After the snow, comes the white flower: the almond tree is the first tree to bloom in Provence at the very beginning of spring, in February. It announces the rebirth of nature. One tree produces 8 kilograms of almonds each year, which gives 1 litre of oil! Almond flowers are a great source of nectar and pollen for the bees, which in return are crucial to pollinate the flowers and make them become almonds. 300 beehives are hosted in the middle of Jean-Pierre Jaubert’s almond trees.
A true treasure of nature and rich in vitamins, it moisturises, nourishes and softens amongst it’s many benefits - sweet almond oil is wonderful for taking care of us from head to toe. At L'OCCITANE, we use Almond in all its textures, oil, butter, crushed cockles, protein and milk. This allows us to recover all the benefits and all the textures of this gourmet ingredient!
From Almond Protein which firm and smooths the hair fibers, boosting shine to Almond body butter that hydrates and nourish with it’s creamy texture.
Until the 50’s, the almond tree was a strong symbol of the Provençal landscape. Abandoned for more profitable crops, it almost disappeared from the region. Our commitment is protecting cultivated biodiversity and supporting both producers in the region and traditionally cultivated crops.
L'OCCITANE are proud to be featuring on BBC StoryWorks, showing how the cosmetic industry is helping biodiversity. The L’OCCITANE episode will showcase how we have helped to bring the almond tree back to the South of France as well as our responsible sourcing of Almonds, with producers Jean-Pierre Jaubert and France Amande.
The almond tree was all but eradicated from the Provence landscape due to the popularity of olives and Lavender in the region. L’OCCITANE has worked with its producers to replenish the almond trees in the region and today they thrive. The almond tree is at the heart of L’OCCITANE and provides a true and inspirational story of how we can help nature when all seems lost! See the video below...