Recently, our blog readers submitted questions to Olivier Baussan, Founder of L'OCCITANE. Here are his responses:


Q: I was wondering where L'Occitane gets the inspiration for its products' packaging. I am thinking in particular of the Shea Butter Hand Cream or the "boxes" some lotions come in. They are so unique (and great!) and I am curious to know if it is somehow linked to your French heritage.

Olivier: I try to make a poetic narrative before imagining the shape of each bottle or tube and the label of each product. Some of my favorites are the cherry blossoms that fly in the first winds of spring on the Cherry Blossom Eau de Toilette, the immortal sun illuminating the blue sea for Immortelle skincare, the African light and the rawness of the materials for the Shea Butter products, a trip to Provence marked in a book of memories with a sprig of lavender on our Lavender range, and the old boxes of calissons traditional candy from Aix with the gold and green-gray color that inspired the Almond packaging. There is a different story for every range and that is why there is such diversity in it all.



Q: I know that you have a special love of Provence and Corsica, but besides these two places, what is your favorite spot in the world?

Olivier: I love Venice not only because it is romantic but because of the fatal gift of beauty!



Q: What are the L’Occitane products that you couldn’t live without on a day-to-day basis?

Olivier: I confess that the product I take everywhere is the Shea Butter Hand Cream. Then I like the Verbena Eau de Toilette for its freshness and almost pungent rusticity of the packaging.



Q: Besides being a huge fan of your products, I am even happier to support a company that has put its efforts into recognizing such wonderful humanitarian causes. I am wondering if there is a reason you chose to help the visually impaired. This cause is one I hold near to my heart as well, as it has touched those I love. I am also passionate about helping the environment and commend you for your efforts empowering less fortunate women in the world. With help from people and companies such as L'Occitane, I believe every goal is attainable and everything is possible.

Olivier: The approach of L'Occitane for 34 years has been the same: Be considerate of others, respect differences, allow that those who are left on the side of life can access what others often selfishly share - the beauty of the world. Braille labels on our products is a hand outstretched and generous to those who require it, but it is also addressed to those who never have time to open their eyes!



Q: From the humble roots of the Lavender bush to the global enterprise that L'Occitane has become, how do you keep your perspective on what is true in life?

Olivier: To forget my roots would betray my beliefs. I appreciate modesty because it still allows for true emotion.

Hi Everyone,

We are pleased to announce the ten winners of our Holiday Scavenger Hunt! Each winner will be receiving a $250 L'OCCITANE gift card. Congratulations!

Martha Jamison
Mai Amis
Nelia Ponte
Joseph Campbell
Tracy Seet
Scott McIntosh
Marcia Dedeaux
Amy Lechko
Shirley Younger
Denisse Moncada

Thanks to everyone for participating in a very memorable contest!

 

We're pleased to announce the five winners of our most memorable holiday gift contest:

- Mary Ellen Salman
- Piper Oswald
- Jeannie Nguyen
- Julie Hawkins
- Christine Santoro

Thanks to everyone for participating. There were some truly wonderful and heartfelt responses. Happy holidays to you all!

In celebration of the launch of our holiday boutique, we're going to get this holiday season kicked off with a little contest! Actually, it could be a big contest, but it's up to you to spread the word!

L'OCCITANE wants to know about the most memorable holiday gift you have received. Tell us what it was and why it was so very memorable in the comments section at the bottom of this post.

When you enter a comment, you are automatically entered to win a new L'OCCITANE holiday gift set. Based on the number of comments we get, we'll increase the number of gift sets we're giving away! But don't delay, this contest will be closed for entries on November 16th.

Only one comment entry will be considered per contestant.

No. of Entries	No. of Prizes
5+	5
1,000+	12
2,000+	30

 

Interested? Good! We think you'll love the new gift sets we're giving away:

 

Shea Vanilla Caress Set
($54 Retail Value)

This set includes:
- Shea Vanilla Body Cream 6.7 oz
- Shea Vanilla Hand Cream 1 oz
- Shea Vanilla Shower Gel 2.5 oz

 

Verbena Refreshing Hands Set
($49 Retail Value)
This set includes:
- Verbena Shea Soap 3.5 oz
- Verbena Cooling Hand Cream Gel 2.5 oz
- Verbena Liquid Soap 16.9 fl.oz

 

Sweet Cherry Temptations Set
($54 Retail Value)

This set includes:
- Sweet Cherry Body Cream 6.7 oz
- Sweet Cherry Hand Cream 1 oz
- Sweet Cherry Shower Gel 2.5 fl.oz

 

Lavender Bodycare Gift Set
($79 Retail Value)

This set includes:
- Lavender Shower Gel 8.4 fl.oz
- Lavender Body Lotion 8.4 fl.oz
- Lavender Hand Cream 2.5 oz
- 10 Mini Lavender Soaps with seeds

 

Hand Cream Bouquet
($60 Retail Value)

This set includes:
- Acacia Shea Hand Cream 1 oz
- Frangipani Shea Hand Cream 1 oz
- Rosebud Shea Hand Cream 1 oz
- Ylang Ylang Shea Hand Cream 1 oz
- 2 Shea Hand Creams 1 oz each

 

Want to know what else were offering for holiday. Our holiday gift boutique is now live with more sets to be added soon!

