Pulpe de Vie wants to know: “Why so serious?”

MANILA, Philippines - Skin care is serious business, but organic skin care line Pulpe de Vie is putting the fun back into the science. It calls itself an “anti-gray” brand — no, not as a protest to the Hollywood rendering of a certain romance novel —  but to assert its unique stand when it comes to skin care. The two-year-old, 100-percent-French brand holds fort in Provence and uses organic fruits and vegetables grown by farmers from the Mediterranean region. It also only works with small and medium businesses from France in other aspects of business. Pulpe de Vie is as French as it gets. And it is, in many ways, a labor of love.

I remember an entry in Mireille Guiliano’s website for her book, French Women Don’t Get Fat, as I spoke with Pulpe de Vie founder and queen bee, Julie Ducret. French women are taught and know grandma’s beauty rituals work, it said. Mireille shared how her mother taught her how to make her own mask — cucumber slices over the eyes and a crushed strawberry-honey mix for the face. Julie Ducret’s products are no different — organic in both make and philosophy, Pulpe de Vie’s facial masks, creams and lotions feel, smell and taste (the Kiss Me Glossy Lip Balm tastes as good as it looks on the lips) like homemade concoctions in cute packaging.

Julie Ducret was born in Paris, where she also studied business and gained experience working for a popular cosmetics group. She moved to Africa where she stayed for 10 years, working with a humanitarian and ecological association, while rediscovering the simple things in life. She later moved back to France, this time settling in Aix-en-Provence, where she put up a business inspired by her experience living the simple life and a personal desire to contribute to the planet.

Chic and laid back in a fitted white blazer and black cigarette pants, she spoke of her “babies,” the products, the way my mom talks about my siblings and myself when we are not looking: she seemed in awe, like she couldn’t believe how Pulpe de Vie is now available on a different continent. “We are a very small company and we are all very hands-on,” she said. I tell her how adorable the inscriptions on the back of the packaging are; instructions and product descriptions are all written in first person. “Massage me directly, my apricot kernels will cleanse your skin. Add water, I turn into an easy-to-rinse-off milk,” said the packaging of Pulpe de Vie’s Sweet Frappé, a delicious mask and face scrub made with real cucumber, grapefruit and apricot that repairs and invigorates dull, tired skin.

True to its origins, Pulpe de Vie’s approach is very French; the products are made in the South of France, it does not talk of cosmetic surgery or burden you with alien ingredients. “Our products will put you in a good mood,” said Julie. “In France alone, 600 new brands are launched in a year. Our products stand out because they are fun, organic products that are simple and easy to use every day.”

Pulpe de Vie is bringing eight products to the Philippines, which will be carried by Rustan’s. All are certified organic and are directly formulated with fruit water and active natural ingredients with flavorings that take the place of essential oils. Its colorings are from the natural ochres of Luberon in Provence. The brand is developing five new products, which Julie hopes to add to their roster by next year.

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Pulpe de Vie is available at Rustan’s. For more information, visit www.pulpedevie.fr.