Holistic Travel: Flower-Based Beauty

When Christian Dior launched his first collection in 1947, he dubbed it “Corolle,” the French term for flower petals. Straying from the boxy, fabric-saving styles of World War II, Dior looked to silhouettes inspired by nature, such as the delicate shape of flowers. “I have designed flower women,” he said, justifying the couture house’s hip padding and flared-out petticoats.

Just a few years later in 1951, the designer made his way to the castle town of Montauroux, near the perfume capital of Grasse in the South of France. Trails of white jasmine circling the Château de La Colle Noire drew the designer to this piece of property, which he referred to as his “true home.” He planted a garden of May roses, olive and fruit trees, similar to the garden he grew up with at his childhood home in Normandy. And now that same garden in the South of France, along with local producers, provides the base for Dior flowers used in the brand’s fragrances.

Floral-based perfumes have had their place in history for centuries, but now petals are finding their way into beauty products and spa treatments that go beyond scent, with everything from soaking salts to seasonal massages inspired by flowers sourced in the surrounding landscape.

While walking through the boutique-lined streets of Brera in Milan last week, I stumbled across a pop-up shop with a flower-lined entrance. As I walked inside, an architect table was converted into a makeshift florist, with flowers and branches divided by color and style sitting in piles. As girls expertly weaved these petals into flower crowns akin to what you’d see at music festivals like Coachella, a tall Italian man with one of these flower arrangements jutting out of his suit pocket approached me. “Have you smelled the new Botanicals?” he asked. He was referring to L’Oréal Paris’ recently launched nature-inspired haircare line, Botanicals Fresh Care.

The pop-up shop was filled with laboratory-style flasks holding the different flowers and herbs that went into the accompanying products. Playing on the organic and eco-friendly trend, these products replaced silicone, parabens and dye with raw, natural materials like coconut- and soy-based botanicals, each with a specific purpose. Coriander, for example, is meant to revitalize fragile hair, while camelina oil softens and smooths. “Our goal is to offer a premium experience and high-quality products inspired by nature to the largest number of people as possible, especially devotees of a healthy lifestyle—those who, if given the option, would choose their bike over a moped and organic food over junk food—as well as eco-conscious consumers,” explained Anne Machet, L’Oréal Paris deputy CEO International, in a recent statement on the debut of the new hair care brand.