The move is part of Clarins Group's “from field to skin” integrated approach towards NPD, which will allow the beauty company to gain increased traceability of the raw materials used in its cosmetics.
The domaine, which is located near the city of Nimes, features 50 hectares of farmland that will become a production and processing site for plants, using regenerative agriculture methods. There will also be a laboratory that will study and research new plant species.
According to Clarins, the project will “regenerate and improve the ecological areas on the site”, which it said will “couple biodiversity with the highest quality production.” It revealed that it plans to use “innovative farming practices and a unique hydrological approach.”
Two specific microclimates
It is the second domaine that the company has purchased in France, which will help the business gain more traceability in its supply chain.
In 2016, it bought Le Domaine de Serraval in Haute-Savoie, which now annually supplies 2.5 tons of plants for Clarins’ laboratories and factories.
Clarins said purchasing the new agricultural space will allow it to “radically change scale in terms of production of natural ingredients used in its products.”
The group shared that the two sites have specific and very different microclimates – mountains and garrigue – that provide the Clarins group with “a unique supply source."
Clarin's Group MD Virginie Courtin called the move “a strategic advance towards an integrated, more vertical, ethical and sustainable supply” and said she believed that it will provide more “excellence, safety and traceability” for the brand’s customers.
In January, the group was part of a consortium of 15 different cosmetics companies that formed the TRASCE alliance, to help enhance traceability in major ingredient and packaging supply chains across the global beauty and personal care industry.
Around 50 species of trees and plants
The Clarins Group formulates and manufactures its plant-based skin care, colour cosmetic and fragrance products in France, but sells in over 150 countries across the globe.
The first cultivation for the new green space is planned for autumn 2024 and there will eventually be around 50 species of trees and plants grown there, including: nopal, quince, almond, apricot, lavender, lemon thyme, and cornflower.
The first harvests are scheduled for 2025/2026 and the business' end goal is for a third of the plants needed for production of Clarins products to be cultivated on the two sites by 2030.
