Hello! So this post comes a little later than expected, so unlike me, right? :p
A couple of weeks ago I had a once in a lifetime experience and was brought to the Avene Hydrotherapy Centre and Head office in Avene, France. Having worked in Foody's Pharmacy (ahem Ballina & Harcourt Street Dublin!) for the past few years I have been aware of and loved Avene since the first day it arrived on our shelves. I have seen first hand the incredible difference Avene has made to people's skin, and did not think I could be blown away anymore by the brand.
When I found out that I would be among the lucky 12 people in Ireland to be brought to the Avene Centre in France I nearly DIED. I am a skincare nut and to be able to see where the brand was born was a dream come true. I had never been to France either so the excitement levels were soaring at an unimaginable rate.
I will be breaking this post up in to numerous parts, the first which is this one, I will be filling you in on my trip, with lots of pictures and some interesting facts about Avene. In the following posts I will be concentrating more specifically about how the brand works, my experience in the Hydrotherapy Centre, Factory & Head Office and eventually giving skin care advice for different skin concerns.
Ok, where to start?
Avene is a small idyllic village nestled in the South of France. The story of Avene dates as far back to 1736 when a horse who belonged to Marquis of Rocozels was left loose to roam the Black Mountain in southwest France due to a severe skin condition which left him unwanted. After time, the horse's skin and mane became shiny again and his skin was completely cured, tests showed that this was down to him bathing and drinking from the Avene water.
Incredible isn't it?
In 1743 Marquis of Rocozels the owner of the horse and the site built the first thermal spring facility in Avene to treat patients suffering from eczema, psoriasis, and burns.
In 1871 Avene Thermal spring Water was sent to the USA for victims of the Great Fire in Chicago, which proved how incredible the properties are in the water.
(What the Avene Water looks like now!)
In 1874 was the first of the biggest developments in the birth of the Avene brand as it was acknowledged by the French Government to be "of public interest", giving the water the credibility it deserved.
In 1975 the man behind the brand Pierre Fabre purchased the Avene Hydrotherapy Centre, which every year from April - October accommodates over 4,000 patients referred by GPs to help cure their skin conditions.
Are you impressed yet? It really is the most amazing brand, and one thing that stood out the most for me, besides all else was the incredible ethic behind it which every single person working for the company posseses. From the second we boarded the plane in Dublin airport we were treated like royalty and for the four days I was there I didn't stop saying 'oh my god' at two minute intervals. The company has never been about sales or meeting targets as so many companies are, Avene truly believes in helping people and finding the right product for the patient. Every single person we met over there had been with the company for years, and truly loved their job so much, it seemed so far away from the busy corporate and sometimes anonymous lives we live in busy cities.
When we arrived the surroundings were just incredible. We each got our OWN apartment with our OWN NESPRESSO MACHINE !(can you imagine the excitement????) It was sheer luxury, it didn't even feel real!
The first night we arrived we were invited to the fabulous restaurant on the Avene grounds for an amazing three course feast. Little did we know that we would be having THREE feasts every day for the entirety of the stay. BEST.HOLIDAY.EVER.
The next day was by far the most life changing experience for me being such a lover of the brand. We were brought to the Hydrotherapy Centre which was located a two minute walk from our apartments. Since Avene has come in to the pharmacy where I work I have met countless people with all types of skin conditions many of whom don't even want to leave their house in the morning because their skin is so bad. After they begun using Avene the difference is unbelievable, and it gradually gives people a better quality of life.
I have rambled on for a bit now so I'll end this installment here! In the next I'll talk about my experience in the centre, the Avene Head Office, and some of the workshops I attended while over there.
If anyone has any questions they would like me to answer or discuss in further blogs please comment or email me on Alongcamepollly@gmail.com
I hope you enjoyed this and you've learned a little bit more about Avene!
Until next time,
Au Revoir
Elisha xo
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