In this particularly booming time for the beauty industry, it's no surprise why synthetic products are so popular. They appeal mostly to younger demographics like millennials and Gen Z, who prioritize affordability, long shelf-life, and convenience.

Is it possible to see immediate changes to your skin from using a $10 or $20 product? Absolutely. In the long run, however, preservatives found in synthetic beauty products can lead to inflammation, irritation, and potentially deeper problems that will end up costing way more to fix.

At OLIVE TREE PEOPLE, our mantra is “From Tree to Beauty” because our waterless skincare and ingestibles are created straight from the ancient mountain olive trees in our grove in Arroyomolinos de Leon, Spain.

In this article, we embark on a journey through the lush groves of our olive trees, exploring the remarkable variety of topicals and ingestibles we’ve developed from their leaves.

From our superior quality I56 Extra Virgin Olive Oil, to our powerful F74 Regeneration Intense Face Cream, join us as we delve into the science behind nature’s gifts and uncover the holistic benefits of all-natural products sourced straight from the earth.

First, The Trees

The olive tree is more than just a symbol of vitality and longevity. It also provides rich nourishment and healing, deeply rooted in both tradition and modern science. Extracted from the olive leaf is a molecule called hydroxytyrosol, which not only protects the cells of olive trees up to 4,00 years, but it also protects and helps regenerate human skin cells. Pretty incredible, right? That’s what our founder, Thomas Lommel, felt when he discovered the power of hydroxytyrosol more than 25 years ago on his personal journey to better health.

Before we get to the part where Thomas sets out to create his own collection of skincare products made from hydroxytyrosol, let’s take another look at the trees.

Did you know, trees have inhabited our earth for over 500 million years? That’s 495 million years longer than us. They do not need us, but without them we would not be able to survive just a single day. We can learn endlessly from trees about topics including: intuition, dignified aging, calling, true devotion, meditation, holistic beauty, that the economy is inseparable from ecology, and so much more.

Their cells, which consist of the same “building blocks” as ours, manage to remain functional 3,900 years longer than those of us humans - without “modern medicine” and under the most difficult conditions. Pretty astounding.

Second, The Healing Power

At age 33, when Thomas discovered his health was suffering, it became clear that he needed to make some major lifestyle changes. Upon quitting his prescribed medications, he entered a “time of silence”, where he reflected on the meaning of life and what he would do if he had all the time and money in the world. He was searching for some kind of holistic cycle.

From this moment on, there was no other thought than to treat myself with the power and magic of the trees.

– Thomas Lommel, FOUNDER OLIVE TREE PEOPLE

Thomas began spending lots of time with olive trees and searching for answers. He asked the trees, how many olives do you need for one liter of oil? How many fruits does such a tree bear? How many trees stand on one hectare of land? The answers seemed to come to him intuitively: 5/20/100. When he compared his findings with specialist literature, his numbers were accurate! He was amazed. 

Barely able to believe what he discovered, Thomas began studying the communication between humans and trees. He read a book called “The Call of the Rose”, which was the first of many on this subject. He was completely fascinated and immersed in this new world that he could have never imagined before. Thomas realized everything is connected. It is possible to connect with trees, and the feelings he was having were real.

With no more medication in his life, Thomas began a new diet. He started every day with a glass of olive oil and a squeeze of lemon. He embalmed himself with olive oil, both outside and inside from morning to night. He increased his olive oil consumption from about zero to over fifty liters per year. He discovered what he calls his “inner physician”, which is slumbering in all of us.

It took 176 days for Thomas to feel completely restored. He was able to sleep on the side of his heart again, had no more ulcers, his skin looked healthy like never before, and he was full of vitality. All of this he had accomplished with the power of the olive tree, and most importantly, with zero side effects. 

Third, The Science

In 2001, Thomas set out for Italy, first to Tuscany and later to Apulia. He wanted to be even closer to the trees and learn the craft of producing first-class olive oil. After many lunches with olive farmers and a lot of wine, he succeeded in convincing the Italian farmers to let him help sell their trees.

In Apulia is where Thomas got to know the grass-green, bitter elixir from the olive leaf, which was freshly made every morning according to a very old recipe handed down from generation to generation. The family he visited was also using olive leaf schnapps as a cure-all. Thomas was completely fascinated – especially when he found out that what healed him, namely precious polyphenols such as Oleuropein and Hydroxytyrosol, are found in the olive leaf up to 3,000 times more concentrated than in high-quality olive oil. These polyphenols also serve as reliable protection for the olive tree from harmful influences and allow it to live up to 4,000 years in highest vitality. 

