For the women of West Africa, Shea butter has always been a special beauty secret. Now, due to its exceptional protective and nourishing properties, it is an essential ingredient in skin care. In the early 1980s, L’OCCITANE launched a sustainable joint-development program with the women of Burkina Faso. Shea butter paved the way for their economic emancipation. At first, these women were around ten. Today, there are over 12,000, collecting Shea nuts and producing Shea butter. In 2010, these women provided L’OCCITANE with 380 tons of Shea butter. Shea Butter: nature’s nourishment Traditionally, Shea butter has been used to protect the skin against the wind and environmental damage. Rich in Vitamin A, antioxidant Vitamin E, and fatty acids that help to strengthen cell membranes, this natural beauty balm leaves skin soft, supple and perfectly nourished. High-performance protection This year, a new dimension of protection is brought to L’OCCITANE Shea Butter skincare, with 2 unique active ingredients: a unique Shea concentrate and a complex of natural sugars – 2 additional shields to protect and nourish normal to very dry skin. Protection against skin dryness Shea concentrate, the most active Shea butter extract, is rich in reparative and protective esters. It contains phytosterols – lipids that are naturally present in plants – which help to strengthen epidermal cells.  This effective ingredient forms a protective barrier that has a perfect affinity with skin and helps combat the factors responsible for skin dryness. Protection against harsh climatic elements A combination of natural sugars reinforces the skin’s ecosystem by protecting and stimulating the cutaneous flora which acts as a natural defense system. The skin’s defense mechanisms are strengthened; it is more resilient and better protected. All year long, skin can shield itself against damaging climatic factors. Doubly protected, the skin is visibly stronger. Its natural defenses are reinforced.