Today (31 January) A.P.C. launches its first self-care line with six products: a cologne, shower gel, body lotion, hand cream, hand soap and lip balm. The Paris-born fashion brand is best known for creating timeless, elegantly simple clothes that embody ‘French style’. So naturally, it extends that same appreciation for straightforward perfection to its first foray into beauty.
‘In fashion, as in the cosmetics industry, the balance between too much and not enough is difficult to find,’ says brand founder and creative director Jean Touitou, ‘It’s a real job. But these six products are the best possible [result of that balance]. They are designed to make you feel comfortable and help you to have a good day.’
A.P.C. debuts a new self-care line
All six products are perfumed with a signature orange blossom scent, which A.P.C. aficionados will recognise from the n°4 candle that has been a brand staple since 1997. The use of orange blossom has its roots in Touitou’s childhood in Tunisia, where the bitter orange tree flourishes, and the family recipes of his mother Odette, who would flavour dishes with the ingredient known for its honeyed, floral taste and smell.
For centuries, orange blossom has been treasured for its stress-relieving properties, and the A.P.C. team had that at the forefront of their minds while developing the body care range. Each of the six products is designed to conjure a moment of indulgent calm within the rush of a hectic day: whether that’s by using the body wash in your morning shower, spraying the cologne for a mid-afternoon refresh or using the hand cream on your busy commute home. Each has been formulated with at least 98 per cent ingredients of natural origin to provide the maximum return on benefits (whether that’s the ability to nourish and moisturise the skin, or the cologne’s long-lasting scent).
The packaging is, of course, in keeping with A.P.C.’s pared-back aesthetic. The black and white bottles are decorated with a mint green label, each bearing a quote from Nietzsche’s Thus Spoke Zarathustra that reads: ‘I am a body through and through, nothing more: and the soul is just a word for something in the body.’ It seems an odd reference for a brand to make, but it’s intended to sum up its approach to the line; namely, creating products that provide your body with the care it deserves. And this is certainly a philosophy we can get behind.
A.P.C. self-care is available now.
