Every three seconds, a tube of Shea Butter Hand Cream is sold somewhere in the world. 17,000 women in Burkina Faso in West Africa are involved in the production of the high-quality shea butter, and to celebrate 40 years of L’Occitane, the company is paying tribute to these women, through a limited-edition collection inspired by the ever-contemporary designs of African wax prints.
L’Occitane products enriched with luxurious shea butter will soothe your skin and your conscience. Thanks to the creation of a sustainable production chain L’Occitane employs more than 15,000 women in Burkina Faso, West Africa. L’Occitane uses shea butter, which is extremely nourishing for the skin, in a wide range of its products. When the dry Saharan wind blows, the Burkinabe women protect their skin by applying the soft butter extracted from the shea nut.
Next time you pass a L’Occitane store pause for a moment to think not only about the luxurious natural ingredients contained within the products for sale, but also who grew and harvested those ingredients and where they came from. Do this and you will most certainly cross the threshold because L’Occitane is a global company that truly cares about people and the planet, and is doing its bit to look out for both.
The new L’Occitane Shea Butter packaging designs
Caring is key to the French skincare and fragrance brand and one of the driving reasons behind its global success. When you start from a place of caring about the product you are creating, the environment from which you are taking something from and the people involved, while staying true to that commitment, as L’Occitane has done since 1976, the positive impact that ripples outwards is heartening.
L’Occitane founder Olivier Baussan began the company with the dream of changing the world from within Provence with beauty products based on essential oils. Forty years on Baussan’s dream is that L’Occitane will continue to develop whilst preserving traditional methods. In Provence L’Occitane works with more than 70 local producers-harvesters-distillers. It can trace the origin of its key active ingredients and uses more than 300 plant-based ingredients in its formulations from lavender to shea butter.
To celebrate the new limited edition launch, L’Occitane has an exclusive offer just for Good readers. Simply make any L’Occitane product purchase in store or online between April 3-23 and receive a free Charlotte Gastaut illustrated pouch containing 3 limited edition 10ml Shea Handcreams in Verbena, Cherry and Almond. Pouch is strictly one per customer and offer is valid while stock lasts. Stocks are strictly limited to 300. To take up the offer, simply use the code GOOD online at nz.loccitane.com or mention the offer instore at the time of purchase.
Baussan went to Burkina Faso, West Africa in the 1980s to initiate a sustainable partnership with the women producers of shea butter. What resulted was a sustainable production chain that now employs more than 15,000 women. It’s a fair trade model but Baussan prefers to call it “co-development”. And he’s passionate about supporting projects that contribute to the development of the country which is currently ranked 181 out of 187 on the United Nations Developing Programme Human Development Index.
It is also committed to supporting women’s leadership worldwide. In Burkina Faso more than 13,000 women have had access to its literacy programme, training and microcredit to support entrepreneurial projects. Internationally, it also supports the UN Women Fund for Gender Equality to promote women’s economic and political empowerment. Every year Solidarity products are sold in store and 100 per cent of the profits* finance NGO projects in these two fields of action.
“By supporting local communities and regions that are important to us, we hope to create a social and environmental dynamic over the long term,” Baussan says.
For its 40th birthday, L’Occitane offers shea butter – and its best sellers – a bouquet of violets and a celebratory design inspired by the geometric forms often found of the wax print fabrics. This new collection features motifs and colours that tell of the role played by the sacred shea tree in the economic emancipation of the 17,000 women who gather shea nuts and make shea butter in Burkina Faso.
The new limited-edition designs include:
Ultra Rich Body Cream 200ml – $78
Hand Cream 150ml – $51
Hand ream 30ml – $18
Lip Balm 12ml – $20
Violet Ultra Soft Body Cream 100ml – $38
Violet Hand Cream 30ml – $18
Violet Lip Balm 12ml – $20
For more visit nz.loccitane.com
