Beauty bites: Fruits & Passion

Source: Best Health magazine, December 2012

This Canadian line of bath, body and home-ambience products turned 20 this year. Founded in Montreal in 1992 by Jean Hurteau, his wife, France Ménard, and Hurteau’s brother Guy, Fruits & Passion makes hundreds of products for women, men and babies. Its dominant line overall is the kitchen-focused Cucina, which includes hand soaps, creams and cleaning sprays in such scents as Coriander and Olive Tree.

But it’s Fruits & Passion’s scents, whether in its candles, diffusers or eau de toilettes, that draw people into its stores. (There are 91 stores across Canada’with the highest concentration in Quebec’and 121 globally. In fact, the company does a booming business in South Korea.) ‘We want to give customers an experience,’ says CEO Isabelle Grisé. ‘We might begin with a fashion or décor colour trend, and transform it into a fragrance idea.’ Fruits & Passion then has an international fragrance house develop the scent formula; however, almost all its products are made in Quebec.

This holiday season, you’ll see scents Cranberry Love for the body, and Orange Cinnamon, Winter Berries and Boreal Fir for the home. No stone is left unturned’the company, which also sells online at fruits-passion.ca, even offers scented ornaments. A nice eco touch is the long-standing refill program, including for its liquid hand soaps and foaming bath products. And when you purchase one of their holiday gift bags to hold your shopping loot, all proceeds go to Habitat for Humanity.

Pictured above: Orange Cantaloup, $49.

This article was originally titled "Beauty bites" in the December 2012 issue of Best Health. Subscribe today to get the full Best Health experience’and never miss an issue!