Left: Clarins Group President Travel Retail, Alexandre Callens  with TRBusiness’ Faye Bartle in Cannes, 2024. Right: The ninth generation Clarins Double Serum.

Family-run French beauty company Clarins is amplifying messaging around its responsible approach to beauty to foster authentic connections with travelling consumers and its partners in travel retail.

The company believes its work in this area – from weaving natural origin ingredients into its products, wherever possible, to the responsible sourcing of raw ingredients and giving back to local communities – plays a powerful role in growing the business and in being a brand that consumers feel they can trust.

“We are seeing a rise in sustainability awareness across the global beauty market, and Clarins is ideally placed to engage consumers on this important issue,” Clarins Group President Travel Retail, Alexandre Callens, told TRBusiness.

“Sustainability is in the DNA of Clarins. This enables us to connect authentically with our partners and travellers on sustainable beauty.”

Eco-friendly pop-ups

Sustainability permeates the business in a variety of ways. Clarins’ Explore Beautifully pop-up, which launched last year in Sanya, is a prominent example of the company’s eco-design approach.

“From conception through to material selection, every element was chosen to minimise environmental impact while maintaining an appealing aesthetic,” explained Callens.

“This pop-up aimed to showcase our sustainable packaging and materials, while also raising consumer awareness of Clarins’ commitment to sustainability and ethical practices.”

The activation featured series of interactive zones, inviting travellers to embark on a digital Clarins Beauty Trail through a WeChat mini program, and engage with gamification elements that highlight the origins of ethically sourced ingredients used in the products.

Those who took part received bespoke product recommendations and skincare advice along the way. Plus, they could make a commitment on a digital pledge wall (or on the campaign website) contributing to Clarins’ sustainability initiatives, with each one resulting in a mangrove tree being planted in partnership with the BlueRibbon Ocean Conservation Association.

Each participant also received a gift upon completing their journey.

Clarins’ Explore Beautifully pop-up in Sanya.

“Sustainable materials were integral to the pop-up; recycled and recyclable elements like ironware were arranged for recycling and we used acrylic consisting of 80% post-consumer material,” said Callens.

“All wood used, including panels, was FSC-certified in line with Clarins’ practices since 2019.

“Additionally, our travel retail-exclusive sets were made with FSC-certified paper and soy-based inks, with no cellophane wrapping, and the gift pouches were crafted from eco-friendly natural fibres.”

Sustainability-driven storytelling

The multi-axis beauty brand works hard to ensure transparency and responsibility with regards to its sustainable beauty offering.

In the travel retail environment, this is being brought to life through storytelling demonstrating how the company is giving back to communities and supporting sustainable practices through its global Clarins We Care programme.

Last year, the Clarins group acquired Domaine Sainte-Colombe, a vast natural area of 115 hectares located in the communes of Saint-Gilles and Générac near Nimes, France. It’s now a production and processing site for plants, according to the standards of regenerative agriculture, and a laboratory for studying and researching new plant species.

One of the most vibrant ventures to talk about is its regenerative farming sites.

“The Domaine Clarins represents a cornerstone of our approach to responsible sourcing and sustainable farming,” explained Callens.

“This initiative enables us to support sustainable farming practices that provide verticality and control over the supply chain from field to jar, enabling us to guarantee responsible sourcing and optimum quality of our ingredients.

“In 2024, we expanded this commitment with the opening of our second Domaine Clarins in Sainte-Colombe, reinforcing our dedication to preserving ecosystems and contributing to a sustainable supply chain.”

Clarins’ T.R.U.S.T. Program, which utilises blockchain technology, means consumers can fully trace the journey of the natural ingredients in the products, including their origins and harvesting methods.

Left: The T.R.U.S.T. Program seal. Right: Clarins Precious L’Huile en Serum.

“Additionally, our commitment to community support is exemplified by our global partnership with Mary’s Meals, a charitable initiative that provides school meals to children,” added Callens.

“By addressing malnutrition and promoting education, this programme empowers children in underprivileged communities to build a brighter future.”

Advancements in green packaging

Much work also goes into ensuring Clarins’ travel retail packaging aligns with its sustainability values.

The TREX Clarins Lip Comfort Oil Collection kit.

“For our travel retail exclusive (TREX) sets, we use outer cartons crafted from FSC-certified paper sourced from sustainably managed forests, a choice that underscores our dedication to responsible sourcing,” said Callens.

“This packaging is printed with soy-based ink and is free from cellophane wrapping, aligning with our goal to minimise waste and environmental impact.

“In addition, our gift pouches are made from eco-friendly materials, such as natural fibres, which further reflects our commitment to sustainability. By integrating these eco-conscious choices, Clarins offers travellers products they can feel good about purchasing.”

Reduction is a central pillar of the strategy, with the company working to shrink its consumption of virgin plastic. One such initiative in this area is the eco top sample tube (introduced in 2023), which contains 48% recycled plastic and weighs half as much as before, resulting in a saving of 16 tons of virgin plastic in 2023 alone, according to the company.

The TREX Clarins Double Serum Ritual kit.

Currently, the company has achieved a recyclability rate of 86% for the products in its skincare catalogue – a significant step toward its ultimate goal to reach 100% recyclability or reusability of its skincare packaging.

