PARIS (Reuters) - French beauty group Clarins (CLRP.PA: Quote, Profile, Research) is close to signing a new perfume license agreement, Chief Executive Officer Christian Courtin said in an interview with France-24 television to be broadcast on Friday.

"We are in the process of signing a very big license about which we are very proud," Courtin said in the interview, according to a copy made available by the TV station before its broadcast.

He said Clarins was also in talks with other French groups about distributing their products via its network, something it already does for Hermes (HRMS.PA: Quote, Profile, Research) perfumes in some markets.

Clarins has been looking to beef up its perfumes business since losing a perfume distribution agreement with Procter & Gamble (PG.N: Quote, Profile, Research).

It has signed license deals with U.S. jeweller David Yurman and Germany's Porsche Design. The first products under those agreements are due to go on sale later this year.

In the interview, Courtin said he was "very optimistic" for the future of the group despite recent difficulties in the United States and unfavorable factors, such as the strong euro.

He said he did not want to sell the company, which has often been linked to other bigger cosmetics groups. The Courtin family controls around two-thirds of the company's shares and three-quarters of its voting rights.

"I don't want to sell because the Clarins group still has huge potential for development. I think Clarins is a gold mine," he said.

(Reporting by Nick Antonovics; Editing by Quentin Bryar)