Palm Oil

Palm oil comes from the fruit of the oil palm tree. It is used mainly in food products, but can be found in certain cosmetics and personal care products. Its good saponification index and high concentration of lauric acid are used to make soap hard and provide cleansing and foaming properties.

L'OCCITANE's position on sustainable palm oil

We do not directly purchase or use palm oil in our formulas. Our soap noodles and certain derivatives (such as surfactants, which give a formula its foaming properties) may, however, contain palm oil, although the volumes used are very low compared to worldwide consumption across all sectors.

We are committed to withholding our strong company values when sourcing ingredients. We ensure the quality, traceability and sustainability of our plant ingredient supply chain and have launched several initiatives to ensure that palm oil is used responsibly in our products.

RSPO Membership

Since 2011, L’OCCITANE has been a member of the RSPO (Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil) – a non-profit organisation that unites all stakeholders from the palm oil industry. Its aim is to develop and implement global standards for certified sustainable palm oil.

In 2014, we launched a procedure that makes it possible to identify the presence of palm oil derivatives in all of our raw materials. Between now and 2020, we will be implementing an action plan so that 100% of these raw materials can be awarded RSPO certification from physical supply chains.

100% of traceable and sustainable palm oil in our soaps

Since the end of 2015, 100% of our soaps sold in stores are formulated with traceable and sustainable palm oil, in accordance with one of the highest levels of traceability defined by the RSPO (Segregated).

Sustainability sourcing our ingredients

We work directly with producers to continuously improve our plant supply chains and forge long-term partnerships, built on trust and respect.