We've discovered beauty sleep in a bottle and it's all thanks to a game-changing French flower.

If you’re like us, you might have a touch of what we call Techy Skincare Buzzword Fatigue.

OK, so we’re still working on the term, but you get the idea: seemingly every week, a baffling invention or new-age technique pops up ready to revolutionise the way we, you know, manage our faces.

In the beauty-sphere, there’s certainly something to be said for those hardworking ingredients that are proven to stand the test of time.

And more often than not, these elements are found in nature, and sourced from the very place they’ve thrived for centuries.

Like on the idyllic island of Corsica in the South of France, home to charming seaside towns flanked by pine trees, dramatic mountain landscapes and a beachside scene that rivals St Tropez.

As far as daydreams go, it’s very easy to imagine yourself traversing the wild countryside, basket in hand replete with cheeses and fruits from the local markets. 

On your mission to find the perfect picnic spot (of which there are many) you might stumble across a beaming yellow flower and be tempted to pick it and put it in your hair. 

Resplendently bright and fragrant, the wildflower immortelle grows naturally all over the Mediterranean, but at a bespoke plantation on the island, it blooms in abundance with a glorious sea of yellow.

This is the site of French skin and body care brand L’Occitane’s world-first large-scale cultivation of immortelle, launched in 2004, which spans 50 hectares of bountiful blooms.

Referred to locally as "the flower that never fades", immortelle is revered not just for its beauty, but the potent essential oil that can be extracted from it. L’Occitane tested more than 500 varieties and found that Corsican immortelle, or Helichrysum Italicum, had the highest concentration of active anti-ageing ingredients.

Yes, the plant possesses veritable skincare superpowers. Put it down to the conditions the sunny flower grows in: it’s literally wired to withstand the elements. Even once picked, its colour never fades.

And it turns out that has major benefits for your face. The French brand acquired the patent for the specific species of the Corsican bloom, and created the plantation to harvest its core ingredient sustainably, through organic farming practices.

The flowers are picked and distilled the same day - the company works with a number of local distillers across the region to harvest the precious natural oil. 

It’s the key component of L’Occitane’s Immortelle Precious Skincare Collection. Rich in antioxidants, the game-changing ingredient has been proven to help protect against things we can’t really stop our faces being exposed to, like pollution, blue light and other harsh environmental factors.

If you’re keen to start combating the early signs of ageing, like fine lines, enlarged pores and uneven skin tone, this natural skincare range has powerful products to add to your daily regime.

There's the jellified Immortelle Precious Enriched Water to wake up the face in the morning and provide a plumping hit of hydration before bed.

For both face and neck, the Immortelle Precious Cream gives skin an extra boost of energy in 30 seconds, and is perfect for daily and nightly application.

The undeniable hero across L’Occitane’s full skincare collection is the Immortelle Reset Serum, which has quickly made its way onto knowing women’s beauty shelves since its launch just one year ago. The product is the number one bestselling product in L'Occitane's natural skincare range, and it’s pretty nifty to know that literally every flower that goes into these chic little bottles can be traced back to that Corsican plantation.

To get into the sciencey stuff, the active ingredients in the serum stimulate skin microcirculation, increasing collagen synthesis which - hey presto - results in the look of smoother skin.

The Reset serum is designed to be applied in the evening, when your skin is naturally more equipped to repair and regenerate itself. Basically, it's beauty sleep in a bottle.

With no greasy residue, it goes on satiny-smooth and works overnight to refresh the complexion so you wake up looking and feeling more radiant. And the good news is only a pea-sized amount is required for your face and neck, so you get more bang for your bottle.

If you’re already committed to your night-time ritual, you could consider adding in the serum to up the efficacy.

Because although we might not be able to hop on a charter boat to Corsica to traipse through fields of flowers, all romantic French fantasies aside, this is one way to channel a little joie de vivre into our daily self-care routines.

Have you tried L'Occitane's Immortelle Precious collection? Tell us what it's like below.