L'Oreal said it planned to operate the British company as a stand-alone business with Anita Roddick remaining in her current role as consultant.

BBC: NEWS | Business | Body Shop agrees L'Oreal takeover

Anita Roddick, the British cosmetics entrepreneur and dogged environmental and human rights activist, has died at 64 after suffering a major brain hemorrhage.

FORBES: Queen Of Green Anita Roddick Dies

And mark the difference between the fragrant Dame Anita Roddick , the founder of the iconic chain, and the octogenarian billionaire Liliane Bettencourt.

FORBES: Roddick Promises No 'Selling Out' In L'Oreal Sale

"We have always had great respect for The Body Shop's success and for the strong identity and values created by its outstanding founder, Dame Anita Roddick, " said L'Oreal's chairman Sir Lindsay Owen-Jones.

BBC: NEWS | Business | Body Shop agrees L'Oreal takeover

Others include Gordon Roddick, the widower of Body Shop founder Anita Roddick, from the Roddick Foundation, and Thomas Hughes-Hallett, of the Emily Hughes-Hallet Fund and also chief executive of Marie Curie Cancer Care charity, and Marcelle Speller of Localgiving.com.

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Reed said the people behind Belu had looked for inspiration in companies like The Body Shop, which was started by Anita Roddick and does not test its products on animals, and Newman's Own, a company started by screen legend Paul Newman that gives a chunk of its profits from the sale of its food products to charity.

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