Scenes & scents of Provence

MANILA, Philippines - Oui, the sight of postcard-pretty lush green fields and mountains amid clear blue skies and fluffy white clouds from Marseille airport, south of France, all the way to our Provence hotel is enough to soothe my travel-weary soul. I know I’m in another place and time as soon as my cab driver Bernard drops me off in his BMW at Couvent des Minimes Hotel and Spa, an hour’s drive from the airport. (I told my friends I was going to Provence and they asked, “What province are you going to?” Truth is, Provence reminds me of Benguet Provence  I mean Province  only it’s so much greener and the air, a lot cleaner.)

Entering my room, I could at once catch a whiff of scentsational things to come, with the assorted tiny L’Occitane products thoughtfully laid out on the bathroom counter. Provence, after all, is L’Occitane country. The scents are enough to delight the senses.

Her name is Angelica: With the angelica plant, L’Occitane has created a skincare line that instantly hydrates skin when it’s needed. The organic angelica essential oil is a powerful antioxidant that protects skin against free radicals while the organic angelica water boosts water circulation across skin layers by stimulating the production of aquaporins (water channels). In the Philippines, L’Occitane products are exclusively available at Rustan’s.

And then a L’Occitane gift box arrives at my door. It’s Angelica, L’Occitane’s latest skincare regimen that comes from a magical plant from the Drome region of France that has super hydrating/moisturizing properties to keep skin looking fresh, silky smooth, and youthful. Just what I need after riding three airplanes and traveling 13-odd hours. But that’s getting ahead of this beautiful, scent-illating story.

On a sunshiny spring morning in Provence, we meet the man behind the angelica, Frederic Nivon, a farmer who followed in the footsteps of his father and grandfather. He started planting angelica 10 years ago in a hilly place north of Drome where the soil is very rich with a lot of water underground. Nivon was naturally drawn to the angelica and got support to cultivate it from the Chamber of Agriculture who believed there was potential in this wonder plant.

From Provence with lab: The L’Occitane Laboratory in Manosque is where the company’s products are made.

Fact is, angelica’s story dates back to the Middle Ages when it was highly prized for its medicinal properties. The story goes that Archangel Raphael brought the angelica roots to Emperor Charlemagne to save his sick army from the plague. Called angel grass or fairy grass or the Holy Spirit’s roots and believed to have magic powers, it was considered a panacea or cure-all and worn as a protective amulet or necklace to drive away bad spells or spirits.

“During the Middle Ages, the witches couldn’t resist the smell of the angelica,” relates Jean Louis Pierrisnard, L’Occitane R&D director.

South of France, in Nice, a legend goes that a man who chewed the roots of the angelica, believed to be the most powerful part of the plant, lived to a ripe 130 years old.

The angelica is planted in autumn and can only be harvested in winter because it is this time of the year when the roots contain the most essential oil. Carrying on the family’s valued tradition, Nivon obtained the organic certification for angelica in 2005. That means that the angelica fulfills the organic requirements  no fertilizer or chemical pesticides are used. Nivon uses a machine to remove the weeds and then he collects the roots at the precise moment of the plant cycle. After extraction from the ground, the roots are not treated but simply washed with some drinking water before distillation.

The man behind angelica: Frederic Nivon has been cultivating angelica since 2005 using organic methods. He shows off the powerful roots of the angelica plant.

The L’Occitane laboratory has patented two extracts from angelica’s roots for their skin moisturizing efficiency and vitality: angelica water and angelica essential oil. Among the range’s symbolic products is the Radiant Facial Cream, which boosts the skin’s natural hydration by stimulating the synthesis of aquaporins (water channels) and helps improve the skin’s elasticity.

All parts of the plant can be used  roots, fruits, stems, petioles. It can even be made into delicious candies, which we get to taste a wee bit later. The seeds can be made into herbal tea and help relieve coughing. When the leaves are brewed, the angelica can be a stimulant and diuretic. When the leaves are lightly boiled, angelica helps combat flatulence or excessive gas in the digestive tract.

