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.jpg) L'Oréal's headquarters inClichy, France | |
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| Euronext Paris: OR CAC 40 component | |
| ISIN | FR0000120321 |
| Industry | Consumer goods |
| Founded | 30 July 1909; 116 years ago (1909-07-30) |
| Founder | Eugène Schueller |
| Headquarters | , France |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people |
|
| Products |
|
| Revenue |  €43.48 billion (2024)[1] |
| €8.68 billion (2024)[1] | |
| €6.40 billion (2024)[1] | |
| Total assets | €56.35 billion (2024)[1] |
| Total equity | €33.13 billion (2024)[1] |
Number of employees | 90,000 (2024)[1] |
| Subsidiaries |
|
| Website | loreal.com |
L'Oréal S.A. (French:[lɔʁe.al]) is a French multinational personal care corporation registered inParis[2] and headquartered inClichy, Hauts-de-Seine.[3] As of 2024, it is the world's largest cosmetics company.[4][5] As of the early 2020s, L'Oréal owned 36 brands and 497 patents.[6]
In the early 20th century,Eugène Paul Louis Schueller (1881–1957), a French chemist, developed a hair dye formula calledl'Auréale.[7] Schueller formulated and manufactured his own products, which he sold to Parisian hairdressers.[8][9] On 31 July 1909, Schueller registered his company,[10] the Société Française de Teintures Inoffensives pour Cheveux (Safe Hair Dye Company of France), which eventually became L'Oréal. In 1920, the company employed three chemists; the number of employees continued to grow, with 100 by 1950, and 1,000 by 1984; in 2021, there was an estimated total of 85,252 worldwide.[11]
After launching in the hair-colour business, L'Oréal branched out into other cleansing and beauty products. As of 2020, L'Oréal marketed in all sectors of the beauty business: hair colour, hair styling, body and skincare, cleansers, makeup, and fragrance.[8][9]
L'Oréal purchased Synthélabo, a pharmaceutical company, in 1973. Synthélabo merged withSanofi in 1999 to becomeSanofi-Synthélabo. Sanofi-Synthélabo merged withAventis in 2004 to becomeSanofi-Aventis.[12]
Nestlé has owned a stake in L'Oréal since 1974, when it bought into the company at the request ofLiliane Bettencourt, the daughter of the founder of L'Oréal.[13]
In 1984, L'Oréal acquired part ofHelena Rubinstein Incorporated from Albi International. The portions acquired were the Japanese and Latin American divisions of the company, along with overseeing the operations and the markets for those divisions.[14] The joint venture partnership between L'Oréal and Albi International lasted until 1988, when L'Oréal brought the remainder of the company and has owned the entire company since then.[15]
From 1988 to 1989, L'Oréal controlled the film companyParavision International, whose properties included theFilmation andDe Laurentiis libraries.StudioCanal acquired the Paravision properties in 1994.[16]
On 17 March 2006, L'Oréal purchased cosmetics companyThe Body Shop for £562 million.[17] In May 2008, L'Oréal acquired YSL Beauté for $1.8 billion.[18]
In 2014, L'Oréal finalized the acquisition of major Chinese beauty brand Magic Holdings for $840 million.[19] In February 2014, L'Oréal agreed to buy back 8% of its shares for €3.4bn fromNestlé. In February 2014,Shiseido agreed to sell its Carita and Decléor brands to L'Oréal for €227.5 million (US$312.93 million (2014)).[20] In June 2014, L'Oréal agreed to acquireNYX Cosmetics for an undisclosed price, bolstering its makeup offerings inNorth America.[21] Also that year, L'Oréal announced it had agreed to purchase Brazilian hair care company Niely Cosmeticos Group for an undisclosed amount.[22] In September 2014, L'Oréal acquired the brand Carol's Daughter.[23] In July 2016, L'Oréal agreed to acquire IT Cosmetics for $1.2 billion.[24]
