Brief History
In 1976, a 23-year old native of Provence, named Olivier Baussan, sold his essential oil (made from wild rosemary) in open-air markets close to his home. Oliver used a steam distillation process to produce the oils. He named his company L’Occitane, which means “the woman from Occitania” (the ancient province that once covered the south of France, north-eastern Spain and northern Italy).
L’Occitane opened its first boutique in 1978 in Volx, a small village in Provence.
Authentic and respectful products
In 2010, the company announced that its products were sold in over 80 countries through over 1,500 retail locations and has 753 stores.
I have been very impressed with the philosophy behind the company
Here’s what you might not know about L'Occitane
At L'Occitane the company encourages its employees to follow their dreams. This has resulted in many company volunteers working on life-changing projects in communities all over the world. For the past two years they have travelled to West Africa to teach the L'Occitane way of making soap to women in the Burkina Faso co-operative, where their pure shea butter is made. Many are helping visually-impaired children in NY, while other employees work back in Provence with their producers and distillers in Corsica to continue their cultivation of the exquisite Immortelle flower.
In addition to products sourced from Provence, the Shea butter is purchased directly from women's groups in Burkina Faso at what the company says is a "fair price" and in respect of its traditions — the tree is considered sacred, and its butter is known as "women's gold" because the harvesting is performed solely by women in the region; only fallen fruit may be collected.
The company does not believe in animal testing, and No animal product or by-product, except for beehive products, which include honey, propolis, and royal jelly, is used in the manufacturing process. L'Occitane claims to develop its products in line with organic cosmetics specifications, belongs to the Cosmebio association, a professional association for the ecological and organic beauty products sector; and is linked to One Voice, a European coalition whose goal is to put an end to animal experiments.
L'Occitane contributes to preserve traditional cultivation methods by:
Supporting the program to cultivate almond trees in the Alps of Haute-Provence.
Preserving certain rare species through the planting of their own field of Immortelle flowers in Corsica.
Developing partnerships with organizations that support the development of scented and aromatic plants, such as the Office National Interprofessionel des Plantes à Parfum, and
Encouraging traditional cultivation, particularly that of lavender.
Great Job L'Occitane! I love your products!
0 comments:
Post a Comment