The Inside Scoop: L'Occitane Foundation

Giving back has always been one of the tenants of the L'Occitane company. And since it's founding in 1976, the luxe bath brand has been dedicated to social outreach. To continue the trend the French company recently started the L'Occitane Foundation, a corporate entity that cultivates three programs that promote sustainable, free trade development, sight programs for the needy and the preservation of nature. And while the Foundation may have begun its quest a few years ago, it's now experiencing a full swing that we here at B&TB just had to share.

Here, one in a series of three.

1. Projects for sense-impaired individuals, in particular the blind and partially sighted.

When L'Occitane opened its first US store on the fabu Madison Ave in late 90s, the owner and founder of the company Oliver Baussan came to have a look-see. What he saw changed the face of the company for evs. Mr. Baussan noticed a blind person shopping in the store. The customer was feeling and touching all of the products. And that's when it hit him—Braille on the packaging. The company immediately started using Braille labels, and today nearly 95% of all L'Occitane products boast the language.

With the Foundation the L'Occitane's dedication to the sight-impaired has increased. More than half of the three Million Euros, five-year budget, which is funded by the assignment of profits as well as all of the sales of a specialized Shea Butter soap, has been earmarked to promote healthy vision. In conjunction with multiple NGOs, the Foundation brings eye care, testing and education to more than seven million villagers in Bangladesh. According to the company, many of these cases are curable and preventable. By encouraging water projects and other environmental education programs the Foundation targets the problem before it starts.

But the vision program doesn't stop there. Eyeglasses and health care have been administered in Africa's Burkina-Faso and Bormo. Closer to home, the Foundation has launched a Mira Europa campaign, which provides sight-impaired people with basic life skills, and a perfumer internship program for those who are visually challenged. To help the world see more clearly, you can purchase the limited edition soap bar with all the profits going toward the program


It also helps the free-trade agreement and education efforts for women in Burkina-Faso. For more on that, tune in tomorrow.