Apoticari x Marie-Victoire de Bascher
For winter 2025/2026, Apoticari is highlighting nettle, a plant long overlooked, yet central to herbalist knowledge. A plant of fire and vitality, deeply rooted in the soils of Auvergne, it has been recognized for centuries for its mineral richness and energy. An ancient medicinal plant, intimately linked to the land that gives it birth.
The URTICA capsule is born from this living material. It seals an encounter between botany, Auvergne craftsmanship and the symbolic vision of the artist Marie-Victoire de Bascher.
The nettle: a forgotten plant, rehabilitated
Much more than a stinging plant, the nettle is a plant of strength. In some Auvergne traditions, a bunch of nettles was thrown into the fire on December nights: a gesture of protection for the home and crops, a ritual to get through the winter with strength and clarity.
It revives, warms, stimulates. It awakens what lies dormant.
URTICA is inspired by this energy: that of a living plant, simple and intense, which naturally accompanies the cold seasons.
A collaboration centered around a plant talisman
To embody this fiery plant, Apoticari invited Marie-Victoire de Bascher, an artist whose world blends craftsmanship, symbolism, and poetic imagination. She imagined an exclusive motif, conceived as a botanical ex-voto: a stylized, vibrant nettle leaf, inhabited by a protective eye.
This symbol becomes the central theme of the collection: a plant that protects, a watchful gaze, a talisman for winter. Through her lines, the artist reveals the leaf's tension, its vibrant texture, its protective strength. The illustration unfolds against a deep midnight blue, transforming each object into a true botanical amulet.
A small-batch collection, rooted in Auvergne
The URTICA capsule collection consists of three creations produced in small series, continuing the expertise of Puy-en-Velay.
Urtica superfatted soap, cold-processed and dried for twelve weeks, offers gentle, herbal cleansing. A plant-based soap, suitable for all skin types, where nettle is harnessed in a simple, respectful care ritual deeply rooted in herbal tradition.
Nettle hydrosol, distilled in Auvergne, captures the mineral freshness of the plant and its living energy, faithful to the plant material from which it is derived.
The Urtica scented candle extends this approach through flame. Inspired by the fire nettle, it envelops winter in a protective warmth, both subtle and comforting.
Three essential gestures, conveying warmth, protection and a direct connection to the plant.
A shared vision
In this collaboration, Marie-Victoire de Bascher brings a unique perspective.
She reinterprets the nettle as a vibrant leaf, pierced by a protective eye. A direct, instinctive motif that evokes protection, vigilance, and inner strength.
The URTICA capsule was born from this encounter. It doesn't seek to explain the plant, but to convey its presence. A discreet strength, made for winter.
