About us
L’Occitane is very much a company of two parts: it has the warmth, friendliness and support that comes from belonging to a ‘family’ ….as well as the excitement and pace that comes from being part of a dynamic and growing success story. Our company was founded more than 40 years ago, in 1976 by Olivier Baussan, who distilled and sold the Essential Oils of Rosemary and Lavender at the local markets of Provence. It is from these humble beginnings that L’Occitane began its true story: a business that now spans across 5 continents and more than 90 countries, with over 1500 Boutiques and more than 8000 employees. In recent years the L’Occitane Group which already included Melvita, has grown by acquiring other international beauty companies such as Erborian, LimeLife and Elemis. In addition to our delight, these new ventures bring with them a variety of opportunities for further development, networking and sharing of ‘Best Practice’ across the whole business.
L’Occitane is proud to offer premium, natural based beauty products created from the finest ingredients, harvested in the Provence countryside, keeping alive its farming traditions. The name Olivier chose for the Company evokes the land of Occitania – the ancient province that once covered the south of France, north-eastern Spain and northern Italy and which is rich with sensorial and cultural resources. His idea was to mix the traditions and ingredients from these regions in the creation of high quality products for personal care and the home. The name L’OCCITANE comes from the old language of Oc and means: “The woman from Occitania” To correctly pronounce our name we encourage our use the following phonetic guide: LOX - EE – TAN
