Adding Chennai to the list of cities that L’Occitane en Provence has made its mark in, the luxury skincare brand has opened an exclusive outlet at Phoenix MarketCity. The brand was born in 1976 in Provence when businessman Olivier Baussan started to develop skincare products and fragrances with all natural ingredients.
Having set up their first store in 1981, the French retailer today has over 2,700 stores worldwide. The 400-square-foot outlet in Chennai is the 13th of their Indian stores, following suit after other cities including New Delhi, Mumbai, and Hyderabad.
“The Chennai market is aware of what international brands are available. People come to us with an objective and agenda in mind, and we hope to meet it,” says New Delhi-based Simi Dewan, country head.
Offering skin and hair
care solutions, the brand is best known for its extensive range of hand creams. “We are the pioneers of the hand cream culture, and we sell one every three seconds worldwide,” adds Simi.
Given the specific skincare needs of Chennai, Simi recommends the Verbena range, which is packed with citrus goodness and is ideal for humid climate. Also look out for the Arlésienne range, a collection of products ideal for younger skin, featuring a newly launched fragrance. “The fragrance is an amalgamation of three flowers—rose, violet and saffron. We also use white musk, so rather than a rosy scent, it adds a woody tone,” says skincare professional and in-house trainer Debabani Guha.
Other bestsellers include the international favourite Immortelle range, a selection of anti-ageing solutions. “Must-haves are the Divine cream and Divine Harmony, which works on skin contouring as well,” says Simi.
The brand has plans for expansion, with their website shipping products all over the country, and a new store in Gurugram set to open this August.
Rs. 380 onwards. At Phoenix MarketCity. Details: 66513007