Meet The Viral Hand Cream Insiders Swear By
THE HYPE
Low humidity levels, biting temperatures and central heating – a recipe for disaster, as any skin expert will tell you. Winter can be brutal on your hands: you use them constantly, inadvertently exposing them to a variety of aggressors which can strip the skin of lipids and leave you battling dryness and rough patches.
Devoted hand cream users will likely already have L’Occitane’s shea butter version on their radar. Instantly recognisable by its signature aluminium tube, it’s one of those beauty products that editors continue to rave about because it really is that good. This hero was recently discovered by a new generation of beauty lovers when it went viral on TikTok.
THE BACKGROUND
French bodycare brand L’Occitane prides itself on sourcing its hero ingredients – think restorative, sleep-inducing lavender, zesty verbena and creamy almond – from Provence, the lush, plant-rich region where its story began. It takes something quite special for the brand to venture beyond, but if you’ve tried its award-winning hand cream, you’ll understand why it has chosen to harness the power of shea butter sourced from Burkina Faso and Ghana.
The brand’s founder Olivier Baussan first learnt of the ingredient more than three decades ago while waiting for a flight. Chatting with a journalist at the airport, he was so intrigued by the story of the sacred shea butter tree, and the nut harvesting tradition passed down from mother to daughter for generations, that he actually changed his plans and hopped on a flight to Ouagadougou to find out more. Back then, the skin-saviour ingredient was produced by about a dozen women, so it was only available locally. Since then, L’Occitane has developed a unique symbiotic relationship with Burkina Faso’s female producers – of whom there are now over 10,000 – so shea butter’s hydrating, nourishing properties can be enjoyed globally.
THE FORMULA
Unlike other formulas that can leave residual grease behind, this hand cream pays close attention to how it feels on the skin. Rich and velvety, it’s full of omega oils and vitamins to encourage repair and restore softness, but – crucially – it’s quick to absorb. Powered by organic, sustainably sourced shea butter as well as argan and coconut oils, the formula delivers deep, long-lasting hydration and works on all skin types. The much-lauded scent which gives it that soothing, luxurious quality, features notes of jasmine and ylang-ylang.
THE ECO CREDENTIALS
✓ Vegan-Friendly
✓ 96% Natural-Origin Ingredients
✓ 98% Readily Biodegradable Ingredients
✓ Made With Organic Fair-Trade Shea Butter
✓ 95% Recycled Aluminium Packaging
THE REVIEWS
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