In Apulia is also where Thomas’ idea was born to develop an elixir for daily consumption. So he got in touch with Joaquin, the “bee whisperer” in Arroyomolinos de Leon, Spain, and bought his very first olive grove. He drove from Apulia to Andalusia, through the night, and there it was: 120 mountain olive trees on about 12,000 square meters, all around a hundred years old. Thomas was so excited, he wandered around in the rain that night and built himself a treehouse in the midst of the olive grove.

In the following days, Thomas experimented with the olive leaf and developed the extraordinary elixir that he discovered in Apulia. He then developed a very bitter-tasting first elixir from the leaves of his own mountain olive trees, which he filled into bottles and sent to various naturopaths and alternative healing practitioners. He also sent them to his first small customer list of olive tree lovers.

Weeks passed and Thomas was still waiting for feedback from the doctors and customers he sent his elixir to test. Just as he was about to give up everything for good, there was a sign. Suddenly, he received ‘Thank You’ notes from customers, which still gives him goosebumps. He was electrified and motivated to produce much more than just a single product. He envisioned something holistic, an Olive Tree Therapy in luxurious spas, Mediterranean Ayurveda treatments over several days and weeks. He also wanted to integrate Olive Tree Meditation, which he had practiced years before.

The entire production of external applications such as creams, oils and serums was new to Thomas. He had no affinity to cosmetics prior – he was still using olive oil to care for his skin. With the confidence and reassurance of knowing what had healed him, he started studying the composition of skincare products. He discovered that almost every product had “aqua” – water – at the top of the ingredient list. Water, followed by many other ingredients.

When he asked one of the old herbal women in the village which ingredients they would use in a cream, in addition to and complementing the strength of the olive trees, she replied: “Look at what grows around the olive tree. All of this goes well with it and creates protective and sustainable synergies. Otherwise it would not grow there.” He was impressed at how simple and clearly nature works!

Soon, Thomas finally got an answer to his most important question. An answer that was unimaginable to him at first and changed everything: Every skin care product that shows the word “aqua” in the first place of the INCI list, is based on a whopping 70%-distilled water content, plus about 25% of oils and emulsifiers, that connect the water and oils. Here, the industry relies on oils which ideally no longer change and have a long shelf-life. So it is either refined oils that have lost all vitality or mineral oils that can substantially damage the skin. Realizing this, Thomas came to the conclusion that there are only about 5% real, active ingredients in most products, and less if a product has fragrance. He was speechless.

Now it was clear. His idea was born to replace the approx. 70% water content with the highly bioactive cell elixir from the olive leaf, and the refined oils with autochthonous Arbequina oil from his mountain olive trees, which resembles the natural lipid layer of our skin. Due to its vitality, it has the ability to support the cell renewal process of the skin.

Did you know…. every second, 10 million cells die in the human body while 10 million cells have to be born again. In each of the approx. 50 trillion cells (i.e. 50,000 billion) of which we are made of, 100,000 chemical reactions take place every second, to keep the entire organism running. 100,000 in each of those 50 trillion cells. How important is it then to support these cells in their renewal processes with highly active ingredients? Only living ingredients are able to do that.

Fourth, The Beauty

At this point in the story, Thomas was living in Mallorca. He began to develop his elixir from the olive leaf and finally sold it successfully. At the same time, experiments with his first skin care products showed that there were still things to work on: the chlorophyll in the olive tree leaves could not be stabilized; after a short while, it gave the products a brownish tint.

Finally, the time had come! The first cream and the first serum were born, as well as 9 other products with which Thomas wanted to actualize his dream of Olive Tree Therapy. He chose one of the most beautiful hotels in Mallorca, Hotel Son Brull, to bring his idea of an exclusive OLIVEDA Spa to life. He gave Olive Tree Therapy the ambitious slogan “10 years in 14 days” and the Mallorcan press publicized it big-time.

A regular Western medical doctor in Palma, Mallorca examined the participants in the Olive Tree Therapy program, recording their medical test results at the beginning and end of the 14 days. Thus, he was able to prove that it is not just a wellness therapy, but real measurable results are achieved. The results of the follow-up examinations were phenomenal–without exception– confirmed by an independent medical doctor. 

In 2008, author Birgit Frohn wrote Naturally healing with olive oil, which became the first book about Olive Tree Therapy.

Not too long after, beauty journalist Daniela Jambrek wrote a book about her personal experience with the Olive Tree Therapy at Hotel Son Brull, titled 10 Years in 14 Days.

And there you have it!

Everything - from the first drop of olive oil to the wonderful elixir from the olive leaves and holistic cosmetics, right up to a healthy and conscious way of life for every day is the result of the power of the olive trees and the products we have developed, which are true miracles of nature in their holistic efficacy.