Yahoo Finance Groupe Clarins Acquires Domain for Integrated and Responsible Sourcing
PARIS — Groupe Clarins is broadening its responsible sourcing with the acquisition of 115 hectares of land in the commune of Saint Gilles and Générac, near Nîmes, France.
It’s part of the French skin care brand’s “from farm to skin” philosophy involving integrated sourcing.
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“I am proud of this strategic advance toward an integrated supply chain always more vertical, ethical and durable,” Virginie Courtin, deputy chief executive officer of Groupe Clarins, said in a statement Friday.
“For 70 years, Clarins has relied on plant science to develop ever more effective and innovative cosmetic formulas,” she continued. “The acquisition of this domain shows this approach of continuous progress toward ever-greater excellence, security and traceability at the service of our customers.”
French beauty suppliers, including Lancôme and Chanel, are increasingly buying land on which their ingredients are grown, in order to maintain tight control over quality and availability.
Clarins’ estate has 50 hectares of cultivable land, where the group intends to grow plants to be used in its products as well as a laboratory for the study and research of new species. The domain uses innovative cultural practices and a unique hydrological approach, according to the company.
Clarins said it aims to combine traceability of the raw materials it uses with quality and effectiveness of its formulas.
The domain’s first cultivation — of 50 tree and plant species — is planned for fall 2024. Those will include prickly pears, quince trees, almond trees, apricot trees, lavender, lemon thyme and blueberries.
Clarins acquired the Domaine de Serraval in Haute-Savoie, France, in 2016, where the company cultivates 2.5 tons of plants annually. Their extractions are integrated into product formulas in the group’s factory in Pontoise, France. Both domains benefit from microclimates, due to their locations near mountains and scrubland, and good soil, the company said.
The first harvests of the domain are planned by 2025 or 2026, with the ultimate goal being that one-third of the plants needed to produce Clarins products are cultivated in its two domains by 2030.
This chimes with Clarins’ historic commitment to planet Earth and its denizens. The company, created in 1954, has always focused on responsible beauty.
Its products are sold in more than 150 countries through 20,000 doors, with almost 95 percent of its sales generated by exports. Clarins is the top-ranking prestige skin care brand, according to NPD BeautyTrends’ panel of five European countries, including France, Germany, the U.K., Italy and Spain.
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