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Mineral 89 - l'Oréal VichyMineral 89 - l'Oréal Vichy
©Mineral 89 - l'Oréal Vichy|©L'oréal
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Vichy Laboratories

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One of the particularities of Vichy’s thermal activity, what makes it truly singular and different, is the extraordinary creativity in the exploitation of the mineral resource. To put it simply, everything has been made in the name of Vichy: skincare products, drinks, fabrics, pastilles, carrots, soups, showers, bath salts, lipsticks, digestive pastilles, ointments, beauty products, health products… But of all these standard-bearers, there is one that makes the name of the city resound louder and further: the Vichy laboratories.

Vichy laboratories,

to the sources of beauty

The first protagonist of this story is Dr. Prosper Haller (1869-1946). The second protagonist, a non-human living being, is the Lucas spring.
Among the nine springs exploited by the Compagnie Fermière (seven hot springs and two cold springs), the Lucas spring has anti-inflammatory properties. Formerly known as the source of the scabies, already celebrated by the Romans, this cold spring (27°) is the most mineralized of the Vichy waters, notably rich in potassium, lithium, magnesium and manganese. It is used as a drink or spray to treat certain dermatological conditions: redness, irritation, dryness…
The third protagonist of the success story is the industrialist Georges Guérin, director of Grenoville perfumes. In 1931, the Independent Society of Dermatological Hygiene of Vichy (SIHDV) was born.
Twenty years later, the success of Vichy products is not denied, but struggles to cross the limits of France despite the name of the city known on all continents.

Vichy Laboratoire thermal water bottleVichy Laboratoire thermal water bottle
©Vichy Laboratoire thermal water bottle|©Eric Larrayadieu, 2016/L'Oréal
    Mineral Bottle 89 - L'Oréal VICHYMineral Bottle 89 - L'Oréal VICHY
    ©Mineral Bottle 89 - L'Oréal VICHY|©L'oréal

    In 2010, the Vichy brand is present in 60 countries, sold in more than 85,000 pharmacies where it has 200 product lines.

    the Aureole became the Aureale,

    then L'Oréal

    In 1955, after years of cosmetic cooperation, convinced by its expertise in the manufacture of creams and products in the health sector, L’Oréal bought the Société d’hygiène dermatologique de Vichy. This acquisition is a win-win operation: it allows Vichy Laboratories to further develop the brand and its know-how by expressing their strong potential in the health cosmetics market, especially internationally. At the same time, it gives L’Oréal the opportunity to access the pharmacist network, a distribution channel that SIHDV has mastered perfectly. In the context of globalization (always a good thing for exports), the development of Laboratoires Vichy followed the insolent growth of emerging markets (Brazil, China, Russia, etc.). Like the jewels of French luxury, Vichy Laboratories now export 90% of their production, thus reviving the international aura of the city of waters.

    Vichy Laboratory CreamVichy Laboratory Cream
    ©Vichy Laboratory Cream|©L'oréal
      Vichy Laboratories,

      on the wings of beauty

      The Société indépendante d’hygiène dermatologique de Vichy, founded in 1931 by Dr. Prosper Haller and Georges Guérin, director of Parfums Grenoville, sealed the marriage between the worlds of health and beauty. In the 1960s, as their business grew, Vichy Laboratories quickly outgrew their production site in Asnières. L’Oréal, which had bought the brand a decade earlier, began looking for a new site to relocate the factory, except for marketing, sales and research laboratories, which remained in Asnières. In 1973, and then every decade thereafter, the factory had to expand to adapt its production facilities to the development of its activity.
      In the 2000s, logistics were transferred to the XXXL warehouse of Cosmétique Active International built in the neighboring town of Creuzier-le-Neuf.
      The success of Vichy Laboratories is based on a few essential ingredients, the most important of which is of course this unique 10,000-year-old water with its unequalled dermatological benefits.

      A resource worth having

      Based on the principle that nature provides its main ingredient and that it must protect this resource, Vichy Laboratoires is committed to making its factory a model of sustainable development. These environmental and social ambitions have earned the brand the Vitrine Industrie du Futur label, awarded to companies that have developed an innovative project for the organization of their production, particularly through digital technology and the place given to people. Two years ago, the plant launched the ARIA approach: Agile, Responsible, Irreproachable, Welcoming. It places the environment and people at the heart of its projects.

      Vichy Laboratory CreamVichy Laboratory Cream
      ©Vichy Laboratory Cream|©L'oréal
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