In 1976, 23 year-old Olivier Baussan used steam distillation to produce essential oil from wild rosemary and lavender which he sold at open-air markets in his native Provence. L Occitane was named for the women of Occitania. This area existed during the Middle Ages, spanning southern France, north-eastern Spain and northern Italy. Occitan was the native language and is still spoken as a second language in some areas of this region today. In 1976, using an old soap factory that was donated to him, Olivier Baussan revives the traditional art of Marseille soap-making in Manosque, another Provençal village. He manufactured vegetable-based soaps. The first L\'Occitane factory and boutique opened in 1981 in Volx, a village in Provence. In the 1990s, Baussan sold a majority stake in the business to venture capitalists to finance expansion. As their approaches were incompatible, Baussan found himself excluded from daily management and strategic decision-making.