Clinique, an offshoot of the Estee Lauder Company, was founded in 1968. It’s charter, which is somewhat different than most cosmetic companies, is to meet individual skin care needs. Rather than selling a universal solution to all customers regardless of skin type, Clinique, with its unique line of skin care products, seeks to customize its approach to skin care, to the specific individual.

Chemists and dermatologists at Clinique formulated a skin care system, which is based on a 3-Step System of cleansing, toning and moisturizing the skin. The basic assumption behind the Clinique method is the maintenance of hygiene and cleanliness as the foundation of caring for all skin conditions. All Clinique products are allergy tested and many are 100% fragrance free to capture the type of customer who is asking for a helpful program, more than a simple fragrance and cosmetic. As a Clinique customer you will be treated as an individual. After scientifically determining your skin type (which can be accomplished either at a department store cosmetics counter or by careful consumer questioning via survey), you will be presented with a customized program for treatment of your specific challenge. The method takes into account numerous skin types, eye colors, facial and lip types, and other attributes.

Clinique’s cleansers cater to those who feel their skin is subjected to enough abuse in daily life, without subjecting it to more in the processes of taking care of it. For instance, Clinique’s, Naturally Gentle Eye Makeup Remover, is perhaps the world’s most gentle eye make up remover. Instead of a thin solvent, it is a rich and creamy lotion which spreads evenly and quickly to remove all signs of makeup.

Clinique also manufactures a Comforting Cream Cleanser, which in spite of its name, is heavy artillery for those brands of makeup, which sometimes just don’t want to go away. Clinique’s Comforting Cream Cleanser works quickly, yet gently, and uses it’s richness to cushion dry delicate skin, while it works its disappearing magic on stubborn makeup.

It contains cleansing agents designed to cleanse and refresh oilier skin. It also contains menthol, is low lathering, and it serves as a loosening agent which flushes dead skin cells as it removes everyday dirt and excess oils. Also for oily skin, Clinique’s Wash-Away Gel Cleanser provides a quick and easy solution for dislodging the makeup and dirt that clings to oilier skin.

In 1999, one of Clinique's biggest product introductions was Stop Signs, heralded as its first anti-aging serum. Said to "make time stand still", Stop Signs tackles the signs of aging in three steps. The first repairs the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles thanks to whey protein, which supplements the natural production of collagen; magnesium ascorbyl phosphate, a stabilized form of vitamin C to enhance collagen synthesis; and ultrasomes, a microscopic delivery system that contains an enzyme designed to repair the appearance of skin damage at the source. Step two works to even out skin tone and correct discoloration, thanks to mulberry root, grape extract and vitamin C and step three prevents future skin damage from becoming visible with Lauder's SU.VI.MAX Complex, a blend of anti-oxidants that targets the chain reaction set off by environmentally-triggered free radicals in the skin.

In October 2000, Estee Lauder's Clinique division introduced Anti-Gravity Firming Lift cream, said to return the lost "cushion" to thinning skin with its hydrating formula which lifts and firms facial skin. Anti-Gravity Firming Lift Cream helps the epidermis to rebuild, inhibiting an enzyme from breaking down the protective layers of the skin, making cells healthy and giving them a longer life. Clinique’s products are currently sold in over 80 countries. Think of Clinique as a company founded on solutions; an array of answers to the vast and varied skin problems we all face.