In 2017, Bettencourt died and left the business to her daughter,Françoise Bettencourt Meyers.[8]
In 2018, L'Oréal acquired the beauty technology company ModiFace.[25] In May 2018, L'Oréal announced a new beauty and fragrance partnership withValentino.[26] In December 2020, L'Oréal announced that it would acquire Takami Co, a Japanese skincare company.[27]
In 2021, L'Oréal announced the acquisition of the vegan skincare brand Youth to the People.[28][29]
In April 2023, L'Oréal purchased Australian luxury cosmetics brandAesop forUS$2.53 billion.[30][31][32] In December 2023, L'Oréal announced its acquisition of the Danish research company Lactobio.[33][34]
In 2024, L’Oréal announced its acquisition of Gjosa, a Swiss water conservationstartup.[35][36] In February 2024, L’Oréal announced its signing of a long-term global licensing agreement for the creation, development and distribution of luxury beauty products by the Italian brandMiu Miu.[37][38]
In August 2024, L'Oréal opened a research and innovation center in India.[39][40][41] In December 2024, L'Oréal expanded its portfolio by acquiring a stake in a leading Korean cosmetics company Gowoonsesang Cosmetics and its brand Dr.G from Swiss retailerMigros.[42][43] In March 2025, L’Oréal sold hair care brand Carol's Daughter to an unnamed entrepreneur.[44]
In June 2025, L'Oreal signed an agreement to acquire haircare brand Color Wow.[45]
In October 2025, L'Oreal announced a deal to buyKering's beauty business for approximately €4 billion. The deal includes cologne brand House of Creed and exclusive rights to develop fragrances and beauty products for Kering labels—including Gucci and Balenciaga—for 50 years.[46]
L'Oréal Group has its head office in the CentreEugène Schueller inClichy, Hauts-de-Seine, close toParis.[47] The building, constructed in the 1970s from brick and steel, replaced the former Monsavon factory, and employees moved into the facility in 1978. 1,400 employees work in the building.[48] In 2005, Nils Klawitter ofDer Spiegel said "the building, with its brown glazed façade of windows, is every bit as ugly as its neighbourhood." Klawitter added that the facility "gives the impression of a high-security zone" due to theCCTV cameras and security equipment.[49]
International units include:
L'Oréal has 21 worldwide research and development centers: three global centers in France:Aulnay,Chevilly and Saint-Ouen. Six regional poles include one in the United States:Clark,New Jersey; one inJapan:Kawasaki,Kanagawa Prefecture; in 2005, one was established inShanghai,China, another inIndia:Mumbai, one other regional pole inBrazil:Rio de Janeiro and, lastly, another was established inSouth Africa:Johannesburg.[53]
Jean-Paul Agon is the chairman andNicolas Hieronimus the chief executive officer of L'Oréal.[54][55]Jean Victor Meyers andPaul Bulcke are vice chairmen of theboard of directors.[55]
As of 31 December 2023:[56]
| Year | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | 22.977 | 22.532 | 25.257 | 25.837 | 26.024 | 26.937 | 29.874 | 27.992 | 32.288 | 38.261 | 41.183 |
| Net Income | 2.958 | 4.910 | 3.297 | 3.106 | 3.586 | 3.895 | 3.750 | 3.563 | 4.597 | 5.707 | 6.184 |
| Assets | 31.298 | 32.063 | 33.711 | 35.630 | 35.339 | 38.458 | 43.810 | 43.607 | 43.013 | 46.844 | 51.855 |
| Employees | 77,452 | 78,611 | 82,881 | 89,331 | 82,606 | 86,030 | 87,974 | 85,392 | 85,412 | 87,264 |
L'Oréal holds 10.41% of the shares ofSanofi-Aventis, the world's number three and Europe's number one pharmaceutical company. TheLaboratoires Innéov is a joint venture in nutritional cosmetics between L'Oréal andNestlé; they draw on Nestlé's knowledge in the fields of nutrition and food safety.
