A Mediterranean Legacy: The Sensory Science Behind L’ODAÏTÈS
*L’ODAÏTÈS
*L’ODAÏTÈS
Nestled within the verdant embrace of the Mediterranean, where orange blossoms perfume the air and the earth whispers ancestral wisdom, the journey of L’ODAÏTÈS unfolds. This narrative, rich in family legacy and botanical splendor, is further illuminated by the visionary guidance of Nabila Chemillier, one of the founding spirits of L’ODAÏTÈS. Under her stewardship, the brand emerges as a sanctuary where the beauty of nature meets the rigor of scientific discovery, creating a skincare philosophy that transcends the superficial, reaching into the holistic essence of well-being.The genesis of L’ODAÏTÈS is as much an ode to the 3 sisters Mediterranean heritage as it is a manifesto for the future of skincare Inspired by a childhood immersed in nature’s rhythms—amidst orchards that bore the seasons’ gifts and gardens that were a palette of life’s vibrant colors—Nabila and her sisters were instilled with an ethos where simplicity and harmony with the earth were paramount.Yet, L’ODAÏTÈS is not merely about reminiscing the past. It represents the confluence of age-old botanical wisdom and contemporary scientific precision. This dynamic synergy is the cornerstone of their philosophy, blending the ancestral knowledge inherited from their grandmother, an adept apothecary, with modern-day innovations in skincare science. Such a unique approach ensures that every L’ODAÏTÈS product not only nurtures the skin but also pays homage to the environment, emphasizing sustainable practices from ingredient sourcing to packaging.This exploration into L’ODAÏTÈS invites us on a journey to rediscover the elegance of simplicity and the potency of nature.
If you could describe the essence of L’ODAÏTÈS in one sentence, what would it be?
The best of the active substance with added pleasure!
Can you share the story behind the inception of L'ODAÏTÈS and what inspired you and your sisters to start this journey?
Firstly, there is our story. We grew up in the orchards and gardens of the Mediterranean. We have always harvested seasonal flowers and consumed only local fruits and vegetables. We were brought up as children to know and recognize "real" and beautiful materials. We learned and saw our grandmother, who was an apothecary, make her virtuous mixtures of active botanical ingredients to prepare balms and creams. As she mixed her potions, she explained the purpose and the importance of the quality of each ingredient. We have been made aware of quality since our childhood.
When our grandmother passed away at the age of 90, we decided to breathe new life into these old formulas and to recreate them in my sister Alya's pharmaceutical lab.
We agreed that although we would be doing something new, we would also preserve 4 key values that our grandmother passed down to us.
The most important value for us was to preserve the sensory appeal of the formulas and to keep their essence by using pure ingredients extracted in a specific way to conserve their biological richness and thus optimize their absorption by the skin.
The second value was to use the date nectar as much as possible in our products. Date nectar is our superstar ingredient that distinguishes our brand. It’s an active ingredient full of tremendous benefits like polyphenols, carotenoids, trace elements, amino acids, Vitamins.
The third value was to utilize pure and natural ingredients.
And last but not least, our fourth value is the Orange flower blossom fragrance of our product. This fragrance evokes childhood memories like ours. Our grandmother used to put orange flower water in our baby bottles.
This is the story behind the brand.
That was the beginning of our education in cosmetics. This experience and knowledge have founded the values of the brand and still guide us in its development.
L'ODAÏTÈS is rooted in family traditions and natural skincare rituals. How have these traditions influenced the brand's philosophy and product development?
For example, my sister Sofia, who is in charge of sourcing raw materials, has a close relationship with our suppliers of plant extracts. We have chosen to favor women entrepreneurs among our suppliers to give them the chance, like us, to prosper in their business. We select suppliers from the Mediterranean basin whenever it is possible in order to reduce the carbon footprint. We also favor suppliers who use cooperatives that offer a work opportunity to women. This is, for example, the case for our supplier of desert date oil or our supplier of date extracts, all based in Saharan regions and employing women.
All our compositions are clean, green and healthy and do not contain any controversial components. All our plant extracts are organic. We guarantee a content of natural ingredients between 98% and 100%, depending on the product. We manufacture our products in France, thus limiting our carbon footprint as well as our consumer’s.
The brand emphasizes the use of time-tested apothecary methods combined with modern science. Can you elaborate on how you balance these aspects in your formulations?
When we decide to launch a new product, we always start by revisiting the plants (active) and the mixtures that our grandmother made. Indeed, the combination of plants is never random, and we are often fascinated to discover the rationale behind associations of actives to create synergies and thus optimize the absorption and efficiency of the treatments. This is one of the reasons why we preserved two exfoliating powders (date kernel powder and olive leaf powder) in our gentle exfoliant. They create a synergy that gives this exfoliant an antimicrobial, soothing, and antioxidant action that therefore goes beyond its simple exfoliating function.
How do the ancestral rituals shared by your grandmother influence L'Odaïtès' product formulations today?
The sensoriality and the pleasure of massaging and taking care of one's body and skin. This has led us to formulate care products where sensoriality (scent and touch) are essential conditions.
L'ODAÏTÈS employs specific extraction methods to ensure high absorption capacity. Could you explain these methods and why they are important?
