French beauty brand L'Occitane is continuing to trade in its stores in Russia despite the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. The beauty company told the BBC it has considered the option of closing shop doors "at length", but said the decision was made to keep them open because the firm wants to ensure staff are protected from potential "retaliation".
The company has stopped shipping to Russia, but sales still seem to be available online. It comes after several international beauty brands such as L'Oreal and Estee Lauder have already shut up shop, and disabled online sales in Russia.
L'Occitane has already come under criticism by some customers who are calling for people to boycott the brand, which has products on shelves at over 3,085 retail outlets around the world. The cosmetics company, which homes spas and stores in Russian cities such as Moscow and St Petersburg, claimed it could not close its shops due to the "risk" that comes with the decision.
