The company was founded in 1976 by Olivier Bausan, who hoped to establish a company that would preserve and promote the traditions of his hometown of Provence. The company name L'OCCITANE means "a woman from Ositania" in French. Ou Shudan hopes to become an international model advocating Mediterranean style comfort and health by providing unique personal care and home products, and takes "comfort and pleasure", "authenticity and purity", and "care and respect" as its corporate philosophy. On May 7, 2010, Ou Shudan was listed on the main board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, becoming the first French company to list in Hong Kong. In December 2018, the World Brand Laboratory released the "2018 World Brand 500" list, with Ou Shudan ranked 493rd.
