Expect parental palpitations when they see the new range of beauty products from the Body Shop, being introduced in the Republic tomorrow by Body Shop founder, Ms Anita Roddick.

It's called Hemp and the label features a cannabis leaf. The product is derived from industrial grade hemp which is, apparently, a long lost relation of the cannabis plant that produces marijuana.

However, the Body Shop is evangelical in pointing out the moisturising benefits of Hemp and how different it is from its mood altering cousin.

Its extensive marketing literature states that "you'd have to smoke a joint the size of a telegraph pole to get high on it".

All of which hasn't convinced the authorities in other countries where the range has been introduced. In France, for example, gendarmes seized the product range and all promotional material, claiming it promoted the use of drugs.

Such coverage is of course grist to the publicity mill - something Body Shop needs, given its slide in popularity in recent years.