"The philosophy of Le Château du Bois"
We aim
- to cultivate excellence in lavender growing with rigorous traditional agricultural methods in harmony with nature and with the greatest respect for the environment,
- to perpetuate a family tradition on the Le Château du Bois lavender-growing estate by continuing to defend a typical local product, one which is of outstanding symbolic value in Provence,
- to defend the rarity and authenticity of Provence fine lavender and assert its difference with the French or foreign hybrid or cloned lavenders,
- to guarantee the development of the Le Château du Bois range of cosmetics according to the following quality criteria:
* the exclusive use of the pure and natural 100 % essential oil, with the AOC label, produced by Le Château du Bois, in each of the products in the range,
* the use of natural substances such as plant oils, natural essential oils obtained by traditional distillation processes, plant extracts, natural waxes, natural talc, sea salts,
* the guaranteeing and control of production by our laboratory,
* the exclusive use of natural essential oils for the perfume (no synthetic perfume)
* no animal testing is done by the laboratory itself or under contract on behalf of the laboratory,
* the use of recyclable materials; glass and PET bottles to protect the quality of the natural products; cardboard boxes to protect against impacts.
"Since 1890, an exceptional agricultural area : the Le Château du Bois estate"
This is an adventure begun 4 generations ago by us: the Lincelé family.
A Provençal family with a passion for lavender, we, Venance, Marius, Georges and today myself, Jack, have been producers and distillers for generations.
Our Le Château du Bois lavender-growing estate dates from 1820, and is situated at Lagarde d'Apt (a village perched at an altitude of 1100 metres) between the Luberon and Mont Ventoux.
It consists of 80 hectares of cultivated fine lavender (the species is lavandula angustifolia, a
member of the labiates family), representing some 10% of world production, for this exceptional variety only grows in the mountains of Haute Provence.
Our agricultural methods have always been environmentally friendly and take account of the development and character of the plant: from the seed to the flower (we have our own nurseries).
We also have our own distillery consisting of 2 6000-litre vases, a gas boiler (2.5 tonnes of
steam per hour) and a condenser.....
Each year our essential oil is granted the "AOC Lavande des Alpes de Haute Provence" label.
The last harvest in 2006 won 1st prize in the Concours de Ferrassières in the Drôme (the prestigious, and only, competition for AOC essential lavender oils).
"Since 1990, a fabulous identity for lavender :
a registered trademark & spirit"
In Provence, everyone used to use lavender as a general cure.
In other regions, lavender was known for its perfume or for simple uses such as slipping a lavender bag in with the linen or through photos of the lavender fields, but its use in cosmetic was not particularly developed until now.
This is why we decided to create a range of natural cosmetics under the Le Château du Bois registered trademark, so that each of you can enjoy the virtues of this flower that goes back thousands of years and get to know the PURE LAVENDER SPIRIT.
This exclusive range of cosmetics is unique, as all the products in the range are made with the essential oil of AOC fine lavender produced by the Le Château du Bois lavender-growing estate, offering quality and therapeutic properties for your wellbeing, beauty and pleasure.
"Since 1991, a magnificent cultural site:
a Museum of Lavender"
To restore the prestige of genuine Provence lavender, in 1991 my father Georges Lincelé created the Museum of Lavender in the heart of the Luberon Regional Park.
Today some 35,000 visitors a year come to discover the charm and beneficial effects of this age-old plant and find:
- pleasure for the eyes in a traditional Luberon house that serves as the setting for the largest collection of copper stills dating from the XVIth century to the present day,
- pleasure for the senses with the delicate, light fragrance of genuine lavender,
- pleasure in discovering the know-how and the passion of the Provençal producers and distillers, true lavender specialists (each summer distillation of the lavender in front of the visitors),
- the pleasure of the ancestral uses of lavender in the Provençal pharmacopeia and the modern applications in aromatherapy, and especially in understanding its rarity, its excellence, its authenticity.
