skincare section. A staff member told her that in this area, nothing was more expensive than £16, which is ideal for bargain hunters. There were Medicube items and Biodance, too, a little lip care section, and even a zone of the store focused on banishing spots.
Original lovers of Bodycare will be gobsmacked to learn that Fenty Beauty is being sold in stores, which just proves how much of a glow-up the brand has had! They even had miniature versions that were perfect for travel, including things you’d definitely need on holiday or staycation, including mini toothpastes. And there were fragrances galore.
But what’s more, the store even had a piercing studio and a TikTok live studio, meaning staff could go live while people shopped. Leila said that she’d “definitely be going in there a lot more often” now it had been refreshed.
Public Reaction and Bodycare's History
In the comments, someone wrote: “I think Derby is finally starting to get a glow up”. Another penned: “I'm so glad they've brightened it up, it was so dull in there”. A third said: "Omg I have to go check this one out, as a fellow Derby girl I’m mad excited!" And a fourth added: "Ooo body care never looked like this!?? I hope mine gets a revamp!"
Bodycare is a long-running British value health-and-beauty retailer, best known for small high-street and shopping-centre stores selling toiletries, cosmetics, fragrance, haircare, personal care, and a range of household essentials at discount prices. It was originally founded from a market stall in Lancashire in 1970, the chain grew to become a high-street staple known for selling discounted toiletries, cosmetics, and everyday essentials.
In late 2025, Bodycare faced significant financial difficulties and collapsed into administration, which led to the closure of all its roughly 150 stores across the UK and the loss of around 1,000 jobs. However, the brand was rescued in October 2025 by an investment group led by Charles Denton, the former CEO of The Body Shop and Molton Brown. Under this new leadership, Bodycare is now making a significant comeback in 2026.
The refreshed high-street rollout combines its budget-friendly essentials with new experiential features like K-beauty selections, fine fragrances, dedicated piercing studios, and free-to-use content creator spaces. From Leila’s video, it looks amazing, and we’re sure many people will want to visit when a store opens near them!
