The Câlinesse skin care line was first launched on the domestic Swiss market last year and is now being made available on-line in the French market, with plans to eventually take the launch European-wide.
Câlinesse features face, eye, bust and body creams aimed at women over 25 and heralded for their moisturising and anti-ageing properties, while there is also a line of four baby skin care products under the same brand name.
The complete line has been developed by fashion designer Catherine Baron, who was inspired to create the Câlinesse brand after sampling home-made donkey milk soap on a trip to the Pyrenees.
Tapping into natural and organic trend The line was developed in conjunction with a laboratory in Switzerland with the aim of achieving the purest formulations possible in order to tap into one of the biggest trends in the industry - demand for natural and organic cosmetic products.
The fact that the line has been formulated without any harsh chemicals and only includes pure donkey milk and organic plant extracts means that all the products have been awarded Eco certification.
Aiming at the luxury end of the market, the product range is currently being marketed in organic shops as well as boutiques for women and babies, and is also available from three websites, including www.mademoiselle-bio.com .
The range starts at €28 for the baby lotion, going up to €75 for 'Beaute des yeux' product that targets signs of ageing around the delicate eye area.
In 2006 donkey milk came into the public eye when the world's oldest woman, 116 year old Maria Esther de Capovilla from Ecuador, passed away - having attributed her longevity and youthful look down to regularly drinking donkey's milk.
Donkey milk makes excellent base ingredient As well as its healthful properties, donkey milk is also imbued with qualities that mean it is excellent as a base ingredient for a host of skin care products.
The milk is regenerative for the skin because of high levels of protein, phospholipides and ceramides, which in turn confer it with both soothing and restructuring properties.
Its rich composition also makes it an excellent moisturiser and, perhaps more importantly, it is said to be an effective anti-wrinkle treatment.
The milk is said to have 60 times the vitamin C content as cow's milk as well as containing vitamins A, D and E, and is a rich source of calcium and phosphorous, making it highly beneficial, both for consumption and skin care applications.