The story
Founded by Jacques Courtin in 1954.1
Clarins was founded in 1954 by Jacques Courtin-Clarins, a former medical student, who opened the first Clarins Institute at 35 rue Tronchet in Paris. The Clarins Institute was a day spa that focused on a holistic vision for beauty, and Jacques created tailor-made formulations for his clients there. Courtin-Clarins said of his vision: "I wanted to make a connection between medicine and beauty, between science and the cosmetic world." His early approach focused on using plant-based ingredients and promoting wellness as part of skincare, an approach that distinguished it from many competitors in the post-war French beauty industry.
The brand's first product was called Médecin’Bust and was created in 1947. It was a rotary water-massage device that connected to a bathroom sink and was inspired by lawn sprinklers at the Parc des Buttes Chaumont. It was used to help to tone and firm the chest and breasts.
The company's early success was driven by demand for products such as its first skincare product in 1962, the Masvelt Body Shaping Cream and Tonic Body Treatment Oil three years later in 1965. Clarins Body and Face Oils emphasized the use of pure plant extracts and was the first ever 100% plant derived beauty oil. While the skincare industry focused exclusively on anti-wrinkle products in the late 1960s, Clarins introduced and popularized the concept of firmness products, inventing a brand new category in skincare. The brand continuted to innovate in the firmness category by inventing the first face slimming product in 1995, Lift Minceur Visage, specifically to refine facial contours through lymphatic drainage. This still exists today as the V Shaping Facial Lift line of products.
Jacques Courtin-Clarins served as an early incubator for the luxury hair care brand Leonor Greyl. In the early 1950s, his sister-in-law, Leonor, worked in the Clarins Institute on Rue Tronchet in Paris, where she discovered a distinct talent for hair treatments. Courtin-Clarins encouraged this specialization and provided her with the formulas for her very first botanical shampoos. Using this foundational knowledge, she and her husband officially launched the Leonor Greyl brand in 1968, which has since become a global leader in natural hair care.
In 1968, the company began putting a "customer card" into every product box to create a direct dialogue with consumers. Founder Jacques Courtin-Clarins tracked this feedback in a file he jokingly called the product's "rap sheet" to ensure quality control and product evolution. Today, the company conducts consumer dialogue through its digital rewards program, Club Clarins.
One of Clarins' early bespoke clients included Queen Elizabeth II who commissioned Clarins to produce a custom red lipstick shade to match the red Robe of State for her royal coronation. The Queen requested that the lipstick should be “pink to red” or as a “deep, ruby red with soft undertones." The same lipstick is still sold today as the Joli Rouge Lipstick. Since then, Clarins has remained a favorite within the British royal household, with its products regularly used by members of the royal family. In recognition of this long-standing relationship, the brand was granted a Royal Warrant in 2007, an honor awarded to only a select few beauty companies. Queen Elizabeth used the Hand and Nail Treatment Cream and Ever Matte Radiant Mattifying Powder, while Princess Kate Middleton uses Clarins Lip Perfector.
From Wikipedia’s article on Clarins, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.5