Our story
Who are we?
« I believe in my love of nature, and then in a certain entrepreneurial spirit, and why not in Brittany tenacity? »
Yves Rocher, our founder
Yves Rocher, our founder
Yves Rocher's love of nature was drawn from his earliest years in the heart of the Breton moors.
His health being fragile, his parents decided to home school him. From then on, a very close relationship developed between him and his father. His father, Joseph, was a hatmaker and his store was located on the first floor of their house. He is thus had a front row view to watch him work. It was surely from there that his commercial fiber was born.
However, at the age of 14, Yves Rocher lost his beloved father. At just 51 years old, Joseph had passed away. The pain was deep and the disappearance of his father left a great emptiness that encouraged him to take refuge, every day, in the woods. During the two years he spent in contact with nature in the middle of the forest, he found a certain comfort, appeasement and a form of consolation. It is at this time that he becomes aware that nature has a positive impact on our well-being. And that's when he decides that in return he will act in respect of the world around us.
Also, he learns a lot about this wonderful world. Plants have less and less secrets for him, and he understands more and more why his father was so dedicated to nature. This experience allowed him to better understand the genius of plants, that the botanical world is like us, -alive, and that nature is the oldest and largest open-air laboratory. Indeed, nothing can compete with the billions of years of research that nature has done to evolve and adapt.
"In 20 years, Groupe Rocher will still be a family business. It was my grandfather's dream. Because of my lineage, I make it a point of honour.”
Bris Rocher, our President
Bris Rocher, our President
Welcome to the DNA of the Groupe Rocher.
As the grandson of the founder, it is essential for me to share with you the values that drive us every day and that go beyond the simple framework of a company.
This is not about marketing, but about a story. The story of a family guided by a simple vision: to live in harmony with the world around us.
Since the creation of the Yves Rocher brand in La Gacilly in the 1950s, we have chosen to nurture a respect for nature.
This philosophy could not be summed up in our products alone, which is why we have chosen to embody and defend it through a way of life that is more peaceful, healthier and more respectful of our surrounding world.
Humans have always had an intimate relationship with nature. For thousands of years, it has been our home. Yet, this essential relationship has become more tenuous over time, until it has disappeared from our daily lives. Our original home has faded into the background. As we have pushed the walls out to make room for the urban and technological, we have weakened our own foundations. We, who are all products of nature, have driven her out of our lives.
The way forward seems as obvious as it is necessary. It is time to reconnect with the essential by reintegrating nature into our lives through immersive and contemplative natural experiences. These experiences hold the promise of understanding the benefits and richness of life. We are genetically destined to live and live better in contact with nature. It is in our DNA. It is by becoming aware of nature, both our own and that which surrounds us, that we will find solutions for the future.
It is by getting closer to our original home, in the heart of nature, that we will find the impulse to progress.
Our culture & our heritage
« The more science advances, the more it proves nature right. »
Our passion for plants
Our passion for plants
Nothing can compete with the billions of years of research that nature has done to evolve and adapt.
In our research center, our scientific experts study plants every day, analyze their composition, and develop innovative extraction processes and unique cosmetic formulas.
This botanical and scientific expertise, which restores the life mechanisms of plants in effective beauty products that respect nature, began in 1959 and has grown over time.
In 1975, Yves Rocher decided to create a botanical garden, a veritable conservatory of plants, a mecca for biodiversity and botanical knowledge. An inexhaustible resource for research, 1,500 species are cultivated and studied there to feed our in-house scientific experts: botanists, phytologists, harvesters, phytochemists, biologists, farmers, agronomists... Thanks to them, we have unique cosmetic know-how: we are able to decipher the genius of plants that develop strategies to fight and defend themselves against the aggressions of the outside world.
Nature is the oldest and largest open-air laboratory in which our in-house scientists are able to decipher the genius of plants. Plants are put to the test: climate, UV, pollution... they have to develop elaborate strategies to thrive in their environment.
This is what we call the genius of life. The power of plants is infinite and the field of research by the Groupe Rocher experts is limitless.
Botanists have discovered more than 300,000 plants around the world, and there are still as many more to discover!
« One day, La Gacilly will be known and prosperous, I swear it. »
Our Breton roots
Our Breton roots
Yves Rocher has made this promise to his heartland and his roots a commitment. A lifetime commitment. When he promised to make his village prosperous more than 60 years ago, he could not imagine what it would look like in the next millennium. Through his world-renowned company, more than 10,000 direct or indirect jobs have been created in the region of La Gacilly, in Brittany. La Vallée de la Cosmétique Végétale® represents a vision of responsible enterprise, as he wished from the beginning of this adventure, human before industrial.
This visionary ecologist created his company as a militant act to revive this lost land, this village that was being depopulated. And the small village of which he was the mayor for more than 40 years, where a large number of local tradesmen and craftsmen live, is today showing a formidable dynamism.
It was here, in his native village, the cradle of Vegetal Cosmetics®, that Yves Rocher created his first production site. It is also home to the famous botanical garden, a real open-air laboratory, a unique place of expertise and a source of inspiration for our in-house experts. It also houses our plant cultivation fields for cosmetic purposes, which are grown organically to avoid soil and water pollution. Today, our organic farming fields in Brittany are cultivated according to the principles of agro-ecology. They have obtained the UEBT (Union for Ethical Bio Trade) certification in order to engage in a continuous improvement process for a responsible and sustainable supply. In addition, there is the Eco-Hotel Spa of La Grée des Landes. Nestled in the middle of green Brittany, this haven of peace is made to find the essence of well-being through all the benefits of nature. Finally, for more than 15 years, the Photo Festival of La Gacilly has been making the heart of the village beat during the summer. Founded by his son Jacques Rocher in 2004, more than 350,000 visitors come to discover the best of contemporary photography that questions our relationship to the world and to nature. A major event that combines art and ecology, and allows to travel the planet without leaving the serenity of Morbihan.
Our legacy
Our legacy
To understand our history, we must first define the contours of a landscape, a fertile valley where vegetation flourishes freely. We must glimpse the village of La Gacilly, in the Morbihan region of Brittany, with its granite streets winding through the greenery... We must imagine what could have germinated here, in the heart of a precious nature and lived as a refuge. To take the measure of the love of a land, to seize the tenacity of a people, united in an unfailing solidarity, the dreams of a family. It was here, in 1959, that Yves Rocher affirmed his vision. It is here, on the land of La Gacilly, that his vision lives on.
This philosophy could not be summed up in our products alone, which is why we have chosen to embody and defend it through a way of life that is more peaceful, healthier and more respectful of the world around us.
We have drawn the foundations of this "slow life" art of living from our own roots, where it all began: on our land of La Gacilly in Brittany.
It is there, in the heart of the Vallée de la Cosmétique Végétale® that our story began. A place that embodies our philosophy of life where we cultivate a certain idea of well-being and harmony.