Clarins unveils new research center to map skin aging factors

FRANCE – Clarins has established the Dr Olivier Courtin Clarins Longevity Research Center with the aim of advancing the future of longevity science. 

Over the past three decades, the company has consistently invested in this field, transforming fundamental scientific discoveries into tangible outcomes, resulting in 10 patents, 13 peer-reviewed articles, and 12 collaborative projects with major international research institutions. 

Guided by Dr. Olivier Courtin Clarins and rooted in Clarins’ distinctive holistic philosophy of beauty, the new center is designed to deepen knowledge about the key factors that accelerate skin ageing and to further investigate how daily lifestyle choices influence overall wellbeing across a lifetime.

The center will be overseen by an international scientific committee, chaired by Dr. Olivier Courtin Clarins, and will bring together a diverse, multidisciplinary team of global experts spanning ageing biology, dermatology, epidemiology, behavioral science, biomedical engineering, and data science. 

Their collective mission is to reimagine longevity research with a focus on practical, real-world applications. 

Operating from its Paris headquarters and Pontoise laboratories, Clarins’ new center will pursue ambitious longevity research guided by scientific advances and societal needs, while also managing global doctoral programs.

It will further disseminate its findings through publications, symposia, and workshops to engage both scientists and key stakeholders.

Dr. Olivier Courtin Clarins notes that today’s longevity science offers the potential to significantly influence skin behavior, and he envisions a future where it may even reverse certain age-related changes, emphasizing the strength of this science in proactively nurturing both beauty and skin health. 

The center’s scientific foundation is rooted in epigenetics, inspired by Joël de Rosnay’s pioneering work in the 1970s, which suggested that while around 15% of gene expression is determined by inheritance, as much as 85% can be shaped by lifestyle and environment. 

This perspective frames ageing not as an unchangeable destiny but as a dynamic process that can be positively affected by informed daily choices. 

With this interdisciplinary research hub at its core, Clarins aims to continue addressing fundamental questions about ageing, why we age, what the measurable biomarkers of skin ageing are, how these markers interconnect, and whether we can actively influence our skin’s longevity. 

Through decades of research, Clarins has concluded that scientific insight can indeed be translated into lasting, real-world beauty solutions. 

For the company, skin longevity has always been about more than appearance; it involves the sustained health of an integrated system, where the skin reflects the inner ecosystem and encompasses resilience, function, and even scalp and hair health.

Clarins is dedicated to preserving, maintaining, and preventing premature aging through evidence-based, accessible products that support long-term vitality. 

By targeting eight key biomarkers associated with skin longevity and aligning them with specific product formulations, Clarins is pioneering an advanced approach to skin health. 

For instance, the proprietary plant extracts in Double Serum and related products help counteract epigenetic changes, while turmeric extract optimizes cellular communication. Other products address loss of proteostasis, stem cell depletion, mitochondrial dysfunction, chronic inflammation, cellular senescence, and disabled macroautophagy, each through targeted technologies and ingredients. 

With ongoing scientific progress in understanding cellular ageing pathways, Clarins’ skincare products now address most of the critical biological mechanisms involved in skin longevity.

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