Where to Ski And Snowboard - Val Thorens make génépi hand sanitiser

Val Thorens make génépi hand sanitiser

20th January 2021, by Abi Butcher

The Val Thorens tourist office team has produced an alcohol hand gel scented with génépi

As French ski resorts await news from the government on whether they can reopen their ski lifts in February (an announcement is due today, Wednesday 20 January), the team at Val Thorens tourist office have been putting to good use their local produce to make hand sanitizer.

Together with a local pharmacy, the Val Thorens tourist office team has produced an alcohol hand gel scented with génépi, a herb found in abundance in the Alps, normally used to flavour liqueur.

“It started out as a sort of joke before summer, where we said: how can we adapt the current measures to our specific setting? If we had been on an exotic island, it would probably have been with a coconut perfume,” said Alix Ostyn, from Val Thorens.

“So we worked together with our local pharmacy, who deliver us the alcohol gel and solution (there are two different consistencies) and validate the final product. We do the rest by using our personal stock of génépi branches, which some guys from our office plucked over summer, as well as a drop of essential oils with a génépi perfume.”

Marketing Manager Thibaut Loubère took up the mantle and in perfecting the recipe, tested four different formats with the team — no scent, one using only génépi branches, one using only essential oils from the herb and a combination of both. They found that the combination gave the best result.

“We have two different sizes: solution in larger bottles that we place in our welcome areas and smaller bottles with a gel that we can give to our partners, good contacts etc,” continued Alix.

“We don’t sell it, this is not a commercial project. We just thought it would be a fun extra to present to our clients when they come in, it puts a smile on their face and if it makes them wash their hands more often, that’s a great added bonus.”

To read Where to Ski & Snowboard‘s independent review of Val Thorens, click here