L'Occitane en Provence

The L'Occitane company now seeks to bring Mediterranean well-being to people around the world. Since 1976, L'Occitane has remained true to its philosophy. With all means one conveys its origin, the Provence. The name itself already refers to the home region of the company. L'Occitane means something like "the Occitan" or "the woman from Occitania" ( a historical area that stretched from Aquitaine over the Côte d'Azur to Piedmont). The founder of the company, Olivier Baussan, started distilling rosemary oil with a steam still, which he sold at markets. He started natural cosmetics with plant-based soap. Most of the plant-based ingredients in the products are typical of Provence. Olive and almond oils are used. Honey, lavender, spices typical of Provence, verbena and other medicinal herbs, and natural citrus oils are used for perfuming. In this way, L'Occitane promotes the traditional products of Provence and is committed to sustainability. What does not come from Provence is imported from former French colonies - for example, shea butter from Burkina Faso. This demonstrates the company's humanitarian commitment, as it tries to help the women of Burkina Faso (who are involved in production) find their way to independence. The packaging design looks very retrospective. Unprinted aluminum (with only small stickers) and brown glass (or brown plastic) predominate. Thus, L'Occitane combines many positive aspects of a natural cosmetics company. The products can be purchased in independently run, official boutiques. The range varies from country to country. In some countries, only a slimmed-down range is sold. The boutiques exude the ambience of Provence. Earthy tones predominate and dark, rough wooden shelves characterize the appearance of the stores. The offer is determined by several product lines. The part intended for ladies predominates. Many care products and some fragrances are grouped into product lines with a uniform appearance. For men, there is a grooming range, a series of different fragrances (some with associated grooming products) and another range led by an aquatic eau de toilette.