Les Âmes Sauvages, organic cosmetics in the Cévennes

"Les Âmes Sauvages" appears to be a strange name. What made you think of it ? « We have no idea how it happened to us. But we remember how much we adored it right away. It evoked something immaterial, ethereal, brutal, and real all at the same time. It evoked the local wild life in an animist manner, with respect for nature. It also evoked the mental state of the Cévennes' inhabitants. Everyone can find an echo in themselves. After that, we discovered that it was the title of an anthropologist book about very close concepts ».

« It takes approximately 5 weeks to refine a cold-processed soap »

« What was our first creation? We can't remember which one came out first after so many tests and mistakes. But we do recall our last creation, the honey ointment.

Vetiver, chestnut flour, carot, spices, goat milk, bee wax ; and so many formulas. We have to find the right balance for each vegetable oil that ​​​​​ is used in our soaps such as the Renard (fox) soap, which is energizing and high in vitamins, the detoxifying and relaxing Loup (wolf), or the generous and protective Châtaignier (chesnut tree) ».

An organic labeling, Cosmébio, and a Slow Cosmetics mention

Then there are our first cold pressing organic vegetable oils (sunflower, safflower, gourd seed, olive oil...), such as the protective oil Louveteau (wolf cub), the Apollon elixir, or the Apis Mellifera ointment. And we're currently working on a solid shampoo ».

Nights filled with stars

What about the candles, which are inspired by the starry sky of the Cévennes National Park ?

The collection of four candles started in 2018, made of soja and bee wax with non-treated cotton wicks, was soon joined by a fifth candle. What are they ? Well, there is the mystic incense of the Loup (wolf), the dry garrigue scents of the Pégase (Pegasus), the Petite Ourse (Ursa Minor), powdered and appetizing...

Special orders

Noredine and Elodie also work on special orders for commercial partners who desire a variety of candles and other products for their businesses. It is a long-term creative phase that must adhere to certain rules : those of organic associations such as Cosmébio or Slow Cosmétic, as well as Les Âmes Sauvage philosophy : no palm oil, raw material biodegradability and so on.

Experts and friends testing

« We submit our new formulas to our evaluator and toxicologist, to corroborate our own tests. Following that, we have friends testing our products. We adjust our formulas or make changes based on their reactions and comments. We even retry the entire procedure. Finally, the finished product is sent back to an independant evaluator and toxicologist to be tested once more (we have to add that there is no animal testing).

Then, the opinion of the public is important too. When we go to markets in the summer and fall, we present our products and talk with our customers to find out what they like, want, or expect from them. In 2021, we met our customers at Made in France or Natexpo fairs too.

Where to find our products ? In the Gard, you can find them in the Mas des Agriculteurs in Nîmes, at the Bambouseraie in Anduze, in the chemist Praden or Plumes de Quetzal store in Alès ».

Many thanks to Noredine et Elodie for their collaboration to this article

The right address : Les Âmes Sauvages, 27 chemin Jean-Pierre Chabrol, Pont de Rastel, 30450 Génolhac, Distributors list of the Âmes Sauvages in the Gard

Photographies©Benjamin Celier