Official Rules: No purchase necessary. A purchase does not increase your chance of winning. Valid comments entered on the L’OCCITANE Natural Beauty Blog between 11/04/2009 thru 11/16/2009 will be automatically entered to win. To be valid, a comment must have the type a gift and the reason as to why it was memorable for the contestant to be officially entered.  Winners will be chosen at random based on the total number of entries. Winners will receive one of the five holiday gift sets above chosen at L'OCCITANE's discretion. One entry per person. In order to be eligible for the Sweepstakes you must be 18 years of age or older at the time of entry. Contest open to US residents only. Void where prohibited. Employees of and their immediate family members (parents, children, siblings or spouse of any of the foregoing, regardless of where they live), or persons living in same household, whether related or not, of L’OCCITANE are not eligible to participate.

Rice Pudding

Ingredients:

4 ¼ cups of milk
½ cup of sugar
3.5 oz. of round rice
1 tsp of vanilla

Directions:

1. Boil the milk with the sugar, add the opened vanilla bean in a large pan
2. Boil 3 glasses of water in another small pan & pour the rice (only one minute)
3. Sewer the rice & rinse with cold water
4. Pour the pre-cooked rice in the boiling milk, mix with a wooden spoon
5. Let it cook at low boil & continue using the wooden spoon
6. Let it cook for 1 hour (until the complete absorption of the milk
7. Before removing the vanilla bean, scrap the grains into the mixture
8. Pour the mixture into a caramelized bowl Enjoy cold or warm (this preparation can be store into an airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator)

Secret for a successful recipe:
Gentle & long cooking

 

Almond Cookies

Ingredients:

7/8 cup of powdered sugar
½ cup of flour
¼ cup of butter
2 egg whites
1.4 oz. of slivered almonds
½ large spoon of heavy cream

Directions:
1. Pre heat the oven to 350F
2. Soften the butter
3. Mix together the egg whites with the sugar until getting a foamy mixture. Then add the butter, the heavy cream & ½ of the almonds
4. Make small piles on a buttered baking sheet; flatten these with the back of a wet spoon; sprinkle with the remaining almonds
5. Bake in a hot oven for 20 minutes or until the center of the cookie is light yellow and the edge light brown
6. Remove the cookies from the oven; place them on a rolling pin. Let them cool down.

Almond & Cherry Crumble

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients (for 6 people):
2.2 pounds of black cherries
5/8 cup of flour
5/8 cup of powdered almond
2.4 oz. of slivered almonds
7/8 cup of powdered sugar
1/3 cup of butter

Directions:
1. Pre-heat the oven to 410 F. Butter generously the baking pan
2. Cut the cherries in ½, remove the stones & put the fruits in the dish
3. In a large bowl, pour the flour, the sugar, the powdered almond, the slivered almonds & the butter previously cut into pieces
4. Stir the mixture with your hands in order to get a coarse paste. Pour the mixture on the cherries & bake for 30 minutes.
5. Serve warm or cold

 

SEE MORE PROVENCAL RECIPIES!

 

Olivier Baussan, founder of L'OCCITANE, will be doing a Q&A with us on this blog!

Do you have a question for Olivier? If so, please let us know in the comments section below. Comments must be left in the comments section of this blog post to be considered.

Please note: It may not be possible to get an answer to each question asked. We'll do our best to get as many questions answered as possible. Thanks for your understanding.

 

 

 

Welcome! We’re pleased that you found your way to the newest resource for natural beauty information online. Our goal with this blog is to provide you with an open and informational look into the world of natural beauty, as well as to give you some insights into one of the most naturally beautiful places in the world – Provence and the Mediterranean region. We’ve assembled a well-rounded collection of writers from various departments within the L’OCCITANE family; including contributors from our Learning & Development, Internet, Marketing and Human Resources departments.

We’re excited to have this opportunity to interact with you. Any thoughts on topics that you’d like for us to discuss? Just let us know in the comments.

We’d love to hear from you.