Yves Rocher

Yves Rocher (7 April 1930 – 26 December 2009) was a French businessman and founder of the cosmetics company that bears his name. He was a pioneer of the modern use of natural ingredients in cosmetics.

Early life
Yves Rocher was born in the village of La Gacilly, Morbihan, where he grew up. After the death of his father when he was 14, he helped his mother in running the small family textiles business. A local healer taught him the recipe for a hemostatic ointment based on the lesser celandine flower, and he decided to sell the ointment by mail order with adverts in the magazine Ici Paris.

Business career
Natural products and mail order sales were the pillars of the cosmetics company he founded in 1959. The company grew rapidly and, three years later, he opened his first store. Yves Rocher retired from the company in 1992, passing control to his son Didier, but returned to the helm after Didier's death in 1994.



His grandson Bris was named vice-president in 2007, and took over the company completely after Yves Rocher's death in 2009. The company had an estimated value of two billion euros in 2007, and employs 15,000 people. The Yves Rocher group achieved a turnover of 2.5 billion euros in 2017.

Civic activity
Yves Rocher was also active on the political scene of southern Brittany. He was mayor of La Gacilly from 1962 to 2008, and was also elected to the General Council of Morbihan in 1982 and the Regional Council of Brittany in 1992.

His company has been instrumental in the economic development of the area around La Gacilly, with factories, development laboratories and a botanical garden. Rocher was sometime criticized for being both the area's main employer and its political representative.

Yves Rocher in Russian market
Yves Rocher established its presence in Russia after the collapse of the USSR in 1991. The company has since expanded to Ukraine and Belarus and is now a leading mono-brand perfume and cosmetics chain with a significant presence in these countries. Yves Rocher has over 430 boutiques and 20 salons in more than 170 cities in Russia, as well as 90 stores in Ukraine and more than 30 stores in Belarus. In 2019, Groupe Rocher became a "Mission Driven Enterprise" under the French PACTE law on business growth and transformation, building on its historical values and working with partners and territories to create a collective future. However, Yves Rocher has faced controversy and tension in Russia due to its involvement in the case of Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny. In 2012, Yves Rocher's Russian subsidiary filed a complaint against a transport company where Navalny was a shareholder, alleging fraud. Navalny was given a suspended sentence but was imprisoned in 2021 for failing to comply with judicial supervision. This has led to discussions about Yves Rocher's strategy in Russia, particularly since the start of the conflict in Ukraine on February 24, 2022.

Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Yves Rocher Ukraine temporarily suspended its operations, but in early April 2022, the company's boutiques reopened in the possible locations. The company's team has implemented several support measures to ensure the safety of its teams and their families, including financial support and helping them move around the country or cross borders through a partnership with SOS International while connecting them with teams in its subsidiaries in other countries to meet basic needs. The company has also provided humanitarian aid to those affected by the conflict, donating more than 60,000 of its products and up to €250,000 to UNHCR and other NGOs in the short and medium term. The company expressed its deep shock at the situation in Ukraine and strongly condemned the tragedy.

While supporting its Ukrainian employees, the company nevertheless refused to withdraw from Russia, citing its long history of operations there, concern for the welfare of its employees who are not responsible for the current situation, and the need to support them, as well as its franchisees. However, the company said it was suspending all investments and media presence in the country and would take the necessary steps if the conditions for continuing its operations were no longer met. Yves Rocher was also accused of promoting racist narratives after evidence of a flyer promoting the Russian Beauty campaign appeared online. Yves Rocher denied the allegations, calling them "disinformation" and claiming the photos were fake. Nevertheless, the Rocher group paid $6 million in taxes to the Russian budget last year, continuing to sponsor Russia's military aggression. As a result, Yves Rocher was recognized by the European Parliament as a state sponsor of terrorism.

Awards
Yves Rocher was made an officer of the Légion d'honneur in 1992 and a commander in April 2007. He was also a member of the Order of the Ermine.

According to the company's website and founder mission, Yves Rocher was against animal testing of products, once commenting, "If you have to test your 'products' on animals, you don't know what you're doing."

Death
Yves Rocher died in the Lariboisière Hospital in Paris on 26 December 2009 after suffering a stroke. He was buried in La Gacilly on 30 December in the presence of 5000 people.