Heir to a beauty empire

For a woman, Olivier Clarins would venture 2,000 meters under the sea or brave minus-45-degree temperatures. These are the lengths he would go to – and this is how far he has gone – to find the secret ingredients that preserve female beauty, and have made his skincare company number one in Europe.

Son of Clarins founder Jacques Courtin-Clarins, Olivier was an orthopedic surgeon for 14 years before he got the call from Dad: "Olivier, come with us. We need you." Always the obedient son, Olivier stopped his practice – which included treating celebrity sportswomen like Steffi Graf, Anna Huber and Annika Sorenstam – and joined his father and older brother, Christian, as Clarins’ research director in 1995.

Today he is managing director of the Clarins Group, and head of research and development, finance, and the Institutes and spas.

At 52, Dr. Olivier Courtin-Clarins cuts a suave figure: tall, clad in an impeccable designer suit, and brimming with the courtly manners of a European gentleman, he looks like a more rugged Sam Neill – the Aussie actor playing a high-powered businessman in a movie, perhaps.

Clarins is in town to open the newly renovated Clarins Institut in Rustan’s Makati. Now located at Heaven on the 5th, the department store’s fifth level devoted to spas from the world’s best skincare brands, the Clarins Institut is known for pampering not just the skin but all five senses, with cutting-edge treatments like the Pro Whitening Facial and more recent Pro Tummy Trim.

Before the launch, however, Clarins gave The STAR an exclusive interview over lunch, along with vice president for Clarins Asia Gilles Beroud. I had heard that Clarins would be needing a translator since he wasn’t that fluent in English, but he surprised everyone by speaking straight English throughout the interview, albeit with a charming French accent.

When meeting a woman for the first time, Clarins says he notices her "silhouette" and inner beauty first – unusual for a man whose main preoccupation is the skin. "Woman ask me all the time, ‘What do you think about my skin?’" he says. "I prefer to look inside a woman, rather than at her skin, whether it’s wrinkled or not."

With the logic of a doctor, Clarins advises a healthy, commonsense approach to beauty: everything in moderation, including cosmetic surgery. "Often they tell me, ‘What do you think about plastic surgery?’ I say, ‘You are too young.’ But if she really wants it, I say, ‘Try to be careful, not too much. If you want facials, not too much.’ Sometimes I don’t like because after a while, it does not look natural – looks like mummy.

"But they are the best customers after, because after the facialist or Botox, they want to improve or to keep the results, they use a lot of and more and more products," he chuckles. "We are not competitors with plastic surgeons or Botox, but they are my best customers after."

As head of R&D, Clarins is the driving force behind the company’s 60 lines of skincare. In 2007 he plans to launch a number of innovative new products for women. One is a whitening cream with the plant extract archimaea, which has traditionally been used to increase radiance. In the lab, Clarins found it also decreased melanin production and stopped blood clots.

Another product contours the body, for which Clarins discovered a "very special, secret protein" that’s anti-MMP (matrix metalloproteinase) – enzymes that destroy collagen – and actually decreases the number of fat cells in the body. "It is possible to decrease your hips," he explains, "but it also depends on your lifestyle, sport and food."

Clarins is realistic about emphasizing "not miracles, but results," and formulating products with a texture that women will like. He is careful to make all his body products non-greasy, with a light lotion – almost gel-like – texture that penetrates and dries quickly so a woman can dress right away and not have to wait for it to absorb. No wonder Clarins has a 50-percent market share in body slimming in Europe.

At present, Clarins is most excited about two plants he recently discovered thriving under the harshest conditions, both of which have potent anti-pollution properties. One is Thermus thermophilus, a marine dweller that lives 2,000 meters below the Gulf of California near a thermal vent that’s +75 degrees Celsius; the other lives in the snowy wastes of Siberia, where it’s —45 degrees on a good day. "We ask, ‘How is it possible?’ and we try to find these plants," he says. "It’s expensive but worth it."

