Clarins
French premium beauty brand combining plant-based ingredients, cosmetic research, skincare and spa expertise.
Last updated November 4, 2026
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Overview
Clarins is a French premium beauty brand founded in Paris in 1954 by Jacques Courtin-Clarins. Its origins lie in the Clarins Institute, a day spa where Courtin developed tailor-made treatments and pursued a connection between medicine, wellness and cosmetics. The company became associated with the use of plant extracts in skincare and built its identity around the combination of botanical ingredients, hands-on treatment techniques and scientific research. The brand’s early development centered on body care and firmness. Products such as Masvelt Body Shaping Cream and Tonic Body Treatment Oil helped establish a category distinct from the anti-wrinkle focus that dominated much of the industry in the 1960s. Clarins later expanded into facial skincare, sun protection, makeup, fragrances and men’s grooming. Its facial and body oils, treatment oils and massage-oriented products remain central to the brand’s heritage. Clarins also developed an influential approach to consumer education, personalized consultations and product sampling, rather than relying solely on conventional glamour advertising. International expansion accelerated in the 1970s under Christian Courtin-Clarins, with the brand entering additional European, Asian and North American markets. Clarins USA opened in New York in 1981. The company became publicly listed in Paris in 1984, but the Courtin-Clarins family bought out minority shareholders in 2008 and returned the business to private ownership. The group subsequently concentrated on skincare and cosmetics while retaining selected proprietary fragrances and expanding through acquisitions and brand development. Double Serum, introduced in 1985, is Clarins’ best-known product. Its dual-chamber format was designed to combine water-soluble and oil-soluble ingredients and has been reformulated repeatedly. Other signature offerings include Eau Dynamisante, Joli Rouge, Body Firming Cream, Total Eye Lift and Lip Comfort Oil. The company is also credited with helping popularize anti-pollution skincare, plant-based body treatments and the modern lip-oil format. Clarins Group has operated beyond its namesake label. It previously owned or developed fragrance brands including Thierry Mugler and Azzaro, selling its fragrance division to L’Oréal in 2020 while retaining its own aromatherapy-oriented fragrance range. The group relaunched myBlend as a personalized skincare and beauty-technology brand in 2022 and acquired U.S. clean-makeup brand ILIA Beauty that year. Clarins also introduced MyClarins, a vegan-oriented skincare range, and Clarins Precious, an ultra-luxury collection. The company manufactures its products in France and sells through its own digital channels, department stores, specialty retailers, spas and travel-retail locations. Its research and sourcing strategy increasingly emphasizes traceable botanicals, regenerative agriculture and environmental stewardship. Domaine Clarins in the French Alps serves as a cultivation and research site, while Domaine Clarins Sainte-Colombe in southern France extends the group’s work with protected land and regenerative practices. Clarins remains a privately held, internationally distributed beauty group whose positioning combines premium skincare, botanical expertise, sensory experience and sustainability claims.