Cold pressing:
This method consists of extracting the oil contained in the fruit or seed of a plant by grinding or mechanical pressure without using heat or solvents. This results in a pure oil qualified as virgin oil clarified exclusively by physical means. This technique thus preserves the biological richness of the oil since it undergoes no heating and no other treatment such as deodorization, refining... The use of virgin oil for our active is a must for us; it's one of the fundamental bases of our story and our values. Remember that an oil is essentially made up of triglycerides of fatty acids and unsaponifiable components, i.e., that do not transform into soap. It's these components, made up of lipophilic actives (carotenoids, vitamins, phytosterols, ...), that will bring additional very precious virtues to the antioxidant action and regenerating action. That's why, the vegetable oils used in our active principles are always only virgin oils. This also explains the choice of our packaging in brown glass to protect these precious virgin oils from oxidation.
Biofermentation:
It's a production technique based on the culture of microorganisms in a closed and controlled environment; it's the technology used for the production of our hyaluronic acid.
Supercritical CO2 extraction:
This method allows extracting an active with supercritical carbon dioxide (CO2). Indeed, carbon dioxide, which is nothing other than carbonic gas naturally present in the atmosphere, has this incredible ability to act as a solvent when it is compressed at high pressure and at a temperature of about 30°C. It then takes on a fluid form with increased solubilizing power and becomes a pure, neutral, non-toxic, non-polluting solvent with no degradation of the quality of the extract obtained, allowing the extraction of all sorts of plant actives. This ecological technique thus makes it possible to obtain extracts without alteration, pure, highly concentrated, very powerful, and of high quality. It is commonly used to extract antioxidants, flavonoids, and carotenoids from plants or simply an extract from kernels or seeds. Rest assured, this carbon dioxide is then recycled to allow for new use! This extraction method, therefore, preserves the entire biological richness of the ingredient. This is indeed the process used to extract the active ingredient from Aleppo pine, the key ingredient of our Milky Veil Serum with moisturizing and brightening power for pigmentation spots.
Steam distillation:
This method is used to extract, by steam entrainment, a concentrate of aromatic molecules, called essential oil, from the flowers or leaves of aromatic plants. The flowers or leaves are placed in a vat with water, which is heated to produce steam. The steam carries the volatile aromatic molecules and is then cooled to turn into a liquid. The liquid thus collected consists of two non-miscible phases: distilled water ( or hydrosol) on top of which floats the essential oil. Although in much smaller proportions, the hydrosol still enjoys activity, albeit much less than the essential oil, but still very appreciable for the skin. I cannot refrain from sharing with you the strong memories shared with our grandmother, an apothecary who taught us the art and know-how of mastering the various parameters of steam distillation (temperature, pressure, distillation time) to obtain the best quality of essential oil without denaturing the compounds. Not to forget, of course, the fabulous moments when, at dawn, we would go to harvest the orange blossoms from the garden before they bloomed and dispersed some of their exquisite fragrance into the air.
Your signature ingredient is the date fruit. What makes this ingredient so special, and how is it incorporated into your products?
Despite the arid environment with nonstop exposure to the sun’s solar radiation, the palm tree thrives in the desert! So, it has proved its unwavering capacity to repair and defend against the harshest environmental conditions. It’s a tremendous active ingredient with 360° properties for the skin.
The brand's identity is deeply connected to the concept of a "sensory feast for the skin." How do you achieve this sensory experience through your products?
Through the textures (soft and silky) and the olfactory scent of the orange flower blossom.
With a focus on well-aging, how does L'ODAÏTÈS approach the concept of aging gracefully through its products and messaging?
As children, we admired the luminous face of our grandmother, which remained etched in our memory, even though she was wrinkled… It's there that we learned that the beauty of a face emanates from the light it radiates and not from the number of its wrinkles. Through our care products, we wanted to thus clothe the faces of our clients in light to reveal their beauty!
Can you discuss any future plans for L'ODAÏTÈS, such as new products or expansion into new markets?
In 2024, all I can tell you is that we will bring to life a facial care product that is still cocooning to satisfy the heart of our community and our target, and we will always continue with care or tools to respond to well-being and relaxation.
How do you see the role of traditional beauty rituals and ingredients evolving in the modern skincare industry?
The traditional beauty rituals and ingredients are time-tested, which makes them definitely undisputable, I mean they “survived” because they really bring useful and precious benefits; meanwhile, sometimes they need to be “adjusted” to the modern industry because the modern industry requires a longer shelf life. That’s where the art of formulation comes into play.
What does your personal beauty routine look like, especially in relation to L'Odaïtès products?
Obviously, I take care of my skin on a daily basis with first of all the cleansing of my skin, morning and evening, with the “Pleine Lune” powder followed by the “Pure Merveille” tonic then the application of our radiance serum “Voile Lacté” followed by our cream “Ange Sensationnel”. However, there are two important moments (before bedtime and Saturday morning) that I particularly love where I lock myself in my bathroom to offer myself a parenthesis of care and relaxation, it’s like a kind of ritual. Every evening, after cleaning my skin and before applying the cream, I take immense pleasure in massaging my face with our “Elixir Bonheur” serum with the comforting scent of Neroli (orange blossom essential oil). Touch is one of the most primitive senses that is essential to the balance of our emotions and our brain. Moreover, the massage sends signals to our skin to initiate the work of nighttime repair. It’s therefore a delightful moment for me to prepare for my night's sleep. Every Saturday morning is my little moment to myself that I dedicate to taking care of my body and my skin. After my sports session, I start my playlist of smooth jazz, light my “Orangeraie en Fleur” candle, and occupy my bathroom for an hour of cocooning. I start with a long and gentle exfoliation with our gourmand skincare “Pépite de la Palmeraie” which I leave on for about ten minutes before removing it and applying my radiant mask “sève divine”. During this mask setting, I take the greatest pleasure in massaging my face slowly and gently. It’s a real moment of sweetness and relaxation that I particularly enjoy.