The Body Shop’s advent calendars start at £60 and are packed with cult classics

An undeniably beautiful advent calendar, it continues The Body Shop’s annual theme of showcasing sweet illustrations across a cardboard treasure trove of treat-filled boxes. There are 24 miniature products inside, and our first thought was how fun the calendar is to open. The inside flap features colourful imagery as well as three cardboard pieces that can be popped out to use as gift tags.

In keeping with the advent of change name, its ethos throughout is positive acts, which can be seen from the messages printed on each blue, mint-green and purple box. There are different words on each polka dot, star print and Christmas tree-adorned box, from everything about partnerships with community fair trade partners to cleaning up litter in the community and speaking up in support of each other. Others offer information about product purposes, ingredients and recyclability.

Inside the boxes, we uncovered an array of popular products, including a 50ml shea body butter (£19 for 200ml, Thebodyshop.com) and a 60ml satsuma shower gel (£8 for 250ml, Thebodyshop.com). Meanwhile, on the full-size front, you’ll find a couple of 100g cleansing face and body bars, including pink grapefruit (£5, Thebodyshop.com); a 30ml British rose petal hand cream (£7, Thebodyshop.com) and a 10ml strawberry lip butter (£6, Thebodyshop.com). Plus, a chic claw hair clip acts as a nice bonus.

Each product features the same signature juicy, fruity or creamy The Body Shop scent. The rich and lightweight textures range from hydrating to refreshing, and it’s all killer no filler in this affordable advent calendar.

What we also really love about The Body Shop’s Christmas advent calendars is how easy they are to re-use, with the little boxes being cute for storage and gift wrap. In previous years, our friends’ littles ones have even had fun stacking and counting with them. They can also be cut up and made into tags to attach to presents at Christmas or other times of the year. Otherwise, as there is no plastic whatsoever, they’re completely recyclable.

Even better, this calendar is worth a whopping £119.50, so you’re getting a half-price saving on the selection of products included.

Larger than the advent calendar of change, this medium-sized offering features two drawers to open and a top tray, which is underneath pop-up figures set against a background themed around The Body Shop. We spotted a snowman, Santa, and a Christmas post box, and loved the metallic detail adding that extra festive sparkle. Again, we saw seasonal stamps and key imagery throughout, homing in on activism as well as this special time of year.

Once again, among the calendar’s 25 treats are full-sized and smaller goodies – although the calendar will set you back less than £100, its contents are worth more than £170. Full-size favourites include the nourishing shea shampoo (£10, Thebodyshop.com) and the restorative breathe massage melt balm (£20, Thebodyshop.com). Meanwhile, smaller products we loved cover a travel-sized almond milk shower cream (£3, Thebodyshop.com) and a mini treatment in the form of Himalayan charcoal purifying glow mask (£8, Thebodyshop.com).

There are skincare, haircare and body-care buys, as well as handy essentials – such as a hairband and muslin cloth. If you like stocking up on standard-sized buys and trying smaller newbies, this is the advent calendar to invest in this Christmas.

As the name suggests, the green box of wishes and wonders ultimate advent calendar is an impressive size and comes complete with an upper tray, plus two large drawers and hessian handles. This is the most expensive option from The Body Shop this year, however, the contents are worth £100 more than the calendar’s £145 price tag.

From candy canes and snowflakes to the recycling symbol and stamps, illustrations mimicking stickers cover the outside of this calendar. We opened the lid to reveal a top section showing pop-up cardboard figures and a festive backdrop. Creating a charming stage effect, these illustrations include Christmas letters, a snowman and parcels, plus activism and recycling imagery.

The difference between this advent calendar and the other two is it only contains full-sized products. Our standout favourites cover the lavishly smoothing and sweet-smelling British rose body yoghurt (£14, Thebodyshop.com), the strand-softening moringa shine and protection shampoo (£10, Thebodyshop.com) and conditioner (£10, Thebodyshop.com) and the relaxing sleep calming pillow mist (£20, Thebodyshop.com).

Our favourite part is probably the little notes found on some boxes, and there’s a message stamped on the outside suggesting you “share your gift”, too. And you definitely could, with this amount of high-standard products, there are enough to pass around.