L'Occitane en Provence

L'Occitane en Provence (pronounced IPA|) is an international retailer of body, face, and home products based in Manosque, France. The company was founded in 1976 by Olivier Baussan with the purpose to create a company that celebrates and preserves the traditions of his native Provence. L’Occitane means “the woman from Occitania”, [ [http://usa.loccitane.com/FO/Services/FAQ.aspx L'OCCITANE | Customer Service | Frequently Asked Questions | USA Site ] ] .

The company aspires to be "the worldwide reference for Mediterranean well-being, with unique body, face, and home products". The company's brand values are as follows: "Authenticity & naturalness," "Effectiveness & pleasure," and "Respect & responsibilty." [ [http://usa.loccitane.com/FO/Content/About/Our-Values-and-Commitments.aspx Our Values and Commitments ] ]

History

In 1976, 23-year old Olivier Baussan harvested wild rosemary and used a steam distiller to produce pure rosemary essential oil. [ [http://usa.loccitane.com/FO/Content/About/founder.aspx L'Occitane ] ] He sold the oil at the Provençal open-air markets. L’Occitane began to grow following Baussan’s success with rosemary essential oil that led to vegetable-based soaps using traditional methods.

The first L’Occitane boutique opened in 1980 in Volx, France, a small Provençal village. [ [http://www.loccitane.com/Default.aspx?a=470&c=2&l=1&s=51 L'OCCITANE en provence - Homepage - 30 Years of True Story ] ] In response to rapid growth, a factory in Manosque, another Provençal village, was established. To date, the company has experienced significant global growth, expanding with boutiques in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. [Creevy, Jennifer. Scent of a winner. Retail Week 28 Jul 2006.] Currently, L’Occitane has over 700 boutiques in over 65 countries, [Lee, Maggie. [http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/analysis-and-features/business-interview-olivier-baussan-founder-loccitane-473337.html Business Interview: Olivier Baussan, founder, L'Occitane] . The Independent 09 April 2006.] as well as wholesale, mail-order, B2B, and web businesses all around the world. The United States is home to over 130 boutiques.

Beauty products

ocial responsibility of the products

upport for local producers

All of L'Occitane's products are developed and produced in the Provençal town of Manosque, with the exception of the L'Occitane do Brasil sun range, which is developed, produced, and packaged exclusively in Brasil. [ [http://usa.loccitane.com/FO/Content/Our_Stories/Brazil.aspx L'OCCITANE do Brasil | Natural Mineral Sun Care | A True Story ] ] The company supports local traditional production methods and source supplies directly from local producers:

Preserving cultivation methods

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, [ [http://www.onippam.fr Onippam Office National Interprofessionnel des PlantesàParfum, Aromatiques et Médicinales ] ] and
*Encouraging traditional cultivation, particularly that of lavender with their lavender field promotions:
**Place des Voges, Paris, 2001
**Rockefeller Center, New York, 2005
**Grand Place, Brussels, 2006
**Jardins des Senteurs at the Palais Royal - Musée du Louvre, 2006
**Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie, Paris, 2006

ustainable development

Shea butter is obtained from women's groups in Burkina Faso. This butter is known as "women's gold," because of its wonderful effect on the skin and body and because the entire process - from the collection of the fruits to the production of the raw material - is performed solely by women in the region. The shea tree considered sacred, so it is forbidden to pick the fruit. Only the fruit fallen onto the ground may be collected by women. L'Occitane encourages the preservation of this tradition and purchases the shea butter at a fair price that covers the production costs, including environmental and social costs. It leaves a margin for investment and promotes sustainable development. [Anthea De Lima. New Straits Times. Kuala Lumpur: Jan 15, 2004. p. 07]

An organic, ethical approach

L'Occitane keeps in step with the development of the organic cosmetics specifications of Ecocert, and independent certification body; [ [http://www.ecocert.com ECOCERT: contrôle de produits - certification ] ] belongs to the Cosmebio association, a professional association for the ecological and organic beauty products sector; and is linked to One Voice, the French branch of the European coalition whose goal is to put an end to animal experiments. [ [http://www.experimentation-animale.org/ressources/produits_non_testes/par_produits.html One Voice : Liste des produits cosmétiques non testés sur animaux ] ] Products are never tested on animals and no animal product or by-product is used in the manufacturing process, except for beehive products, which include honey, propolis, and royal jelly. [9]

upport for the sensory impaired

They support the visually impaired in various ways, including making an annual contribution to Orbis International, an organization that fights blindness in developing countries. [ [http://www.orbis.org ORBIS | Saving Sight, Blindness Prevention & Treatment, Help the Blind ] ] Braille labeling can be found on the packaging of popular products, which gives the visually impaired access to them. [ [http://usa.loccitane.com/FO/Content/About/Braille.aspx L'Occitane ] ]

In 1997, L'Occitane employees voluntarily created a perfume school called Provence dans tous les Sens (All the senses of Provence). Visually impaired teenagers are flown to France for a weeklong workshop, where they are educated on the the history of fragrance making from a blind French perfumer and are given the opportunity to concoct their own scents. By educating them on the enchanting world of perfumes, this institution strives to aid the development of their sense of smell and inspire future careers. [Michal Lev-Ram. Fortune. New York: Nov 13, 2006. Vol. 154, Iss. 10; pg. 55]

Oliviers & Co

Oliviers & Co (O&CO) is a retailer of Mediterranean olive oils that was also started by Baussan. It features locally produced olive oils from small Mediterranean producers and promotes a Mediterranean diet and lifestyle. The first O&CO boutique opened in Paris in 1998 and there are now 47 stores worldwide, as well as wholesale, mail-order, and web businesses.

References

External links

* [http://www.loccitane.com Official website]
* [http://fondation.loccitane.com Foundation L'Occitane]
* [http://www.oliviersandco.com Oliviers & Co]