Bath & Body Works customers may be in for a rude awakening the next time they head to the checkout counter.
Earlier this month, CEO Daniel Heaf said the company plans to pull back on its frequent sales and discounts to establish itself as more of a luxury brand.
“With pricing, I think our strategy is very clear,” Heaf told investors on the company’s Q4 FY2026 earnings call. “We have relied too often in the past on deeper and more frequent discounts. As we go into 202… we’re expecting to get paid for our innovation.”
Regular Bath & Body Works shoppers will be familiar with the company’s frequent sales. Whether it’s buy-one-get-one-free three-wick candles or $3.95 hand soap refills, there’s almost always something on markdown when you pop in.
App holders get even more discounts through the company’s rewards program and exclusive offers.
However, as Heaf told investors, “It’s not [Bath & Body Works’s] intention in this financial year to use deeper and more frequent discounts as a lever to growth.
“We know that is not in the best interest of the business long term,” he continued.
Bath & Body Works does not plan to raise prices
Bath & Body Works (BBWI) may be rolling back sale frequency, but Heaf says the company has no plans to raise baseline prices.
“It’s not that we are looking to reposition the brand as prestige or move into luxury price points,” the CEO told investors.
Instead, the company is simply looking to shore up its bottom line and return to profitable growth.
“We expect 2026 to be a year of disciplined investment behind the Consumer First Formula, balancing rigorous cost control with targeted reinvestment to position the business for sustainable long-term growth,” Chief Financial Officer Eva Boratto said. Decreasing sale frequency will help with that cost control.
Bath & Body Works unveiled its Consumer First Formula, a multi-year plan to return the company to regular growth, in Q3 FY2026. The plan’s four main priorities are creating innovative products, reigniting the brand through enhanced storytelling, increasing marketplace performance, and operating more efficiently.
Getty Images
Bath & Body Works is getting a glow-up
While customers may not have as many discounts to look forward to in the coming year, they can get excited about some major refreshes and upgrades.
“Strengthening our hero category product offering and restarting our innovation engine is foundational to our plans,” Heaf told investors.
These product refreshes have already started to roll out in the form of increased fragrance loads in scents such as Champagne Toast and better-for-you ingredients in products like moisturizing hand soaps.
Related: Starbucks overhauls rewards program, adds new customer perks
And there is plenty more to come.
“In the back half of 2026, consumers will begin to see significant product evolution in these hero categories that include new forms and upgraded vessels, such as the restage of our moisturizing body wash and a new flat back spray hand sanitizer,” Heaf said.
“We are also strengthening how we communicate product quality by evolving the labeling on our packaging, emphasizing ingredient transparency, and highlighting product efficacy and benefits,” he continued, “such as 48-hour moisture and dermatologist-approved claims.”
Bath and Body Works also says it has plans to increase its collaborations. The Disney Princess Collection was a major seller for the company in recent months, and its current collection with PEEPS has also been a top seller.
“These actions are the beginning of a transformation of Bath & Body Works from a retailer to a global brand, one that leads with creativity, celebrates product, and creates culture,” Heaf told investors.
Bath & Body Works’ best-selling fragrances in 2025
Since its launch in 1990, Bath & Body Works has produced dozens of fragrances. A handful, including Cucumber Melon, Country Apple, Sweet Pea, and Japanese Cherry Blossom, have been decade-defining hits, while others have had much less staying power.
In 2025, the company’s top-selling scents included:
- Champagne Toast
- Japanese Cherry Blossom
- A Thousand Wishes
- Mahogany Teakwood Extreme
- Fresh Balsam
- Kitchen Lemon
- White Tea & Sage
Source: Bath & Body Works
