Biography Patrice ANDRE :
Having joined Parfums Christian Dior in 1979, Patrice André discovered all the mysteries of
cosmetic research, from raw material quality control, through the establishment of methods
of analysis, to the development of new technologies for formulation, vectorization or
production. He put his experience to good use with his active contribution to applying
liposome technology to skin care, a breakthrough from which Capture was the first product
to benefit, in 1986. Even in those early days, Patrice André was taking a very close interest
in botanical ingredients – hardly surprising, given his first-hand knowledge of nature's
incomparably rich resources. So, gradually, the great saga of ethnobotany began to unfold.
The budding explorer, who had never previously ventured beyond the banks of the Loire,
launched into daring expeditions to distant lands, going wherever his instincts told him, be it
South America, Madagascar, India or New Caledonia… Utter bliss! Little by little, year after
year, a network of partners, assistants, researchers, academics and friends was formed
across the world. In 1992, the Dior Svelte body-shaping concentrate represented the
culmination of this long and painstaking exploration of the plant kingdom: it was the first
treatment formula with active principles that were 100% plant-derived. Since then, Dior has
developed a whole series of skin care products whose action is based on a subtle alliance of
different original plant extracts, the most recent being Dior Prestige.
As he continues to coordinate research initiatives linking plants to the skin, in the frame of
LVMH Recherche, Parfums & Cosmétiques, Patrice André can look back on 33 years devoted
to the Research and Development Laboratories at Saint Jean de Braye and think with pride
that some of his passion and commitment is to be found in every major launch by Dior, by
Guerlain and probably by other LVMH cosmetic companies from LVMH in the future.