Chamomile likes sun, cool nights and well-drained soil, which is what the Martell valley offers. Ours is grown at 1,300 m in this side valley, which opens into ours a little over 20 km from our lab, on fields better known for mountain strawberries.

The flowers are picked in early summer, when they’re fully open, and steam-distilled the same day. What condenses is chamomile flower water: water that carries a little of the plant’s soft, apple-like scent and its gentle character.

We use it at 70% in the Chamomile Water Toner, where it replaces plain water. That’s why it’s the first ingredient on that list. With niacinamide at 2%, it makes a fine mist that comforts and refreshes skin and preps it for serum.

Two honest details. Chamomile belongs to the daisy family, so if you know you react to daisies, arnica or ragweed, try the toner on a small patch of skin first. And a flower water needs a preservative to stay fresh once the bottle is open. Ours has one, and it’s listed on the back of the bottle with everything else.