Jacques Courtin Clarins, skin care magnate

Jacques Courtin-Clarins, a French masseur who founded one of Europe's largest skin-care product companies and whose name became synonymous with luxury cosmetics, died March 22 at his home in Paris. No cause of death was reported. He was 85.

Born Jacques Courtin, he added Clarins to his name in 1978 as the company he started in 1954 was becoming an international success. The business, which now has annual sales around $1 billion, includes spas and salons worldwide that feature his plant-based oils, creams and perfumes.

Mr. Courtin-Clarins started as a Parisian salon where clients received massages with non-greasy oils and creams. His rubbing technique, marketed as the "Paris method," emphasized firming and slimming as the goal. Mr. Courtin-Clarins persuaded celebrities of the era, including ballerina Ludmila Tcherina and screen sex symbol Martine Carol, to endorse his skin treatments.

The company expanded its array of skin-care products, including Eau Dynamisante body spray and Lotus Oil body cream. It acquired perfumes of fashion designers Loris Azzaro and Thierry Mugler. Mr. Courtin-Clarins worked with Mugler to create the Angel perfume in 1992. It was a huge hit and emerged as competition to Chanel No. 5.

Despite outside offers to buy the business, Mr. Courtin-Clarins took Clarins public, although his family maintained a majority share. He gave his sons, Christian and Olivier, ranking positions within the company. Because Mr. Courtin-Clarins spoke only French, his older, jet-setting son, Christian, was credited with charting Clarins' growth worldwide in the 1970s and 1980s.

Source: www.sfgate.com