Clarins, From a Paris Institute to the Lip Oil on My Nightstand

Clarins, From a Paris Institute to the Lip Oil on My Nightstand

Clarins opened its first Paris institute in 1954, and seventy-odd years later it is still best known for one two-chambered serum and a lip oil that started a category. Here are the serums and oils, the lip products and primer, and the cleansers, eye cream and body care.

Jacques Courtin-Clarins was a former medical student when he opened the first Clarins Institute at 35 rue Tronchet in Paris in 1954. That address is the kind of detail I love, because it tells you the brand began as a place where hands were involved, not as a formula pushed through a factory. You can still feel that in the way the products are designed: a lot of Clarins is built to be massaged in, and the textures reward slow application.

The best example is the Double Serum, which the brand released in 1985 in a dual-chamber design. Two formulas in two chambers, dispensed together, was an unusual idea then and still looks distinctive now. The current version is described as a serum to firm, boost radiance and refine pores. I use two pumps in the morning, pressed into skin with warm palms, and I can feel it settle in a minute or two. The Double Serum Eye brings the same format to the eye area.

Around it, I would reach for the Multi-Active Brightening Glow Serum, with vitamin C and an AHA, on dull winter days. Bright Plus is the vitamin C dark spot serum, and Super Restorative Remodelling Serum is the firming-minded one. Blue Orchid Face Treatment Oil is the one I press over the top on dry nights, three or four drops warmed between fingers.

The rule I follow is simple: serum first, oil last.

Collage of serums, lip oils, cleansers and body care beside a close-up photo of a broken magenta blush cake crumbling over the top of a full, soft brush.
Clarins serums and face oil, lip oils and a primer, plus cleansers, eye care and body treatments.

Clarins serums and oils

Lip oils, glosses and a primer

If there is one thing Clarins gets credit for beyond skincare, it is the lip oil. The brand is credited with pioneering the modern lip oil category with Lip Comfort Oil, and the rest of the category has been following that lead ever since. The Lip Comfort Hydrating Oil is still my favorite for a first-thing-in-the-morning shine, because it feels like a comfortable gloss.

The other lip products in this grid do different jobs. Lip Perfector is a peptide-plumping, hydrating gloss, and it sits somewhere between a lip oil and a traditional shine. The Hydrating Peptide and Plumping Lip Oil Balm is a balm and oil in one. Cryo-Plumping Lip Oil has a cooling, minty feel, and it is the one to wear when you want a little tingle with your shine. The Hydrating Water Lip Stain is the odd one out: a kiss-proof, matte finish stain that looks soft rather than heavy.

Instant Smooth Perfecting Touch Makeup Primer is not a lip product at all, but it belongs in this group because it is what I use before makeup on days when I want everything to sit evenly.

My routine on a busy morning: oil on lips, a dot of primer at the center of the face, and a stain if I have somewhere to be. It takes less than a minute, and lips stay comfortable through the day.

Clarins lip oils and makeup

Cleansers, eye care and the body

Clarins was one of the first houses I associated with the idea that a cleanser can be pleasant. The One-Step Gentle Exfoliating Cleanser is what I use on nights when I have not worn much makeup and want a fast, soft clean. The Gentle Renewing Cleansing Mousse is a lighter, foamier option for mornings.

The Total Eye Lift is a refillable eye cream for firming, wrinkles, dark circles and puffiness, and I put it on with a very gentle patting motion around the bone. The Super Restorative Décolleté and Neck Cream extends the same care below the jawline, and the point is to actually use it, because most of us stop skincare at the chin.

Then there is the body. Body Fit is an active contouring and smoothing gel-cream, and the Tonic Body Firming and Toning Treatment Oil is one to massage in after a bath. These are body products that ask you to take a few minutes, which is very much in keeping with the brand's origin.

What I would skip: rushing the body oil. Applying it to skin that is dry from a towel means it just sits there. Use it on damp skin, and use your hands in long upward strokes. And skip any product that stings on skin around the eyes. If irritation lingers, ask a doctor.

Clarins body care and cleansers

How I put a Clarins routine together

Clarins rewards a slow routine. I keep mine to a cleanser, a serum, an oil, and one lip product, and I add the eye cream and the body oil when I have the time.

Pick one serum and stay with it for a month before you judge. Apply it with warm palms and press rather than rub. And if you are choosing between a gloss and an oil for lips, go by texture: oil for comfort, gloss for shine, stain for staying power. A few small habits do more than a long list of products.

On a rushed morning I press the serum in with my palms, slick on the lip oil and go. On a slow Sunday I add the eye cream, the neck cream and five minutes of massage. Both count, and both leave skin looking rested and comfortable well into the afternoon, which is all I ask of a routine. If a new product feels like too much, drop the one you use least and keep the habit going.

If the lip oil is the one you came for, I picked through all the Clarins Lip Comfort Oil shades separately.