#CHANGEMAKERS: CLARINS
Cristina Saiago, General Manager at Clarins Portugal, talks to ModaLisboa about Beauty, Sustainability and Values.
The sponsoring brands of MODALISBOA METAPHYSICAL are, in essence, powerful engines of change. #CHANGEMAKERS are short interviews that give voice to those who work daily to build a solid, transparent, inclusive and sustainable future.
This is the first Lisboa Fashion Week of 2022 and, together, we want to start the year in a mood of change. What are the fundamental values that guide you today?
The values that guide us today are the values that formed the basis for the creation of the company, in 1954, by our Founder, Jacques Courtin-Clarins: to make life more beautiful. How?
– The Plants: The use of natural ingredients has always been at the base of the brand’s philosophy. Since 1954, plants have inspired our research and supported the effectiveness of all our products.
– Caring and Listening: At his Institute, Jacques Courtin-Clarins lived his products on a daily basis, improving his formulas according to the observations of his customers. Without this ongoing dialogue with women, without this closeness, this sincerity and this commitment, Clarins would not be Clarins.
– Innovation: Pioneering innovations, constantly reinvented formulas, best-sellers that endure over time, Clarins makes creative audacity its “trademark”. With bio-inspiration as a transversal approach, Clarins is inspired by the intelligence of nature to innovate in a sustainable way.
Creativity is at the root of everything we do. What still needs to be created?
For Clarins, the plant world is an inexhaustible source of inspiration and innovation.
Creating what beauty needs and constantly improving what already exists… It was thanks to this motto that Clarins managed to create so many star products that revolutionized the history of cosmetics.
Our Laboratories are constantly innovating in order to guarantee the extraordinary efficiency that characterizes our products. Furthermore, our concept of open formulas allows permanent development to be incorporated into existing products, updating their effectiveness in a constant improvement, taking advantage of the discovery of new plants and/or new technologies.
We are running towards an era where the consumer is moved less for the product and more for the purpose. What steps are you taking in that direction?
Every day, Clarins puts into practice what it defends and believes in — children are the future and the planet is their home — by funding and implementing various actions to support those most in need. In this sense, the company implements several actions at an international and local level, in order to contribute to a sustainable planet, and ensure the good development of the new generation of the future.
Our commitment to children through the FEED Association: since 2011 we have helped fight hunger in the world by providing meals to children allowing them better nutrition and normal schooling.
At the local level, we are committed to the Novo Futuro Association, which for 10 years has been helping to welcome and educate 80 children who are deprived of opportunities.
Our commitment to Health through the Arthritis Foundation that Clarins has supported for over 25 years in joint disease research. For every Huile “Tonic”* sold, Clarins contributes to the funding of a research program on rheumatic diseases.
Our commitment to Biodiversity: since 2011 we have preserved more than 550,000 trees through “Seeds of Beauty” which supports reforestation programs around the world.
For over 10 years, Clarins has supported the association “Jardins du Monde”, in Madagascar, which, through the use of medicinal plants, helps local populations that do not have access to conventional medicine.
Fair Trade: For fair and responsible agriculture that not only protects nature but also humans, Clarins supports more than 20 fair trade supply chains around the world.
More recently, an old dream of the founder came true in 2019, when Clarins bought 80,000 hectares of land in the French Alps to create an open-air laboratory: growing plants in a completely natural environment, without any kind of machinery, studying and integrating them into product formulas.
With the addition of Virginie Courtin-Clarins, granddaughter of the founder, as Deputy CEO & Head of CSR, there was an acceleration of the company’s commitments and ethical practices, which includes obtaining B-Corp certification in 2025, continuing her grandfather’s legacy, who founded the company in 1954, with respect for people and the planet.
What continues to inspire you every day?
The women. Offering women the best solutions for their needs, inspired by the best that nature has to offer, and innovating in a sustainable way.
“I created Clarins out of love and respect for the beauty of women”, Jacques Courtin-Clarins
What do you believe to be the role of brands in building a more humane, transparent, ethical and inclusive future?
The concept of “Responsible Beauty” is the vision by which we orient ourselves and act.
Responsibility for the environment is a priority mission. Taking care of the planet so that we can preserve it for future generations has always been one of the company’s concerns. Not only do we use natural ingredients in our formulas, we also reduce the use of chemicals in them.
The constant decrease in the use of plastic in packaging and the development of campaigns to raise awareness of the importance of recycling are always on the agenda, with 70% of our packaging being recycled and 100% of it being recyclable.
Social responsibility: Caring for others. The health and well-being of all, education and support for children, as well as the preservation of biodiversity, are the three privileged areas of Clarins’ sustainable initiatives.
Together, let’s respect nature. Let’s take care of each other.
Community building is one of the greatest powers — and responsibilities — of a brand. How would you describe your community?
Caring for the community to make the world more beautiful and happy.
In Portugal, we support the Novo Futuro Association, an IPSS, thus allowing children and young people deprived of their safe family environment to have a home, affection and education, preserving whenever possible that siblings stay together. Since 2011, Clarins has organized a Christmas Action to collect support.
Every year, our staff participates in planting trees and helping to clean the beaches of our coast, fostering affection for the planet and team spirit, which we cultivate so much in our corporate culture.
Our latest partnership with GRACE, a pioneering, non-profit association exclusively dedicated to promoting Corporate Social Responsibility.
And finally, “Clarins Reciclar em Beleza”, which promotes recycling through recycling columns in our stores and facilities so that our community of customers and employees can collaborate for the sustainability of the planet.
And since Lisboa Fashion Week is part of that same community: if you only had three words to describe your relationship with ModaLisboa, what would they be?
PARTNERSHIP. We only know how to work in partnership: with our customers, suppliers and our community.
FUTURE. We believe in the consistency and durability of our initiatives.
CREATION. You create Fashion, we create Products, but together we create Beauty.