Christmas is always a stressful time of year, with so much event planning and food prep and running around before all the shops close for public holidays. That’s why I’m a big fan of gift sets, and The Body Shop always has a great selection at various price points.

I’m not a huge fan of unbridled capitalism, but I also don’t want to be a complete wet blanket when it comes to gifts. I’m always looking out for gifts that are likely to be useful, and have a charitable element to them without being quite as in-your-face as an Oxfam gift.

I was a huge fan of The Body Shop’s Play for Peace campaign last year which supported refugee children, a cause close to my heart (read about me doing the Refugee Ration Challenge here). So I was really excited when The Body Shop approached me to showcase their Enchanted Forest gift collection this year!

Why I think The Body Shop should be your first stop for gifts this holiday season:

The Body Shop’s Charity Projects

The Body Shop has a specific charity focus for their Christmas collections on top of their usual partnerships. This year’s Enchanted Forest collection raises money towards their World Bio-Bridges Mission, which aims to protect and regenerate 75 million square metres of habitat by 2020.

They’re also building 10 bio-bridges, which are corridors between healthy forest so endangered animals and plants in isolated patches can spread and thrive. The Body Shop have partnered with the World Land Trust and Woodland Trust this Christmas to focus on rewilding 10 million square metres in England and Armenia.

The Body Shop are also donating an extra $20 000 to the Australian Childhood Foundation (in addition to their ongoing partnership) to help young survivors of abuse and violence. This is going towards building a pilot “Healing Hearts” therapy garden – there’s a lot of evidence that nature-based therapy is particularly effective for dealing with trauma.

Massive Gift Selection

Gifting skincare is a bit of a sticky topic (I’ll be sharing my thoughts about this conundrum in detail in my next video), but fun products for your body are one of the safest bets.

The Body Shop has this category solidly covered, with a massive variety of pre-packaged gift sets at a range of price points. Individual stocking stuffers like bath bombs and hand creams start at $6-7, gift sets start at $12 and go up to $250 for the Ultimate Advent Calendar (all prices are in $AUD).

The Body Shop has sets containing a specific range if you’re shopping for someone who loves one in particular, and sets that contain multiple scents in case you’re not sure what your giftee likes.

I’m always a fan of their limited edition seasonal scents, which get me into a festive mood – this year’s trio is fresh Peppermint Candy Cane, fruity Berry Bon Bon and comforting Vanilla Marshmallow. If there’s someone who you know is into face products, there are sets of those as well (although in my opinion face sets are a bit riskier unless you’re sure of what your giftee likes!).

My Gift Picks From The Body Shop

Stocking Stuffers

There are a bunch of products at the under $10 mark which would make fantastic stocking stuffers! My favourites are the hand creams ($7) which come in tons of scents including the limited edition Peppermint and Berry fragrances, and the 6-layered nail file ($8) with cute messages on each layer.

For extra efficiency and thriftiness, you can buy a gift set of minis and break it up (and maybe keep a few bits for yourself) – the Shower Gel Rainbow Parade with 8 shower gels ($30) and the set of 6 Hand Cream Crackers ($40) are my top picks for this!

Mid-Range Gifts

Mid-range gifts are where The Body Shop’s collection really shines. There are lots of neat sets for Secret Santa gift swaps that fit a variety of budgets.

On the lower end of the price scale, there are Treat Boxes ($12) which have a mini shower gel and body butter, and House of Delights ($15) in the three seasonal scents that have a shower sponge as well. I also really like the Enchanted Body Butter Trio ($25), which is perfect for someone who wants to try all of the things.

Single-scent Bliss Boxes ($35) and Premium Collections ($65-75) are neatly boxed gifts if you know what scent your giftee likes.

There are also some nice gifts that come in reusable packaging. The Body Shop has a Festive Sack ($30) for each limited edition scent, which contains shower gel, hand cream, body butter and body scrub in a reusable jute pouch.

The jute pouch is handcrafted by The Body Shop’s community trade partner Teddy Exports, who they’ve been working with since 1987, and currently employ over 600 fairly paid people in India. (If you want different items, you can also buy a jute pouch separately for $4-6 as packaging for your own selection of products.)

The Delights Bags ($20) are another great pick, with shower gel, body butter and hand cream in a handy mesh travel bag.

I’m also a fan of the Olivia the Owl set ($30), which contains products in the ever-popular Strawberry and Coconut scents in a cute money box.

There are sets designed for men as well, including a shave kit ($30) and a beard care kit ($35).

Splurge Gifts

If your budget is a bit higher, there are body sets that go up to $90, and a set of masks for $140.

My pick for a really deluxe gift for someone special (or just a load of fun goodies for yourself) are The Body Shop’s three gorgeously packaged 25-day Advent Calendars (Ultimate, Deluxe and Beauty Advent Calendars at $250, $150 and $100 respectively).

Non-Skincare Gifts

If you’re not sure about gifting skincare, there are also headbands, hair towels, body washers and make-up. The Koala Headband ($10) and Hair Towel ($20) are particularly cute, and half the price is donated to the Queensland Koala Crusaders who restore koala habitats. These make awesome gifts for kids!

The Enchanted Forest Gift Collection is available now from The Body Shop.

This is a sponsored post; however, the opinions expressed are still my honest opinions. For more information, see Disclosure Policy.