Brands are generally categorized by their targeted markets, such as the mass, professional, luxurious, and active cosmetics markets. Galderma is directly attached to the head office. L'Oréal also owns interests in various activities such as fine chemicals, health, finance, design, advertising, and insurance.[58][better source needed]
In 2023, theWorld Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)’sMadrid Yearly Review ranked L'Oréal's number of marks applications filled under theMadrid System as 1st in the world, with 199trademarks applications submitted during 2023.[59]
InKosovo, during the growth years of the mail-order business, L'Oréal and3 Suisses founded Le Club des Créateurs de Beauté for mail-order sales of cosmetic products, with brands including Agnès b., Commence and Professeur Christine Poelman among others. In March 2008, L'Oréal acquired three Suisse's stake, taking sole control of the company.[63] In November 2013, L'Oréal announced that Le Club des Créateurs de Beauté would cease activity in the first half of 2014.[64]
Since 1997, L'Oréal has been an official partner ofThe Cannes Film Festival.[65] In the years of L'Oréal sponsorship, many L'Oréal beauty ambassadors walked the red carpet of theCannes Film Festival. In 2017, L'Oréal beauty ambassadors, includingJulianne Moore,Susan Sarandon,Andie MacDowell, andEva Longoria, were responsible for the film selection for the outdoor cinema during the Cannes Film Festival.[66]
L'Oréal's advertising slogan, "Because I'm worth it", was created by a 23-year-old English art director and introduced in 1973 by the model and actress Joanne Dusseau.[67] In the mid-2000s, this was replaced by "Because you're worth it". In late-2009, the slogan was changed again to "Because we're worth it".[68][69]
In 2012, L'Oréal inaugurated the largest factory in the Jababeka Industrial Park,Cikarang, Indonesia, with a total investment of US$100 million.[70] The production will be absorbed 25 percent by the domestic market and the rest will be exported. In 2010, significant growth occurred in Indonesia with a 61 percent increase of unit sales or 28 percent of net sales.[71]
In 2020, chief digital officer Lubomira Rochet reported in a video conference of the growing importance of e-commerce for the company, remarking that e-commerce makes 24% of their turnover in the third quarter of the year. Rochet stated as well that this 24% of the turnover "made it possible to offset 50% of the losses due to the closing of physical stores this year".[72]
L'Oréal Paris has a group of ambassadors, artists, actresses, and activists referred to as the L'Oréal Paris "Dream Team".[73]
L'Oréal has conceded that its founder,Eugène Schueller, was aNazi sympathizer and antisemiticfascist.[113][114] He was also a member ofLa Cagoule, which supported theVichy regime, and was a violent, pro-fascist and anti-communist organisation. Eugène bankrolled La Cagoule and some meetings of La Cagoule were held at L'Oréal headquarters. Some of the criminal activities perpetrated by La Cagoule include firearms transportation, assassinating a former minister, and firebombing six synagogues.[115][116]
Schueller provided financial support and held meetings forLa Cagoule at L'Oréal headquarters. La Cagoule was a violent French fascist-leaning and anti-communist group whose leader formed a political partyMouvement Social Révolutionnaire (MSR, Social Revolutionary Movement), which in Occupied France supported the Vichy collaboration with the Germans.[117] L'Oréal hired several members of the group as executives afterWorld War II, such asJacques Corrèze, who served as CEO of the United States operation.[118][119]
Other controversy arose whenJean Frydman, a shareholder and board member of Paravision, a film subsidiary of L'Oréal, was fired. He claims that he was let go because L'Oréal wanted to avoid an Arab boycott of businesses associated with Jews. In turn, Frydman decided to expose the past of L'Oréal executives.André Bettencourt who married Schueller's daughter,Liliane Bettencourt, and became deputy chairman for L'Oréal, wrote 60 articles for La Terre Française, an antisemitic Nazi propaganda sheet. André has admitted ownership of thepropaganda but claimed he was poisoned by the Vichy regime and said, "I have repeatedly expressed my regrets concerning them in public and will always beg the Jewish community to forgive me for them."[115] André Bettencourt also sheltered Schueller and several collaborators from theFrench Resistance after Liberation.[116] It was also revealed that Eugène Schueller hiredJacques Correze, who was the honorary head of L'Oréal's U.S. affiliate, Cosmair, and was involved with La Cagoule.[114]
Further controversy arose when it was revealed that L'Oréal had its German headquarters for over 30 years, before being sold in 1991, on land confiscated from a Jewish family duringWorld War II. The Jewish family has been battling for restitution from the company for three generations, the latest of which is Edith Rosenfelder, aHolocaust survivor. Fritz Rosenfelder was forced to sell the house to a Nazi official, of which the family never received the proceeds of the sale. Instead, the family was deported. The Allies passed Jewish restitution legislation which states that transactions with Nazis, even if appearing to be with the owner's consent, can be considered invalid. As the land was sold to an offshoot of L'Oréal, which was later bought out in 1961 by L'Oréal, the company claims that it is not responsible for anything that happened before then. The basis for Rosenfelder's argument is that since the original sale was illegal, all subsequent sales are equally unlawful. There was restitution paid in 1951 to theJewish Restitution Successor Organization, though this was done without the family's consent and none of the money ever reached the family. A book by Monica Waitzfelder, daughter of Edith Rosenfelder, published in French asL'Oréal a pris ma maison and in English asL'Oréal stole my house!, details how L'Oréal took over the Waitzfelder home in theGerman city ofKarlsruhe (after the Nazis had engineered the removal of the family) to make it its German headquarters.[120] Monica Waitzfelder is quoted as saying, "All the other businesses which took Jewish property have since returned it, without any great debate. I don't understand why L'Oréal should be any different from the others." A case was brought before the Supreme Court in France, but the public prosecutor ruled that there could be no trial. As of 2007, she is bringing the case to theEuropean Court of Human Rights.[116][120]
