Meet Manon

A couple of years ago we were hesitating, what else to include in our lavender business. We were lucky to have two certainties – our farmer Eveline with her fantastic lavender, and you, our loyal customers and friends. When we combined these certainties with our knowledge of the effects of lavender, we saw the way to go. Thus we built the foundation for Manon.

To create Manon, the effects of lavender had to be supported by another essential and high-quality ingredient. Pure lavender essential oil itself is great, but can only be applied on a small part of skin. What should we use then? Cosmetics is like fashion – it follows current trends. We do not like following trends, though, we prefer to create them. And mainly, if we decide to do something, it must be meaningful! We think it is useless to make something that should not last. During one of the walks with our donkeys in Těchonice it struck us. The answer was lying right in front of our eyes – we can use donkey milk!

Long-eared beauty

Lavender has a very positive effect on human skin – it helps heal wounds as well as reduce the symptoms of skin problems. That is why we wanted Manon to be useful instead of just fragrant. And we mean useful for all, even the ones with sensitive skin. The effects of lavender are supported not only by donkey milk, but also shea butter, beeswax, lavender honey etc. But it is the donkey milk, that makes Manon the way it is – meaningful, long-eared and unique.

Our donkeys are not only the source of our inspiration and joy, but also our life companions. We knew the use of donkey milk in cosmetics since our trip to France. It was an ideal option for us thanks to its high content of minerals and vitamins, neutral scent and minimum content of fat and allergens. We had the suitability of this combination officially proved. Based on the tests of skin tolerance of our volunteers, Manon was approved by the National Institute of Public Health as cosmetics suitable for people with sensitive skin.

Quality that we would not be able to achieve without help

 As you already know, perenniality and quality are essential for us. When creating Manon, our target was to use the properties of the ingredients in order to provide a long-term benefit. Therefore, you should not expect  dozens of products, each for one particular body part. It is not necessary. Thanks to its complex content, donkey milk is suitable for complete skin care and Manon is based on that. So we manufacture only one kind of hand cream, one kind of face cream etc. Your skin type does not matter, Manon is beneficial for everyone equally. To see the results, you just need to use the products regularly.

The quality is not only ensured by the use of ingredients whose origin we know 100% or the fact that most of them are BIO quality. We also need to make sure that you can use Manon without worries.This is achieved by the correct and careful use of preservatives. Without it, it would not be possible to use donkey milk and Manon would lose a great part of its benefits. It is also essential for Manon to pass the Microbial Cleanliness test, so without necessary preservatives, Manon would not be here at all. As written above, lavender essential oil itself is great, but its use on human skin is limted. So why not give it or the donkey milk a chance to show its benefits for your skin?

Thanks

It would not be possible to create Manon the way we had dreamt of it alone. We owe big thanks to our farmer Eveline for her lavender. We are also grateful to the Azorean donkey farm Asinus Atlanticus for the oportunity to use their donkey milk in Manon. But the biggest thanks go to our developer Mariana, without who Manon would never have come into existence.

There is one more thing to explain before we get to the next article and look more closely at the qualities of donkey milk and lavender and what we have made from them. Why Manon? Well, in 1960s Marcel Pagnol published a novel The Water of the Hills, of which there is a film adaptation as well. The story is set in the rocky hills of Provence and an important character is a girl, who, against all odds, harmonizes with the country she falls in love with. Fearless, resilient, wild and beautiful. Simply, Manon!

If you love lavender, all you need is Manon and a trip to Provence.