Clarins unveils new beauty farm in the Alps

Clarins has set up home in the Alps for the next stage of its beauty developmental strategy.

The French beauty brand has acquired 200,000 acres in the region, which it has dubbed 'Le Domaine Clarins'. The purpose of the natural farm and laboratory is to carry out biodiversity studies and cultivate plants for use in the brand's skincare and makeup formulas. 

Le Domaine Clarins -- which sits at 4,500 ft altitude, meaning it benefits from an optimal microclimate for growing vegetation -- is a long-term project that will allow the company to grow seasonal plants in an organic, natural fashion in pollution-free soil. According to a press release, the company's long-term goal is to facilitate "an owned 100% field to jar production." 

"As a scientist, I am very vigilant about the quality of natural ingredients and the way these ingredients are extracted," said Dr. Olivier Courtin-Clarins, Managing Director of Groupe Clarins, in a statement. "Le Domaine Clarins gives us a chance to obtain the best ingredients while preserving the environment."

Le Domaine Clarins will also feature a ‘Collection Garden,' a space dedicated to new plant experimentation, where scientists will endeavor to find new properties to enrich the brand's beauty offerings. Research findings will be added to the Clarins Herbarium, which already contains 250 plants.

Clarins has its roots in the natural world -- the brand was founded in 1954 by Jacques Courtin-Clarins with a line of 100% pure plant extract oils. But the company isn't the only major beauty player to be seeking inspiration from the world of permaculture lately: in January, it was announced that Garnier had teamed up with the ecological NGO Fondation GoodPlanet to work with French farmers on developing agroforestry in tandem with the French Agroforestry Association.