French beauty group L'Occitane starts producing hand sanitisers

The company is making 70,000 litres of hand sanitiser to donate to healthcare workers in France

L'Occitane, the luxury cosmetics firm, is among those pitching in to produce hand sanitisers for healthcare workers. L'Occitane

L'Occitane, the luxury cosmetics firm, started making hand sanitisers at its facilities, joining other French beauty companies that are pitching in to tackle the shortage of disinfectants during the coronavirus outbreak.

The company reassigned some of its facilities in Manosque to produce 70,000 litres of verbena-scented hand sanitiser to donate them to France's health authorities and healthcare workers, L'Occitane said in a statement. Since February, the group's Chinese unit has donated hand cream to hospital workers in Wuhan, where the virus first appeared, and Shanghai to soothe skin lesions due to wearing protective gear for a prolonged period.

"Now that the crisis is battering Europe, we are extending that support to European healthcare workers, whose work and commitment are admirable," Reinold Geiger, chairman and chief executive of the L’Occitane Group, said. "Humankind is undergoing a time filled with challenges. By pooling our efforts with a full measure of humility, we can help it to overcome them."

The company joins other luxury goods and cosmetics groups such as Louis Vuitton owner LVMH and L'Oreal in using their production lines to make hand sanitisers during the novel coronavirus outbreak.

France has 40,723 confirmed coronavirus cases and 2,611 deaths while 7,226 people recovered, according to the Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Centre.

Governments around the world are calling on manufacturers to help produce products that are running low in supply as people overstock during the deadly virus outbreak.

L'Occitane's facilities, which produced beauty and well-being products prior to the hand sanitisers, shipped the first 10,000 bottles on March 24, the company said.

The L'Occitane Group is supplying 25,000 units of soap and hand cream to staff of Assistance Publique – Hôpitaux de Paris (AP–HP) – the Paris university hospital trust – to support healthcare workers fighting the epidemic.

Previously, LVMH and L'Oreal said they would use some of their factories to produce hand sanitisers.

Luxury goods companies are expected to take a hit from the coronavirus crisis as measures to contain the pandemic force them to shutter stores.

France has closed its restaurants, cafes and non-essential stores as part of a nationwide effort to fight the spread of the deadly virus that has killed more than 35,000 people globally and infected more than 737,000, according to the Johns Hopkins University, which is tracking its spread. More than 156,000 people have also recovered.