On 31 July 2014 duringOperation Protective Edge launched by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in the Gaza Strip, the Israel advocacy organisationStandWithUs posted several Facebook photos of care packages, which they said were donated by Garnier Israel to female IDF soldiers.[121][122][123] This sparked several calls to boycott Garnier and L'Oréal worldwide.[124] Garnier disavowed the giveaway and stated on theirFacebook page, “Garnier USA is aware of recent activity in social media. It is very important to us that our fans know that Garnier worldwide promotes peace and harmony and has a strict policy of not getting involved in any conflict or political matter. Garnier was astonished to discover this in social media. After investigation, the hand-out of about 500 products appeared to be part of a one-time local retailer initiative. Garnier disapproves of this initiative managed strictly at local level and is very sorry to have offended some of its fans.”[125]
L'Oréal beganin vitro tissue testing in 1979, and does not test any of its products or ingredients on animals anywhere in the world since 1989–14 years before it was required by regulation.[126] Controversy came from the fact that L'Oréal sells products in China, whose regulators conduct animal testing on cosmetics to be sold within its territory. Even though a ban on animal testing in China came into effect in January 2020, Chinese authorities still perform this practice for imported "ordinary" cosmetics.[127][128]
Following L'Oréal's 2006 purchase ofThe Body Shop, which does not support animal testing, The Body Shop's founderAnita Roddick was forced to defend herself against allegations of "abandoning her principles" over L'Oréal's involvement on animal testing. Calls were made for shoppers to boycott The Body Shop.[129] L'Oréal sold The Body Shop to Brazilian group Natura Cosméticos in 2017.[130]
On 11 August 2005, theSupreme Court of California ruled that former L'Oréal sales manager Elyse Yanowitz had adequately pleaded a cause of action for retaliatory termination under theCalifornia Fair Employment and Housing Act, and remanded the case for trial.[131] The case arose out of a 1997 incident in which Jack Wiswall, then the general manager for designer fragrances, allegedly told Yanowitz to fire a dark-skinned sales associate despite the associate's good performance. When Yanowitz refused, Wiswall pointed to a "sexy" blonde-haired woman and said, "God damn it, get me one that looks like that." Wiswall retired as president of the luxury products division of L'Oréal USA at the end of 2006.[131]
The company faced discrimination lawsuits in France related to the hiring of spokesmodels andinstitutional racism. In 2007, the Garnier division and an external employment agency were fined €30,000 for recruitment practices that intentionally excluded women of colour from promoting its hair wash, "Fructis Style".[132]
L'Oréal continues to sell skin whitening products, which have been criticised as "capitalising on women's insecurities due tocolourism." They advertise these controversial products, which have been criticised for promoting a colonial attitude as well as having safety concerns,[133] on their website by claiming; "Achieve clear, translucent and radiant skin. Our skin whitening products work to fade dark spots and brighten skin to give you the fair, flawless complexion you desire."[134]
In May 2007, L'Oréal was one of several cosmetic manufacturers (along with Clinique, Estee Lauder, Payot, Lancôme)[135] ordered by theTherapeutic Goods Administration in Australia to withdraw advertising regarding the wrinkle removal capabilities of their products.[136]
In the UK, L'Oréal has faced criticism fromOFCOM regarding the truth of their advertising and marketing campaigns concerning the product performance of one of their mascara brands. In July 2007, the BritishAdvertising Standards Authority attacked L'Oréal for a television advert on its "Telescopic"mascara, featuringPenélope Cruz, stating, "it will make your eyelashes 60% longer." In fact, it only made the lashes look 60% bigger, by separating and thickening at the roots and by thickening the tips of the lashes. They also failed to state that the model was wearingfalse eyelashes.[137]
In July 2011, the British Advertising Standards Authority took action against L'Oréal, banning two airbrushedLancôme advertisements in the UK featuring actressJulia Roberts and supermodelChristy Turlington. The agency issued the ban after British politicianJo Swinson argued that the two ads misrepresented reality and added to the self-image problem amongst females in the UK. L'Oréal acknowledged that the photos had been airbrushed but argued that the two cosmetic products could actually produce the results depicted in the ads and that the results of the products had been scientifically proven.[138]
In June 2014, the company reached an agreement with the U.S.Federal Trade Commission not to make claims about its anti-aging products unless it had credible scientific evidence supporting the claims. The settlement followed an investigation by the commission into claims being made in relation to two products, which the commission described as "false and unsubstantiated".