We get to know the angelica, from head to roots, during a visit to an angelica field in Salagon gardens, during a demo on how the angelica roots are distilled, and during a creative workshop, where we get into an exercise to draw the angelica using green dye and stalks from the plant. In this workshop, we learn that “angelica takes off all the dirt from the skin and body, and acts like a tonic so you can breathe better, digest better, feel good all over.”

Oil right: At the Couvent des Cordeliers, where the University of Scents and Flavours is located, guests learn how the angelica essential oil is distilled.

At the factory visit, we even get to learn how to make our own eye roll-on and hand cream. Believe it or not! With a lot of help, of course, from the L’Occitane people.

If you can spare three minutes, Angelica can work its magic on you. Its Instant Hydration Mask is an ultra-refreshing gel that bursts with moisture and extracts of organic angelica to revitalize the skin in three minutes or the time it takes you to brush your teeth. No need to rinse off, the active ingredients continue to work all day long.

You don’t have three minutes? What about 30 seconds? Thirty seconds is all it takes for Angelica’s Exfoliating Gel to boost the skin’s microcirculation and give it a fresh, youthful glow.

Now, if you don’t have 30 seconds, what about three seconds? That’s all it takes for Angelica’s Hydration Face Mist to deliver a fine mist of thirst-quenching droplets to revive and rehydrate thirsty skin.

A story rooted in legend and poetry, L’Occitane has likewise earned a spot in the immortal pages of history with its Immortelle line that boasts the anti-aging properties of Immortelle essential oil.

As part of its formulation principles, L’Occitane prefers using plant oils to mineral oils. Also, 89 percent of its products are paraben-free and it has never used animal products (except for beehive products).

Pea princess: Restaurateur Joyce Janssen, with her son Guyon, runs the Ferme Auberge L’Orangerie where she regales guests with her specialties like this divine pea soup (right).

Surely, women have found a BFF (best friend forever) in L’Occitane’s anti-aging skincare products. “Especially women in the city who lead stressful lives amid the pollution,” says Patricia Montesinos, L’Occitane communications manager-Provence. “They need more products for relaxing and de-stressing. Women who live in the countryside, like us in Provence, and live less stressful lives with less pollution need less protection for the skin. We also eat better as we grow our own organic produce and we have more time for other things like cooking and outdoor activities like hiking, cycling, swimming in the lake, and mountain climbing.”

Or maybe riding the hot air balloon, like we did. Our gregarious pilot Philip Haslett has been flying the hot air balloon for 19 years now, his oldest passenger having been a 97-year-old woman.

Berry yummy: Strawberry pie, anyone?

Provence provides a feast for the senses as well as for the stomach. Its fresh organic food offerings fill the belly and warm the heart. For instance, in L’Oustaou d’Oulivie, our hostess with the mostest Joyce Janssen, with her very helpful son Guyon, cooks up a feast fit for an emperor that begins with a piquant pea soup and ends on a sweet note with a velvety smooth pannacotta infused with herbs. Amid centuries-old olive trees and a farm garden teeming with the freshest organic produce, guests to this country home-cum-restaurant/cooking school can enjoy good food and good wine. If you have time, you can take a cooking class and have a real farm-to-fork experience as you learn how to make summer vegetables, honey-lavender, fresh pasta, cakes, desserts, chocolate, and even Thai food.

Having had our fill of hearty, healthy organic food (like the fresh greens, homemade breads, fresh strawberry pie, and roast chicken at the charming villa of Mr. and Mrs. Fortune Arizzi) we suddenly crave decadent food on our last day in Provence. So we order some big fat french fries with matching Coca-Cola at our hotel. Yes, French french fries!

Oui, providential Provence has something to nourish the skin and body as well as prevent the wrinkling of the soul.

Wonder plant: Tall and slender, the angelica plant can grow up to two meters. It has remarkable hydration properties.