L’Occitane has issued an unaudited trading update for the year ended 31 March, 2018 (FY 2018). The French naturals brand, saw net sales climb 4.6 percent at constant rates (-0.3 percent reported) to €1.319 billion.

China, Brazil, the US and Hong Kong were the group’s fastest growing markets, with sales in China accelerating 20.5 percent (in local currency terms) to make the country the company’s second-largest market on a like-for-like basis. Meanwhile, sales in the US were up 8.3 percent thanks to a ‘significant pick-up’ in retail in the last fiscal quarter.

“We concluded FY2018 with a strong final quarter, particularly in Asia, where we are continuing to introduce more and more consumers to our world of all-natural products with proven ingredients and recipes,” said Reinold Geiger, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

“Looking forward, we will continue to boost our appeal through the use of innovative store fronts that highlight our true stories and origins, creative marketing initiatives and new products including the Aqua Réotier range and a promising new hero product due to be launched later this year. We believe these initiatives will bridge the customer experience in a way that effectively support both our offline and online sales.”