Clinique (pronounced /klɨˈniːk/) is a manufacturer of skincare, cosmetics, toiletries and fragrances, owned by the Estée Lauder Corporation.

History[link]

In 1967, American Vogue magazine published an article called “Can Great Skin Be Created?”, written by beauty editor Carol Phillips with Dr. Norman Orentreich, discussing the significance of a skin-care routine. Evelyn Lauder, daughter-in-law of Estée Lauder, read the article,^[1] and brought it to Estée’s attention. Both Carol Phillips and Dr. Orentreich were recruited to help create the brand, and in August, 1968, Clinique premiered as the world’s first allergy tested, dermatologist-driven line at Saks Fifth Avenue.^[2]

Evelyn Lauder, an executive at Estée Lauder and member of the Lauder family, created the Clinique brand name and developed its line of products.^[3] Lauder worked as the training director for Clinique.^[3] She was the first person to wear the trademark white lab coat, now worn by Clinique salespeople at cosmetic departments worldwide.^[3]

Clinique was the 3rd brand that was "born" from the Lauder Group. The 1st brand being Estee Lauder then Aramis and followed by Clinique.

Allergy tested[link]

Clinique formulates their products avoiding known allergens; they test each product for allergic reactions by applying it to 600 people 12 times, with a standard of zero reactions.^[4]

Skin care[link]

Clinique's most notable product is its 3-Step System. The product combination varies depending on the skin type of the user. The basic assumption behind the Clinique method is the maintenance of hygiene and cleanliness as the foundation of caring for all skin conditions. ^[5]

3-step skincare system[link]

The concept of 3-step skincare system is unique in the sense that it forms the basis of skincare for this brand. Anyone interested in the brand starts off with this regime and then add on other stuff that he/she needs. The tagline for this system is simply beautiful: "3mins, 3 products, twice-a-day for great skin". The system comprises of 3 products:

Step 1: Cleanse There are 3 strength of facial soaps (Extra-mild for very dry skin, Mild for normal skin and Extra-strength for oily skin). Each cleans the skin gently and effectively.

Step 2: Exfoliate This is the star of the system as Clinique believes that the key to great skin is exfoliation. To gently sweep away dead skin cells, there are 4 strengths of clarifying lotion available (Clarifying lotion 1 for very dry skin, clarifying lotion 2 for normal to dry skin, clarifying lotion 3 for normal to oily skin and clarifying lotion 4 for very oily skin).

Step 3: Moisturise In the orignal system, there is only 1 moisturiser: Dramatically Different Moisturising Lotion (DDML in short) or is fondly called "yellow moisturiser" by customers due to its colour. Drier skin would use it all over the face while oilier skin would use it only in the areas where the skin feels dry.

What most people may not know is although the above system has been in placed for decades since the brand's inception, it has subtly undergo changes to meet the needs of consumers in the modern age. Examples:

1. Facial soap: Clinique for decades have been advocating that soap is the best facial cleanser for the skin but in the modern age, this prove to be more challenging to sell since there are now cleansing milks, creams, foams and gels that do a good job at cleansing while being easy to handle and user-friendly. Few years ago, Clinique began selling Liquid Facial Soap as the cleansing gel to cater to those who dislike soap, it prove to be a success for the brand.

2. Clarifying lotion: Clinique's original family of clarifying lotion (1 to 4) work well but could not be tolerated by certain customers due to their formulation. About a few years ago, Clinique began tweaking the formulas to create Clarifying Moisture Lotion 1 to 3, which has more hydrating properties and recently created Clarifying Lotion (1 to 4) twice-a-day exfoliator with a much milder formulation for the Asia Pacific region. For those who cannot tolerate alcohol in their Clarifying Lotions, Clinique introduce many years ago Mild Clarifying Lotion, which is 100% alcohol-free while still having exfoliating properties thanks to the presence of Salicylic Acid in the formula.

Another version of the Clarifying Lotion was created called Acne Solutions Clarifying Lotion to cater to those suffer acne on their face with mattifying powders suspended in the lotion as one of the key benefits of this formulation.

One interesting thing to note is the original 4 strengths of Clarifying Lotion all came in glass bottles. Many years back, Clinique began making these in plastic bottles instead. It could be due to feedback from customers. This change also applied to the earlier batches of DDML / yellow moisturiser.

3. Moisturiser: Due to the needs of oilier skin wanting a suitable moisturiser for the face that could be applied across the whole face including the oily areas. Clinique released Dramatically Different Moisturising Gel (DDMG), which is oil-free and has some oil-controlling properties, to cater to this group of customers. As a result, DDML was re-positioned for very dry, normal to dry skin and the new DDMG was for normal to oily and very oily skin.

An interesting note is the original DDML came in the "pour-out" bottle format, which you had to turn the bottle upside down to get the moisturiser when it runs low. For decades it has never changed this form of packaging until about 10 years ago, due to feedback from consumers that the product is great but not user-friendly, Clinique began to ship these moisturisers with a pump, which made the product easier to "get to".

Product Differences[link]

While the product names are consistent,^[6] the formulations of each product can vary across different countries. Each formula is regularly re-evaluated and assessed for potential improvement, resulting in changing of ingredients.^[7]

General cosmetics[link]

Although mostly known as a skincare line, 52%^{[citation needed]} of revenue for Clinique is derived from their makeup, 25% from foundation alone. Clinique also carries a line of makeup brushes coated with an antibacterial solution.

Fragrances[link]

Clinique's original fragrance is Aromatics Elixir. It was created in 1971 and is classified as a chypre-floral fragrance. The fragrance continues to be sold today but has since had newer additions to the family. The original aromatics elixir was in parfum concentration, which meant it can last a long time and is housed in a opaque bottle. About 10 years ago, Clinique launched Aromatics Elixir Eau De Toilette, a lighter version of the original fragrance, housed in a transparent bottle. Sometime later, the brand launched Aromatics Elixir Sensual Elixir, which the fragrance was in a gel like form, with a stopper for one to gently tap some of it onto the skin. This proof to be unpopular and was discontinued soon after. International A-list actress Cate Blancette once said in a magazine interview that she was a fan of the fragrance. The company constantly create line-extension for this fragrance in the form of candles and solid perfumes and these were mostly for a limited period only.

Clinique's second fragrance was Wrappings, which had a light, clean smell. This lasted for several years but due to various business reasons it got discontinued and would only appear from time to time, like during Christmas as part of the fragrance set.

Clinique introduce another new fragrance called Simply Clinique but this fragrance wasn't popular and was quietly discontinued after sometime.

Happy, Clinique's best-selling women's fragrance, was introduced in 1997. It features notes of ruby red grapefruit, bergamot, Hawaiian wedding flower, and spring mimosa. The fragrance was named after the creative director at Clinique, Jim Nevins, was watching a biography of Judy Garland on the A&E channel one night and the song came on, "Come On Get Happy". Nevins claims he thought to himself, "Who doesn't want to be happy?"^[8] For trademark purposes however, the single word Happy could not be used and as a result the perfume is called "Clinique Happy", a name that combines the house brand name and the product name in what the industry refers to as a "lockup."

Global Locations[link]