Around five thousand people attended on Wednesday the funeral of Yves Rocher, founder of a global cosmetics empire, who died last week at the age of 79.

Yves Rocher, who pioneered the use of natural ingredients in beauty products, died of a stroke on December 26 in a Paris hospital.

The funeral took place in the Brittany town of La Gacilly, where Rocher was born in April 1930, and where he served as mayor from 1962 to 1988.

Local and national officials were present at the ceremony. In his speech, French Industry Minister Christian Estrosi expressed the "gratitude of the whole nation" to the late mayor, appreciating his contribution to the protection of the country's environment.

Rocher founded his eponymous company in 1959, marketing it as "beauty from plants" and selling cosmetics products by mail order.

The Yves Rocher Group employs some 15,000 people in 30 countries, with annual earnings of more than 2 billion euros ($2.8 billion).

Rocher's 31-year-old grandson Bris Rocher will become the new head of the company.

PARIS, December 30 (RIA Novosti)