Beauty and the brand

Q&A

Clarins, the world's second largest beauty-care company, has opened a new beauty studio in Delhi, its third in the country.

Brigitte Ducos, the company's senior vice-president-international markets division, was here for the inauguration. She spoke to Business Standard.

How long has Clarins been in the business of beauty products?

The company was founded in 1954 and had its roots in beauty treatments and massage therapy but gradually it developed a line of skincare and health products. In 1964-65 it began retailing products to neighboring countries "" Switzerland, Belgium "" and began internationalising operations in the 1970s and 1980s.

Incidentally, Jacques Courtin-Clarins, who founded the company, is still actively involved in management "" though he's 86 years old!

You've been with Clarins for 25 years. What changes have you witnessed in that time?

By the 1980s we had subsidiaries in the US and UK, and in 1985 there was a big global move for us when we entered Asia for the first time, starting with Japan. That was when we really started adapting our products to the needs of consumers in different markets.

For instance, whiteners tend to be popular in the Asian markets. Asian skin is also susceptible to pigmentation "" high levels of exposure to sunrays cause radiation problems. Our products are customised accordingly, through an extensive research and development process.

You entered India in 1999. Why did it take so long?

We don't believe in just "collecting" a country for the sake of it. We entered the Indian market when we knew we were ready for it. And it wasn't just a question of entering; an intensive training programme was required before we could begin operations here.

We are not retailers, we believe in creating a particular ambience, which should be the same in all our subsidiaries across the world.

What trends have you noticed in the Indian market?

I'm surprised at how many of our customers here are men "" around 25 per cent, which is a larger percentage than in our European markets! Also, the Indian consumer seems to have taken well to our products because they are plant-based. While chemical preservatives do have to be used, all our active ingredients are botanical. I think that ties in with your own heritage of ayurveda.

What is the current scale of your India operations?

We have just opened our third beauty studio in the country, in Delhi (the first two are at Mumbai and Bangalore). The fourth will soon open in Hyderabad. We have 15 retail counters here at present and expect that number to double within the next two years.

What is the USP of your company?

We pride ourselves on having used direct marketing before the term was even in popular use. Each of our products has a feedback card that goes directly to a 10-member committee in Paris. We continually invite consumers' questions and feedback and offer personalised solutions, both on our website and in our studios.

Clarins has also been an ecologically conscious company. We spend a lot of money protecting and conserving flora and have also initiated a Clarins Men Environment prize, awarded for efforts at helping the environment. We stopped using animal products and testing on animals 15 years ago.

Any flagship product?

We don't have star products as such. While most other companies do 80 per cent of their business with 20 products, we have a larger selection "" we do around 50 per cent with 40 products. But generally speaking skincare, especially facial care, is our core strength.