L'Occitane en Provence

"Every time you spend money, you're casting a vote for the kind of world you want." Anna Lappe


I went into L'Occitane for the first time a few weeks ago with my mom. They were having a huge 30%-50% off sale, and we spent quite a while in there. I bought orange soaps...


beautifully intricate green tea soaps...


exfoliating almond soaps...


a beautiful lip gloss trio...


and my mom got me a French market basket that I use at the grocery store...



After spending about an hour in the store, I noticed that I didn't get a terrible headache from all the fragrances like I do in Bath and Body Works, Sephora, or Yankee Candle. I immediately understood that it must be because they use very natural ingredients, and decided to do a little research at home.


The company was started by Olivier Baussan in 1976. From the beginning, they have chosen not to test on animals (an issue close to my heart)--and why would they need to? According to the website, they...

- use plant ingredients, organic whenever possible.
-control both their quality and origin by buying from local suppliers who use sustainable harvesting methods wherever possible.
- use no animal products (except for beehive products: honey, royal jelly, and propolis).
-prefer to use plant oils, as opposed to mineral oils, in their face care formulas.
-limit the use of silicones, chemical sunscreens, and paraben preservatives (which have been shown to cause cancer).


All their ingredients from A-Z are listed on their website; there is truly nothing to hide from their consumers. You can learn more about the benefits and origins of many of their ingredients in their true stories. My favorite is the story about shea butter, and there is even an in-depth video with the women in Africa they buy their shea butter from, who keep all the money they earn from shea butter production for themselves, which is why it is called l'or des femmes, or "women's gold."



L'Occitane has even taken into account the effect of packaging materials, which no other major company that I know of has recognized: "Both our products and the materials used in our stores are designed to respect the environment. We limit the use of packing material and the cardboard, paper and wood that we use comes from sustainably managed forests. Our production factory also sorts and recycles its waste and limits its energy consumption."

L'Occitane also uses braille labeling on most of their products, with the philosophy that all of their customers should be able to make informed choices. I am so happy to have found a company I can feel good about giving my money to, and whose products I can feel good about putting on my body.

All images from L'Occitane.