With the onset of cold weather, my skin and especially nail cuticles become extremely dry. (Once my cuticles start peeling, I can’t stop picking at them!) While stopping by L’OCCITANE the other day to look for lotion and hand cream, I noticed that a number of their product labels featured braille code. The clerk explained that the L’OCCITANE Foundation works with charitable organizations to fight preventable blindness in poor countries. It promotes the occupational integration of the visually impaired through training programs. The Foundation’s other priority focus areas include the economic emancipation of women and the preservation of the knowledge of nature.
Wow – I was impressed. I was looking for a way to heal my dry skin, but evidently found much more. I picked up a Moments of Africa Soap Set – 100% of soap sales benefit the United to Save Site Campaign that funds charities that fight blindness and pass on skills to women to help them launch new soap-making businesses. I also picked up a Cozy Hand Lotion Set and one of their limited edition 20th anniversary shea butter creams. (I chose Vanilla Flower - there are five different African flower-influenced anniversary creams.) L’OCCITANE has a respectful working relationship with the women producers of shea butter products. It helps women producers increase their autonomy by prefinancing production (a 80% down payment) that provides much-needed funding to produce, export and find new retail outlets.
Find out more about L’OCCITANE and its sustainable business practices here.
Do you have a Good Find – a product or service that you make, sell or have purchased that benefits women, girls or the environment? Tell me about it at tscheney@thewomensbook.com. We might just share it in one our next blog posts.
TaKeysha Sheppard Cheney, Founder, Publisher & Editor-in-Chief, The Women’s Book