As sorting and recycling regulations become stricter, Clarins is staying ahead of the game by exploring alternative solutions such as refillable packaging to further help reduce resource consumption.

“This will have a significant impact on the materials we use in GTR, making our product packaging more sustainable and aligned with consumer expectations for environmental responsibility,” said Callens.

Refills are available on a selection of products, including cleansers, Joli Rouge and the Tonic Bath & Shower Concentrate, with more in the pipeline.

“We recognise that consumer engagement plays a vital role in the success of refillable options, and we are committed to encouraging sustainable practices among our customers in the travel retail space,” he said.

Back in the spotlight

Clarins met with TRBusiness on location at the 2024 Tax Free World Association (TFWA) Exhibition & Conference in Cannes, marking one of its first travel retail trade engagements since the pandemic.

Clarins Group President Travel Retail, Alexandre Callens with TRBusiness on the Clarins stand at TFWA Cannes, 2024.

“We were essentially focusing on navigating through the crisis and ensuring we emerge even stronger than before,” Callens explained. “Now we are back at the forefront of the next chapter and in January 2025 are embarking on our next five-year plan, which will bring us to 2030.”

Clarins has a broad global footprint, with a presence in more than 120 countries. The brand is experiencing high growth in travel retail in Europe and the US, while its Asia business continues to feel the impact of the slower air traffic recovery trajectory post pandemic.

“There is a bit of an elephant in the room with regards to the Chinese consumer,” he said. “In fact, there are multiple elephants in our room right now.

“With the Chinese consumer, we need to acknowledge that they are not consuming, even domestically, as much as before.

“Outside of China, in the rest of the world, a lot of people were very reliant on Chinese travellers. We will have to wait for two more years until it really starts to recover.”

He sees the upcoming period as “payback time” for the discipline the company has demonstrated during the pandemic, and over the years that followed, in terms of strategically managing its activity and promotions. Chiefly, he refers to the decision to take a selective approach to growing its footprint in China.

“Today we need to look at travel retail from a different angle. We need to know who we are addressing,” he said.

“Some brands are still learning and discovering the Chinese are no longer their bread and butter.

“We face an interesting period of time where we see some emerging brands skyrocketing and some legacy brands suffering.

“Clarins is not suffering so we have decided that we need to better our innovation, because that’s what is going to drive the business in turbulent times.”

Part of the five-year plan is being “brighter, bolder and better” – better for the planet, for the consumer, the next generation and its own employees.

The brighter aspect represents the innovation to come, drawing on its legacy of being among the first-to-market with major new concepts, such as anti-pollution filters in the 90s.

Premiumisation, by drawing on its French heritage, is also key to elevating the brand in the increasingly crowded beauty category.

“We are reinventing ourselves in the US to be the single engine of growth, in addition to China,” he said. “Bearing in mind we are also an established leader in Europe, so there is only so much we can do [in this region] to push forward.”

A striking activation for the Clarins Double Serum at cdf Sanya International Duty Free Shopping Complex Block C was unveiled in September 2024.

The company is driving its standing as a leading beauty brand in these regions by highlighting its most iconic products globally along with a capsule collection of local ‘hero’ products.

Callens sees an opportunity for driving awareness of its moisturisers, especially around eye care, brightening and ‘specific’ care.

It’s ninth generation Double Serum, which launched in September 2024 and is described as the largest-ever launch for Clarins globally, demonstrates the brand’s ability to turn heads with its advanced skincare technology.

Its campaign in travel retail was anchored by an eye-catching activation at cdf Sanya International Duty Free Shopping Complex in Hainan.

However, as a single brand, Clarins continues to be selective about how and where it funnels it efforts. As such, projects are steered by either a geographical location, a specific product, or by axis.

Following last year’s drive on lip oils, a major focus for 2025 is the new-look make-up line. The share of the overall business provided by the axis varies around the world, from 3-4% in Asia to more than 25% in Clarins’ most established territories.

The refreshed look has been two years in the making, with an entirely new chain of command behind it, new factories and reorganised supplier agreements to bring to life the vision.

Clarins make-up showcased at the 2024 TFWA World Exhibition.

In the premium space, Clarins Precious is making its mark.

“When it comes to travel retail, it is a very disturbed market and probably will be so for another two years,” summarised Callens, citing overstocking and the crackdown on diagou as among the factors impacting dynamics.

“We have a very turbulent world right now,” he continued. “We should be wise as an industry and advocate for probably a flat performance in 2025. But I think the industry is going in the right direction.

“We are in an industry where barely 10% of people visit our shops. So if you look on the bright side, 90% are untapped. The question is: How do we activate those people? How do we turn an airport into a destination. The retailers cannot do it alone, they need the airport authorities. So we need them to work closely together and then the brands come and inject a bit of dynamics through animation and promotion, etc.

“We can probably add to that data companies, airlines and media owners, so the [ecosystem] is no longer triangular – there are five or six angles to this new shape. We need to give it a name. And we need to work collectively as an industry to capture that 90%.”

READ MORE: Clarins unveils ninth edition Double Serum with extensive GTR campaign

READ MORE: Clarins urges travellers to “Explore Beautifully” with latest Hainan pop-up