Hei Poa

Hei Poa is a French cosmetics brand built around Monoï de Tahiti, the perfumed coconut oil of French Polynesia. According to the company, it was founded in 1976, when a couple from mainland France, taken with the Monoï they had discovered on a trip to Polynesia, set out to import its production methods to France [4]. The brand is owned by Laboratoires Gilbert (Groupe Gilbert) and is based in Hérouville-Saint-Clair in Normandy [3].

The brand is still active. Its range covers Monoï oils, sun care, body care, hair care and eau de toilette, sold chiefly through French pharmacies. In 2025 it appeared in trade press through a partnership with Groupe GM on a hotel sun-care line, an indication of continued activity [8].

Hei Poa traces its beginnings to a discovery abroad. The official site describes a couple from metropolitan France who, won over by the benefits of Monoï during a journey to Polynesia, wished to bring its manufacturing secrets home — the starting point of the brand in 1976. The company does not name the couple on its own pages, and no individual founders are confirmed in the sourced material.

Sources differ on the founding date. The brand's own website states "Depuis 1976" (since 1976), and trade publication Premium Beauty News likewise records 1976 [4][8]. A retailer brand page, Beauty Bar in the Philippines, instead gives 1988 [9]. The 1976 date stated by the company is the more authoritative.

One product motif is tied to the brand's beginnings: the Monoï presented in a glass bottle with a tiaré flower, which the company links to the Polynesian habit of reusing empty pharmacy syrup bottles.

Hei Poa belongs to Laboratoires Gilbert, also referred to as Groupe Gilbert, a French laboratory group; the brand's headquarters share the group's address in Hérouville-Saint-Clair [3]. Trade-press coverage describes Hei Poa as "part of the Gilbert Group" [8]. The date and circumstances of the brand joining the group are not documented in the available sources.

Hei Poa positions itself entirely around a single ingredient. The company calls itself a pioneering brand in Monoï de Tahiti and describes its role as "révélatrice de traditions ancestrales polynésiennes" — a revealer of ancestral Polynesian traditions. Its tagline, "Source d'évasion au quotidien" (a source of daily escape), frames the products as a sensory, everyday ritual rather than ordinary skincare.

The brand groups its formulation work under a "Green & Clean" approach, which it describes as selecting preferred ingredients and excluding controversial ones. Stated brand values include French production, naturalness anchored in the Appellation d'Origine, and Polynesian heritage.

The brand's identity rests on Monoï de Tahiti, an oil it describes as composed of two ingredients: the Tahitian tiaré flower and Polynesian coconut. Other hero ingredients cited across its range include coconut oil and organic (BIO) aloe vera. Alongside Monoï oils, the line spans sun care, body care, hair care and fragrance.

Its signature item is the Pure Tahiti Monoi Oil. Premium Beauty News described it as "the iconic Pure Tahiti Monoi Oil" and "a treasured beauty cult crafted from tiare flowers macerated in coconut oil" [8]. The company also points to the recognised moisturising, softening and soothing properties of Monoï de Tahiti.

A defining feature is the Appellation d'Origine (AO) carried by the Monoï the brand uses. The AO for Monoï de Tahiti was granted on 1 April 1992 and sets out how the oil must be produced [7]. Accounts of the recipe differ: Hei Poa's pages state a maceration of at least ten tiaré flowers per litre of refined oil for at least ten days, while Wikipedia's description of the AO specification cites a minimum of fifteen flowers per litre and fifteen days [3][7]. The discrepancy concerns the ingredient's production standard rather than the brand's own history.

Hei Poa frames sustainability as an eco-responsible approach across its production chain. The company states that 100% of its ingredients are vegan and that its formulas exclude parabens, silicones, phenoxyethanol, sulfates, PEG, solid microplastics and titanium dioxide. It set targets for 2024 covering natural-origin and biodegradable ingredients and lighter, recyclable or recycled packaging.

The company also reports responsible sourcing of its raw materials in Tahiti — tiaré flowers grown through permaculture-based agriculture and coconut (coprah) oil managed by a local cooperative — and a commitment to donate 1% of its suncare revenue to the Te Mana O Te Moana association. It cites ECOCERT certification and EcoVadis assessment, and states that its cosmetics are produced in France across facilities in Normandy and Brittany.

Hei Poa is an active brand. Its most recent documented activity in the sources is the June 2025 partnership with Groupe GM on a hotel-exclusive sun-care line, reported by Premium Beauty News [8]. The brand remains distributed across several markets, including France, the Benelux region and the Nordics.