Clarins UK, part of the global Clarins Group, operates across retail, field, office, and distribution environments with around 1,200 employees nationwide, including the myBlend brand. With an internal communications team of just two, maintaining clarity, consistency, and brand alignment at scale has always been a key priority.
When Meta announced the closure of Workplace, Clarins UK saw it as a chance to rethink internal communications rather than simply replace a tool. Moving to Workvivo ahead of any mandatory deadline, the business turned a forced migration into a broader transformation of how communication looked, felt, and functioned. Cocentric supported the transition from project management, data migration and implementation, translating Clarins' brand standards into a practical internal experience that directly supported the 2025–2030 strategy: enhancing brand premiumness, becoming more aspirational, and empowering a people-centric culture.
The results were significant. Adoption exceeded 80% within the first month and passed 90% by month two, and the platform has since recorded over 1.7 million impressions with monthly active usage consistently between 85–95%. Clarins came away with a more structured, engaging platform that employees genuinely use.
Before the move, Workplace had become increasingly difficult to manage. Over time, more than 200 groups had accumulated with inconsistent naming, branding, and ownership. Content was fragmented, duplication was common, and there was little visual hierarchy to help employees prioritise information. Important updates often looked the same as everyday posts, which eroded the impact of how communications landed; employees couldn't always tell what was official, operational, or informal.
There were also clear brand limitations. Workplace offered minimal flexibility in design and layout, so Clarins couldn't reflect its premium identity internally, and the internal experience didn't match the standard of the external brand.
The workforce added further complexity. A large proportion of employees work in retail or field roles, accessing content on iPads or mobile devices in short windows between customer interactions. Communication needed to be quick to scan and easy to navigate, and without a clear structure or governance model, maintaining consistency across such a varied audience was difficult for a small central team.
The transition was treated as a full redesign opportunity. Clarins started with an audit and rationalisation of existing content, pages, and spaces to establish what was actually being used and how information should be reorganised. A new information architecture simplified navigation and reduced duplication, cutting active spaces from over 200 to 69 for a clearer, more manageable structure from day one.
A visual framework, built before launch
A defined visual framework was developed ahead of launch, setting standards for layout, banners, icons, and post formatting so consistency was built in from the start rather than styled retrospectively. It balanced brand alignment with everyday usability, guided by four core principles: simplicity, categorisation, consistency, and accessibility, and introduced ten icon-based theme markers to categorise spaces and improve intuitive navigation.
A complete visual system
Workvivo was then built out as a complete visual system, applied consistently across the full employee journey, from branded welcome communications and authentication screens through to homepage structure, functional spaces, strategic content, and culture-led environments. Key elements included:
A branded login and activation experience aligned with Clarins' visual identity
Customised top navigation banners and a structured homepage with clear hierarchy
A consistent AppWorld interface supported by bespoke iconography
Unified space banners and icon-based categorisation for easy recognition
Billboard banners to anchor and highlight priority communications
Top-down official post banners and defined formats for strategic communications
Branded environments with custom widgets for Clarins Academy, Clarins Inside, and Training pages
Together these formed a coherent visual ecosystem: each component reinforces the others through consistent typography, controlled colour, structured hierarchy, and disciplined imagery, so every space feels recognisably Clarins.
Governance and rollout
Governance processes were established, new space creation was controlled centrally and reviewed against information architecture and branding criteria, while reusable templates and pre-designed assets let contributors maintain standards without constant oversight, keeping the model manageable for a two-person team, supported by focused, practical training. Mobile usability was a priority throughout: layouts were designed to scan easily on smaller screens, making a noticeable difference for retail and field teams accessing information during busy working days.
“Workvivo has a consistent look and feel, with different types of communication now having their own distinct identity. Messages feel unique and purposeful rather than uniform, and the use of imagery and icons makes the platform easy to navigate.”
Head of People & Culture @ Clarins
Leadership feedback confirmed that the visual system made each type of communication instantly recognisable.
The impact of the new platform was visible quickly.
Adoption exceeded 80% within the first month and passed 90% by month two. Engagement remained consistent over time, with monthly active users staying between 85–95% and weekly usage stabilising around 70–80%. Workvivo had become part of regular working habits rather than a one-off launch success. From
April 2025 to early 2026, the platform recorded:
Over 4,000 posts
More than 11,000 comments
Over 35,000 reactions
1.7 million+ impressions
More than 100 external business owners were also onboarded, strengthening communication reach. Engagement remained stable even as volume increased, an indication that the visual hierarchy and structure were supporting sustained interaction rather than a short-lived spike.
These numbers were backed by qualitative feedback from across the business, with employees consistently highlighting the clearer layout, stronger branding, and ease of navigation. The reduction in spaces from over 200 to 69 improved clarity and manageability, and the new visual hierarchy made a measurable difference: official updates were easier to identify and employees could quickly distinguish corporate, operational, and informal content, rebuilding trust in internal communications as a reliable source. Mobile usage accounted for over 80% of engagement, confirming that the mobile-first approach was right for the workforce. Operationally, structured templates and governance reduced reactive editing and allowed the two-person team to manage the platform efficiently.
“The clean design gives me greater confidence to post on Workvivo. It feels intuitive and supportive rather than overwhelming.”
Business Manager @ Clarins
Frontline contributors reported posting more readily once templates and visual guardrails removed the guesswork.
“The design is cleaner and more modern; the layout and visuals make everything feel clearer and more engaging. The overall look feels much more premium and aligned with our brand.”
Head of Training @ Clarins
The premium look and feel of the platform now mirrors the standard of Clarins' external brand communications.
The shift to Workvivo moved Clarins from a fragmented, inconsistent environment to a scalable, brand-accurate model that employees actively choose to engage with. It demonstrates that disciplined visual design is not simply aesthetic improvement, but a driver of clarity, engagement, and lasting behavioural change.
To learn more about how we can help your business achieve similar success, explore our case studies or get in touch for a consultation.
Platforms: Workvivo by Zoom