L’Occitane en Provence, depuis 1976, is an international retailer of face, body, fragrances and home products. It is based in Manosque, France and was started by Olivier Baussan. He developed a company that celebrates the “Occitan Woman” or the women from Occitania during the Middle Ages. This region consists of Southern France, North-Eastern Spain and Northern Italy. Occitan was the native langauge and is still spoken to an extent. In 1976, a soap factory was donated to Baussan and he brought the craft of Marseille vegetable soap to Manosque. The first factory and boutique opened in ’81 and is located in Voix en Provence. L’Occiatne is now in over 90 countries and became a public company in 2010. The company is well known for not doing animal testing or using animal products or animal by products except for some work with bees. It is an Ecocert approved business and recycles , it’s known for being environmentally friendly. The company is best known for its Immortelle flowers grown in Corsica, lavender, almonds and shea butter or “golden women butter” from Burkina Faso and having scents that bring harmony. The L’Occitane Foundation has partnered with Orbis and helps the visually impaired as well as giving economic and literacy opportunities to women in Burkina Faso. The company has its annual financial award which goes to ophthalmologists and medical researchers. L’Occitane is recognized by the United Nationelle Developpement Project and is in their Growth Inclusive Market.
The Cosmopolitan Compact 