• 
• 

Published on November 29, 2007

 She may be young, but Virginie Courtin-Clarins is both passionate and determined. The 22-year-old heiress to Clarins, the French cosmetics and skincare brand, is currently on a one-year internship and recently spent some time in Bangkok as part of her Asian market training.

Her grandfather, the late Jacques Courtin-Clarins, founded the company back in 1954 and today it's her dad Christian who holds the reins. The young woman smiles as she recalls how, as a child, she thought her grandfather was only making his concoctions for the family. "It was only when I got older that I discovered other people were also using the same creams," she smiles.

"My grandfather talked about Clarins with so much passion. To him it was less a business, more a philosophy and part of the family.

"We were very close. He always said that he had never worked in his life because he loved what he did. He loved listening to people. He was not a good businessman because he never concentrated on making money. He loved women and beauty. He was always asking me what I would like to hear if I was a customer. 'Put yourself in the customers' shoes' was the most important thing he taught me."

Courtin-Clarins, who will graduate in 2009, says that coming to Asia was her idea. The internship, she explains, is part of her MBA programme. She has already spent two months learning the business in New York and plans to spend another six months there. The rest of the time has been spent travelling around Asia, with stopovers in Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur, Seoul and Bangkok. Next year she plans to go to Macau, Shanghai, Beijing and Tokyo.

"Actually, I was 15 when I started my first internship with Clarins. Now I'm in Asia to try and understand the market, and maybe see what can be improved. But it's not all about business; culture is also very important for me. I really love it. I feel like I'm discovering Asia.

"It's also a challenge because in France, Clarins has been the No 1 skincare product for more than 20 years, but in Asia we are not there yet," she notes.

She also admits that the pressure is on, not least because she feels she's expected to follow in the family's footsteps and do as well as both her father and grandfather.

"Being part of the family can be difficult because I have to work harder. Sometimes I like it, though. My father always taught me to love the brand, and never to think that I already knew everything simply because I'm his daughter. He was right. When I listen to people, I realise how little I do know."

What Courtin-Clarins has learned is that Asian women have different needs from their French cousins. For example, Clarins' whitening line doesn't exist in France because European customers prefer to look tanned.

"Even the packaging is very interesting," says Courtin-Clarins. "I see such a wide range of customers here and we definitely have the potential to grow further. It's very challenging, I'd love to come back and work here."

Her favourite Clarins product is the gentle cleansing foam. "My dad always told me that I must clean my face every night and every morning.

"When I was very young, I would ask why I had to use day cream, and he said we had to protect our skin from all the dirt and pollution. And while we were sleeping, we should use night cream to nourish the skin. I used all the products because I was afraid I wouldn't get enough protection.

"In France, women like to wear as little makeup as possible, so they protect their skin a lot."

Courtin-Clarins says she wants to continue in her grandfather's footsteps, focusing her attention on plant extracts and developing new botanical products to safeguard the skin.

"We are the first brand to use natural anti-pollution solutions in all our products. We've recently launched E3P-Expertise, a plant-based combination that guards against electromagnetic waves and urban pollution.

"We try to use plants even though we are concentrating on the side effects of technology. By adapting our product to the modern world, I think the future of Clarins will be fruitful."

 Kupluthai Pungkanon

 The Nation