Botanical beauty is a way of caring for the skin and hair using plants: they are studied, cultivated, and transformed into active ingredients for beauty products. The term was born with Yves Rocher. In La Gacilly, a village in Brittany, France, Mr. Yves Rocher prepared a cream based on Lesser Celandine in his attic, and in 1959 he created the brand. Our own history summarizes it this way: "this is the beginning of botanical beauty."
From a cream in an attic to a brand
Yves Rocher was born in La Gacilly. After his father's death, he found refuge in the forest and noticed the effect that nature has on well-being. From there came that first Lesser Celandine cream.
In 1959, he founded the brand from his family home, with his own laboratory. He sold by mail order, without intermediaries, so that his products would reach millions of women directly throughout France. Today, as our history page recounts, for more than 60 years we have been botanists, harvesters, manufacturers, and distributors.
That last point carries more weight than it seems. Since 1979, we have controlled the entire chain, from our plants to your skin, and this allows us to track every step of manufacturing with traceability starting from the fields. An extract purchased from third parties arrives with a certificate; one grown in-house arrives with its entire history.
Where the plants grow
Our 60 hectares of fields in La Gacilly are cultivated with an agroecological approach, an agricultural model that helps to regenerate the soil and biodiversity. Our emblematic plants have been organically certified since 1999. There are nine of them: cornflower, calendula, peppermint, German chamomile, Roman chamomile, edulis, nasturtium, arnica, and ice plant.
In 1975, Mr. Yves Rocher created the La Gacilly Botanical Garden, an open-air laboratory where 1,500 plant species are preserved and studied by our experts. It is a member of BGCI (Botanic Gardens Conservation International). According to our commitments, 5,000 plants have been scientifically studied in the Garden since 1975. We tell this in more detail in the Yves Rocher Botanical Garden.
How a plant reaches a bottle
Our botanical expertise page summarizes the method in four principles: bio-inspiration, eco-extraction with 100% natural processes, high naturalness in formulation, and 100% tested products without resorting to animal testing.
Bio-inspiration is the most interesting part for a chemist. It consists of observing how a plant adapts to its environment and finding the cosmetic function there. A plant that survives drought, for example, has to retain water in its tissues, and that capacity is exactly what is sought in a moisturizing ingredient. Extraction, then, separates the desired molecules from the plant (using water, oils, or pressing) without dragging along what is not useful.
Emblematic plants in today's products
Some of these plants appear in products you can use right now. We tell you exactly where each ingredient comes from in each product.
The Lifting Anti-Wrinkle Smoothing Serum from Lift Pro-Collagène contains 4% ice plant (sea anemone), cultivated in our La Gacilly fields using agroecology. The 100H Non-Stop Moisturizing Serum from Hydra Végétal uses cellular water from Edulis, a plant selected for its ability to capture water and retain it in its leaves: bio-inspiration in its purest form.
Nasturtium is the central ingredient of the Multi-Protection UV Shield Cream SPF50, grown according to organic farming principles in Brittany since 1980. The Nourishing Body Lotion is enriched with organic shea butter and calendula. Peppermint gives its name to the Pure Menthe line, from which the Purifying Cleansing Gel for combination to oily skin comes. And the 48H Chamomile Antiperspirant contains organic chamomile from La Gacilly.
There is more in facial care and in the Hydra Végétal line.
Our figures
- More than 95% of our products are manufactured in France.
- More than 93% of ingredients of natural origin in our care products, with the goal of reaching 96% by 2030.
- In 1989, we stopped testing on animals, 15 years before European regulations.
- In 1991, the Yves Rocher Foundation was born, committed to biodiversity.
- In 2019, we were the first international group to become a mission-driven company, with a mission: "Reconnect women and men with nature."
- In 2021, we were the first French brand to obtain UEBT (Union for Ethical BioTrade) certification for our plants in La Gacilly, a seal of responsible sourcing.
We explain what that percentage of natural origin on each label means in what "ingredients of natural origin" means.
What makes a cosmetic "botanical"
A plant extract in the ingredients list is not enough. As we practice it, botanical beauty requires four things:
- That the main active ingredient comes from plants and its function in nature has been studied.
- That its origin is known, as much as possible from our own fields or certified sources.
- That the formula is as natural as possible without sacrificing what the product has to do.
- That animals and biodiversity are respected in the process.
The second point is the one most often overlooked, and the one that allows the other three to be verified.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who invented botanical beauty?
According to our history, the beginning of botanical beauty was the Lesser Celandine-based cream that Mr. Yves Rocher prepared in his attic in La Gacilly, Brittany. In 1959, he created the Yves Rocher brand.
Where are Yves Rocher plants grown?
Our emblematic plants are grown in 60 hectares of fields in La Gacilly, Brittany, under an agroecological approach. They have been organically certified since 1999.
What are the 9 emblematic plants of La Gacilly?
Cornflower, calendula, peppermint, German chamomile, Roman chamomile, edulis, nasturtium, arnica, and ice plant.
Does Yves Rocher test on animals?
No. We stopped testing on animals in 1989, 15 years before European regulations.
Where are Yves Rocher products manufactured?
More than 95% of our products are manufactured in France, according to our commitments page.