History
Jacques Courtin-Clarins established the Clarins Institute in Paris in 1954 after developing an approach that linked beauty treatments with medical knowledge, wellness and botanical ingredients. The business grew from an institute and treatment practice into a cosmetics company. An earlier invention associated with Courtin was Médecin’Bust, a water-massage device created in 1947. Clarins’ first major commercial skincare products included Masvelt Body Shaping Cream in 1962 and Tonic Body Treatment Oil in 1965. These products helped make body firmness a recognizable skincare category and gave the company a distinctive position at a time when many competitors concentrated on facial anti-aging. During the late 1960s and 1970s, Clarins developed a direct relationship with customers through feedback cards placed in product packaging. The company also used educational advertising and promoted family sun protection rather than the prevailing glamour-tanning message. Christian Courtin-Clarins led international expansion, and by the early 1970s the brand had entered numerous countries. Clarins USA opened in 1981, using skin consultations and targeted samples as an alternative to the traditional gift-with-purchase model. Clarins became a public company on the Paris Stock Exchange in 1984. The following year it launched Double Serum, a dual-phase facial treatment that became the company’s signature product. In 1987, Clarins launched Eau Dynamisante and stated that it had ended animal testing. It later removed active ingredients of animal origin from its formulas. The company introduced makeup in 1991 and developed anti-pollution positioning around products designed to help protect skin from urban environmental conditions. It also entered men’s skincare with ClarinsMen in 2002. The group expanded into fragrance through a partnership with Thierry Mugler. Angel, launched in 1992, became a major commercial and cultural success and is widely associated with the rise of gourmand fragrance. Clarins also held a substantial investment in L’Occitane en Provence between 1994 and 2011, supporting that company’s international development. In 2008, the Courtin-Clarins family bought out minority shareholders, restoring private ownership. The modern group has focused more strongly on skincare, cosmetics, research and sustainable sourcing. It moved its headquarters to a sustainability-oriented building in the Paris area in 2014, launched Lip Comfort Oil in the mid-2010s, and established Domaine Clarins in the French Alps in 2018 for botanical cultivation and research. MyClarins launched in 2019, while the fragrance division was sold to L’Oréal in 2020. The group relaunched myBlend and acquired ILIA Beauty in 2022, then introduced Clarins Precious in 2023. In 2024 it expanded its land and cultivation activities in southern France; Domaine Clarins received Regenerative Organic Certified status in 2025. Clarins continues to operate as a family-owned international beauty group.
- 2025
Domaine Clarins receives regenerative certification
[1]Domaine Clarins became the first cosmetics-industry site reported as receiving Regenerative Organic Certified status.
- 2023
Clarins Precious launched
[1]Clarins introduced an ultra-luxury anti-aging skincare collection.
- 2022
myBlend relaunched and ILIA Beauty acquired
[1]The group expanded personalized skincare and acquired the American clean-makeup brand ILIA Beauty.
- 2020
Fragrance division sold
[1]Clarins sold its fragrance division to L’Oréal while keeping its own aromatherapy fragrance portfolio.
- 2018
Domaine Clarins established
[1]The group began cultivating and researching plant ingredients at a site in the French Alps.
- 2008
Family buyout and delisting
[1]The Courtin-Clarins family bought minority shareholders’ interests and returned Clarins to private ownership.
- 2002
ClarinsMen launched
[1]The company introduced a dedicated men’s skincare and grooming range.
- 1991
Makeup business introduced
[1]Clarins entered makeup and promoted anti-pollution product concepts.
- 1987
Eau Dynamisante introduced
[1]Clarins launched an aromatherapy-oriented fragrance combining scent with plant-based skincare positioning.
- 1985
Double Serum launched
[1]Clarins introduced its dual-phase signature facial serum.
Products and positioning
Premium to luxury skincare and cosmetics with a plant-based, science-led and wellness-oriented identity.
Facial skincare · 1985
Double Serum
Clarins’ signature dual-phase serum, launched in 1985. Its two-chamber package separates water- and oil-soluble components until dispensing, allowing the brand to combine botanical extracts and cosmetic active ingredients in a single anti-aging treatment. The formula has been revised across multiple generations while retaining the two-phase concept.
Body care
Body Firming Cream
A body-care product representing Clarins’ long-standing emphasis on firmness, tone and body treatment. It belongs to the brand’s heritage of massage-based applications and plant-oriented formulations, extending the company’s early body-shaping proposition into a contemporary moisturizing and firming product.
Makeup and lip care · 2014
Lip Comfort Oil
A hybrid lip product combining botanical oils, conditioning care, shine and sheer color. Clarins introduced it in the mid-2010s and helped popularize lip oils as a distinct makeup category. It is positioned between a treatment product and a conventional gloss or tinted lip product.