L'Oréal has a team of 400 members of staff who post content toFacebook every day, according to Marc Menesguen, the company's chief marketing officer.[139]
In July 2017, theUniversity of Massachusetts Medical filed a patent lawsuit against L'Oréal. In August 2017, Dennis Wyrzykowski and his company, Carmel Laboratories LLC, joined the lawsuit. The two parties claimed that L'Oréal's brands used UMass' patented technology for skin creams with the chemicaladenosine.[140] In 2021, a judge found the patents invalid. In 2022, theU.S. Appeals Court reversed the decision, stating that UMass could continue to purse its lawsuit.[141]
L'Oréal was fined byAutorité de la concurrence in France in 2016 for price-fixing on personal hygiene products.[142]
In August 2017, L'Oréal dismissedMunroe Bergdorf, a mixed-racetransgender model, after she responded to theUnite the Right rally inCharlottesville, Virginia, by stating in a Facebook post: "Honestly I don't have the energy to talk about the racial violence of white people any more. Yes ALL white people"; the post was also quoted as saying that "[white people's] existence, privilege and success as a race is built on the backs, blood and death of people of colour", "racism isn't learned, it's inherited and ... passed down through privilege" and that "white people" ought to "begin to admit that their race is the most violent and oppressive force of nature on Earth".[143] Shortly after terminating Bergdorf, L'Oréal released a statement claiming their commitment to "[support] diversity and tolerance towards all people irrespective of their race, background, gender and religion" and had terminated their partnership with Bergdorf because her comments were "at odds with those values".[144][145]
In 2018, L'Oréal Paris hiredAmber Heard as a Global Ambassador, also giving a special tribute to her.[146][147] In 2020, after a tape leaked of Heard admitting to having hit her ex-husbandJohnny Depp, several petitions were filed requesting L'Oreal to fire her.[148][149][150] As of June 2021, L'Oreal continued to include Heard among a team of "ambassadors" that also includesKate Winslet,Jane Fonda,Elle Fanning, and French singer-songwriterYseult.[151] Heard was beingsued in a defamation trial by Depp in which he accused her of domestic abuse. She was found to have defamed her ex-husband with malice on June 2, 2022, by a jury; Heard then appealed her case.[152]
In May 2024, aBBC World Service documentary titled "Perfume's Dark Secret" uncovered widespread child labor in Egypt's jasmine fields, an essential source for fragrances used by major beauty brands, including L'Oréal. The investigation exposed that children, some as young as five years old, were engaged in the physically demanding task of picking jasmine flowers. These children worked under grueling conditions, often beginning their shifts at 3 a.m. and working in high temperatures. The documentary highlighted the poverty these children faced, with some earning as little as $1 per day, far below a living wage.
The BBC's findings sparked global concern over labor practices in the perfume industry, particularly regarding the exploitation of children in rural areas ofEgypt. The country's jasmine flowers are a key ingredient in high-end perfumes produced by companies like L'Oréal, leading to questions about the ethical sourcing of raw materials in the beauty and fragrance sector. Despite claims by L'Oréal and other luxury brands of strict monitoring systems, the documentary suggested that these children had been overlooked by current auditing processes and that insufficient measures were in place to protect workers from exploitation.[153]
She [French singer-songwriter Yseult] joins the team of L'Oréal Paris ambassadors that includes Kate Winslet, Jane Fonda, Céline Dion, Elle Fanning and Amber Heard.
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| National | |
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