Prisca Courtin-Clarins is bringing the French beauty house to new heights

SINGAPORE – Working in the family business comes naturally for Prisca Courtin-Clarins, the granddaughter of French beauty brand Clarins’ founder, the late Jacques Courtin-Clarins. Together with her team of five, Courtin-Clarins oversees the operations, retail, training and business operations - including conceptualising new body and facial treatments - for the spas under the Clarins Group. They include Clarins Skin Spa, Spa My Blend By Clarins and Spa By Clarins.

However, Courtin-Clarins revealed she has never been pressured to live up to her famous family name. “(My father) never asked me to come to work in Clarins,” she said. “He told me: ‘You can do what you want to.’ And really, it was a personal decision. He was so happy that he did not have to ask me to do it.”

Prior to that, Courtin-Clarins had set up The Nail Factory, a nail salon offering manicures and pedicures in Paris, with two other partners. “I wanted to have my own experience and also to have something really different that Clarins didn’t offer,” the 28-year-old heiress explained in French-accented English. “We don’t have anything on hair and nail care so I decided to (set up a nail salon and because of that), I may want to bring nail care to Clarins.

“At the moment, in Paris, we are trying a new brand, a polish (made up of) 80 per cent natural ingredients. We are trying to (package) facial and body treatments with the polish.”

She has since sold her shares in the nail salon order to keep her focus solely on Clarins. But she didn’t fully immersed herself into her family’s company immediately: One of Courtin-Clarins’ initial steps was to be involved in the conceptualisation of a restaurant-spa concept called Clarins Spa And Lunch in Lille, France.

“For the moment, it’s one pilot,” she stressed. “We try to have different concepts (catered) to women’s needs so for example, this concept is a restaurant and a spa next to it so women can have their treatments and eat a Clarins lunch. I think for wellness and beauty, you have to eat healthy, (incorporate) some fitness regularly and have some treatments as well.”

While that is a work in progress, a brand new spa concept from Clarins can be expected sometime in 2018, even as we await a range of nail care products from the brand.

“We are working on a new project right now called the La Maison Clarins, which is going to be a new Clarins experience boutique,” Courtin-Clarins enthused. “It will be the centre of the boutique with new digital experiences and we want to offer something new to (customers). We are going to open a few La Maison Clarins all over the world.”

She added: “Of course, we will have one in Asia but it won’t be opened before 2017. We (might) have a spa experience outside the cabin, inside the cabin or both – (something) completely different and innovative.”

Will Ms Courtin-Clarins be incorporating the Spa And Lunch concept to La Maison Clarins, then? “Maybe not,” she said. “We (may offer) nutritional advice or advice on things to eat but we will focus on skincare.”