Nothing made up

Singaporean Jason Au - the man who shows Clarins' beauticians how to make you beautiful - is always ready with a Thai wai whenever he's in Bangkok, a measure of his respect for the local culture.

It's a charmingly humble touch when the 35-year-old is making the rounds for the French cosmetics brand as a regional training manager.

"I entered the world of beauty products nine years ago, starting with the Thierry Mugler fragrance in Singapore, and then joined Clarins in 2002 as a retail manager," says Au.

Clarins was at the time enjoying a boom in the Asian market, where it had already made great strides since the mid-1980s as its global reputation expanded.

Jumping from retail to training, Au works closely with all aspects of women's beauty.

"I love women!" he says. "And not just because they're the customers. Women have more fun than men - they can enjoy the little things in life and pamper themselves. My role is to share my little experience in beauty with them."

A big part of his training is emphasising the importance of clients.

"I can talk all day about how good these products are for the skin, but in the end it's the customers who have to experience the results and enjoy what they've gained. That's much more important than who I am or how good I can take care of them."

Au was educated in business, but finds working directly with consumers far more interesting.

"It's more fulfilling to see people happy with our products," he says. "Even during training sessions, it's good to teach the beauty consultants how to make customers happy. Their satisfaction is something that can't be measured in terms of money.

"At the end of the day, money is just money, and it has nothing to do with our philosophy in life. Contentment and happiness are enough for my life."

Au says he is happy with his small corner of the world, especially when Clarins makes it a point to be a good corporate citizen, showing concern for the environment and supporting charities.

Trained himself in Paris, Au has coached many a beautician around Asia, but admits that it's not always easy sharing his know-how with Thais.

"Most of our Thai therapists have a strong background in Thai massage, which is the art of taking care of the body," he points out. There are similarities, but there's a big difference too in the Clarins approach.

"It is a big challenge for me to learn how to marry both worlds - Thai touch and Clarins technique - and still keep up the image of a high-end brand," he says.

Another aspect of the job Au enjoys is finding opportunities to help develop new products for Asians.

"I and other people at Clarins are among the first to try the new products. We bring them home, test them and write up reports. These products are much more intriguing than finished ones because I can add my own contributions, about textures or colours, for example."

He was in France recently visiting the Clarins laboratory.

"It's what's behind the scenes that I find really stunning. All of the plants they use in the factory smell great - even the ones discarded in the waste bins smelled good to me!" he laughs.

It's a story he loves to share during training sessions. He tries to keep things "real" and always offer a unique approach others can copy.

"This is part of my little effort to contribute to the world. The aim is to make people enjoy themselves and relax. From me, they can go and spread love to more people in the world!"