Clarins now has 40 private research centers around the world, which test plant-based ingredients full-time. Olivier says they learn about new plant extracts from the traditional herbal medicine of different cultures like those in India, the Amazon, and Asia. "We see how the people, they apply a plant. We find the story about this plant, and we find out what parts are effective: the flower, the stem, the root, and research that."

They currently source many botanicals from Asia, but none from the Philippines yet because Clarins is not aware of any centers here that specialize in cosmetic ingredients.

Once a plant extract reaches the lab, it is tested for three to four months and its efficacy compared with other ingredients so chemists know what to change or add to Clarins’ formulas. "It is very important to find the best in the market," Olivier stresses.

As a result, Clarins says he gets positive feedback from other doctors, including dermatologists. They might have to prescribe stronger medication for their patients, but personally they tell Clarins they use his products and like it.

"The trend is to continue to research anti-aging extracts, and analyze them," he says. "Some have 200, 300 molecules inside, which is not possible to do with chemicals, but I continue to use chemical products like oligo elements, Vitamin C or amino acids. First is security, safety, and results, not miracles."

Clarins says that for good skin, a woman needs to: 1) cleanse, which is very important; 2) exfoliate, which should be done twice a week; and 3) moisturize. "This is the minimum, it’s easy, and if you want more, do more."

Effective anti-aging also depends on early prevention and maintenance. Women in their 20s and 30s should get into the habit of using sun protection and moisturizers. Those in their 40s should continue moisturizing, and if necessary, take supplements to address the decrease in nutrients that begins in the 40s. Women 50 and above should use products with hormones or hormone-like substances, like extracts of geranium or sunflower, which Clarins has in a number of its products.

Watching the good doctor tuck into his lunch, it’s obvious he practices what he preaches. He eats healthily, orders fish instead of meat, vegetables instead of mashed potatoes, green tea instead of coffee, and no dessert. An avid sportsman, he skis and scuba dives four to six times a year and has a house in Phuket, Thailand, that he likes to redecorate every now and again. He used to play golf, but has quit since divorcing his wife 12 years ago; his current girlfriend prefers to dive. While doing sports, Clarins is careful not to get too much sun, uses an SPF 40 base and a day cream to protect his skin.

Clarins has twin teenage daughters he’s very proud of, Prisca and Gena, 19. Both are blonde, beautiful, and poised to continue the family empire. One is in business school, while the other is studying to be a designer. Both are interested in cosmetics, according to their beaming father.

With a heritage that spans over 50 years, more than 150 locations worldwide, and around 4,800 employees, Clarins the company has gone beyond grandfather Jacques Courtin-Clarins’ wildest dreams and humble beginnings.

Pre-1954, Jacques wanted to be a doctor "but with the war it was not possible," says his son. Since in his line of physical therapy he used a lot of massage and oils, Jacques met many women and came to know their needs and beauty concerns. Once they had finished treatment, his female clients wanted to continue using the products at home.

"But I don’t sell," Jacques would say, until he met a chemist who specialized in plant extracts. "I can do very good products with plants," the chemist told Jacques, so together, over two years, they created Clarins’ famous body oils. Jacques opened the first Institut Clarins in Paris in 1954, and the rest is history.

Today, Olivier still values his father’s legacy, and takes pains to preserve it. "Always our product is 100-percent vegetal," he declares. "We try to use the maximum plant extracts unless it’s not possible. In general, when we have a chemical product that is efficient, and we don’t find the same results in plants, that’s the only time we’ll use it."

Clarins has been most successful in countries that have their spas. In Asia, there are 20 Institut Clarins: three in Japan, Taiwan and Thailand; two in Singapore and Vietnam; and one each in the Philippines and South Korea. "Communication between the customer and us is very important – how they like the products," Olivier says. The spas report customer feedback to him and brother Christian so they can act accordingly.

For the family, though, the bottom line is the safety of their clients. "The first word in Clarins is ‘respect.’"

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Institut Clarins is located at Heaven on the 5th, fifth floor, Rustan’s Makati.

Clarins is available at all Rustan’s Department Stores.