Fragrance and body care · 1987
Eau Dynamisante
An aromatherapy-oriented fragrance launched in 1987. It combines a recognizable fragrance experience with Clarins’ traditional emphasis on plant extracts and body rituals. Unlike the group’s former designer-fragrance portfolio, the Eau Dynamisante line remained part of Clarins’ own fragrance business after the 2020 fragrance-division sale.
Men’s grooming · 2002
ClarinsMen
A dedicated men’s range introduced in 2002, covering shaving products, cleansers, moisturizers, eye care and other facial treatments. The line extends Clarins’ botanical and treatment-oriented approach to men’s grooming while using formats designed for daily skincare routines.
Facial skincare · 2019
MyClarins
A skincare range introduced for younger adult consumers and positioned around vegan and cruelty-free formulations. MyClarins broadens the group’s audience beyond traditional premium anti-aging customers and emphasizes straightforward daily hydration and skin maintenance.
Luxury facial skincare · 2023
Clarins Precious
An ultra-luxury anti-aging collection introduced in 2023. The range uses a rare Moonlight Flower cryoextract as part of its ingredient story and represents Clarins’ move into a higher-priced, prestige tier of skincare.
Personalized skincare and beauty technology · 2007
myBlend
A personalized beauty brand relaunched by Clarins Group in 2022. It combines skincare products, supplements, diagnostic services, professional treatments and devices such as LED technology. Its proposition is based on individualized routines and the integration of cosmetic products with spa and beauty services.
Marketing campaigns
- 1981Try-before-you-buy sampling
United States
For its U.S. expansion, Clarins emphasized personalized consultations and targeted samples rather than the standard gift-with-purchase model.
Outcome. Created a consultation-based route into the American premium beauty market.
- 1970Family sun protection
International
Clarins promoted sun care for the whole family, using imagery of mothers and children rather than the era’s dominant glamour-tanning presentation. The approach positioned sun protection as a practical wellness and skincare concern.
Outcome. Helped differentiate Clarins’ sun-care communication.
- 1970Educational advertorials
France · International
The company used text-led educational advertorials in magazines such as Cosmopolitan, explaining products and skincare practices instead of relying only on image-based advertising.
Outcome. Strengthened Clarins’ expertise and consultation-led positioning.
Brand decisions
2022
Acquisition of ILIA BeautyM&ABackground
Clarins sought to expand its presence in clean and prestige makeup.
Action taken
Clarins Group acquired American clean-makeup brand ILIA Beauty.
Aftermath
ILIA became part of the Clarins Group portfolio alongside Clarins and myBlend.
2022
Relaunch of myBlendStrategyBackground
Clarins revisited a personalized skincare concept first introduced in 2007 and aligned it with newer interest in diagnostics, devices and individualized routines.
Action taken
The group relaunched myBlend with updated formulations, packaging, technology and professional services.
Aftermath
myBlend operated through digital channels, selected luxury spas and premium retailers.
2020
Sale of the fragrance divisionM&ABackground
Clarins decided to focus more closely on skincare and cosmetics after operating a broad fragrance portfolio.
Action taken
The Clarins Fragrance Group was sold to L’Oréal; Clarins retained its own aromatherapy-oriented fragrance products.
Aftermath
The group’s portfolio became more concentrated in skincare, makeup and related beauty services.
2008
Return to private ownershipStrategyBackground
After almost 25 years as a listed company, the Courtin-Clarins family sought to restore family control and provide a longer-term ownership structure.
Action taken
The family bought out minority shareholders and delisted Clarins.
Aftermath
Clarins continued as a privately held family business.
Recent events
Reported
Clarins partners with Vee24 for its Virtual Boutique[3]
Clarins UK announced it would use Vee24's platform for its Virtual Boutique strategy, offering customers personalized one-to-one consultations with beauty coaches online. Clarins had created a beauty studio, trained beauty coaches for online service and deployed the technology.
Reported
Clarins opens its first kiosk-style store in Singapore[4]
Clarins opened its first kiosk-style concept store in Singapore, its fourth boutique in the city, at the Nex shopping centre.
Sources4 sources
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