Divine and radiant angelica

In the world of beauty, Angelica first emerged as one of the great natural muses of perfumery: Noa by Cacharel, Angélique Noire by Guerlain or Angélique Lilas in the Aqua Allegoria series, Angélique sous la pluie by Jean-Claude Ellena for Frédéric Malle, Obsession Night by Calvin Klein... all explore its many facets, which can be herbaceous, woody, musky, peppery or powdery.

But Angelica is not just a perfume plant. It is the herb of angels, the herb of the Holy Spirit, Angelica archangelica has long been one of the medicinal plants in the French repertoire. Today, in cosmetics, although it can be found in some of the top names in natural cosmetics, such as L'Occitane and Dr Hauschka, its presence remains relatively discreet, like that of the beautiful and divine sleeping plant waiting to be rediscovered.

At Herbarom, Angelica has been managed under a cultivation contract for over 20 years, mainly for the production of essential oils, the quality of which is guaranteed by :

• The choice of terroirs that respect the natural needs of the plant, with a climate characterised by wide temperature variations, rich, deep wetlands found in the Niortais and certain alluvial basins in the Loire and Rhône valleys.
• A varietal selection resulting from work carried out between 1996 and 2000 by ITEPMAI (Institut technique des plantes).
• A method of preparing the seed and distilling it in a low-pressure still within 30 days of harvesting.

Recent studies into the plant's anti-inflammatory, anti-ageing and antimicrobial properties point to possible developments in cosmetics.