Who's behind it?
In the 14th century, a knight and military commander named Bertrand Du Guesclin stopped at a spring in the French town of La Roche-Posay. His horse, which apparently suffered from eczema, immersed itself in the water and was later found to be cured. This marked the start of the brand's dermatological story.
Then what happened?
In 1617, Pierre Milto - director to Henry IV and Louis XIII - visited La Roche-Posay to analyse the water. Napoleon later had a thermal hospital built there to treat soldiers' skin diseases. In 1905, the first thermal centre was opened in the town and, in 1913, La Roche-Posay Thermal Station was declared a hydrothermal station by the National Academy of Medicine.
Where is it at now?
Today, a team of 11 independent dermatologists at the two La Roche-Posay sites treat almost 8,000 patients a year, 30 per cent of them children. They're treated for eczema, atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, scars and burns and severe acne rosacea using fine-jet showers, spray and bathing. La Roche-Posay Pharmaceutical Laboratory was established in 1928 and the consumer-related, non-medical products (corrective makeup has also been created) were introduced in the 1990s using the thermal water as their base ingredient.
