LVMH-owned beauty and fragrance house Guerlain is celebrating World Bee Day with its third annual fundraising campaign to support its bee conservation programme.
Between 20 May (World Bee Day) and 22 May (International Day of Biological Diversity), the brand is donating 20% of global sales to support the initiative.
To mark this occasion, Guerlain also collaborated with French painter, sculptor and visual artist Céline Cléron to redesign the limited-edition bottle and packaging of the Abeille Royale Advanced Youth Watery Oil. The design features part of the water colour illustration she created for the brand which depicts what people can do to help save bees at home.
It was inspired by a large field of flowers and a buzzing garden, portraying nature’s ballet led by the bees’ attraction to the flower.
As part of its World Bee Day celebrations, the house will also highlight the Bee School sessions – an initiative that seeks to raise children’s awareness of bee protection. The sessions will feature global brand ambassadors including Angelina Jolie, Gina Alice, Karen Wazen, Blanca Suarez, Antonela Roccuzzo, Mirei Kiritani, Lena Simonne and Camille Charrière.
The Bee School was first introduced in France before it went global in 2021. Nearly 6,000 children in over ten countries have been able to learn about the various issues facing bees and biodiversity conservation. Aside from discussions, students also participate in question-and-answer sessions, workshops, and games to test their knowledge. Each of them receives a Bee School certificate after completing the programme.
The company targets 100,000 children to participate in these sessions by 2025, and by then, 100% of its employees will have led at least one session.
The Guerlain For Bees Conservation Programme features various initiatives and partnerships that represent four thematic pillars: preserve and pollinate, education, empower and innovate.
The preserve and pollinate initiative features partnerships with various organisations including the Brittany Black Bee Conservatory Association based on the island of Ouessant, the Shan Shui Conservation Center NGO, in collaboration with the Chinese National Department of Education.
To promote education on bee protection among young children, the Bee School was established in partnership with the GoodPlanet Foundation, created by Yann Arthus-Bertrand.
The Women for Bees Programme, launched last year, aims to empower women to become financially independent through beekeeping, while protecting the habitats of endangered bee populations. The house teamed up with UNESCO in its Biosphere Reserves and independently with referential local NGOs. Angelina Jolie represents this campaign.
To drive innovation, the programme is also being sponsored by the French Committee of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and the French National Museum of Natural History for three years. ✈