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L'Oréal

 
Hoover's Profile: L'Oréal SA
(Pink Sheets:LRLCY) (Euronext Paris:OR)
Contact Information
L'Oréal SA
41, rue Martre
92117 Clichy, France
Tel. +33-1-47-56-70-00
Fax +33-1-47-56-86-42

Type: Public
On the web: http://www.loreal.com
Employees: 67,500
Employee growth: 6.5%

L'Oréal's success is built on a strong foundation. The world's largest beauty products company, it creates makeup, perfume, and hair and skin care items. Its brands include L'Oréal and Maybelline (mass-market), Lancôme (upscale), and Redken and SoftSheen/Carson (retail and salon). L'Oréal, which owns Dallas-based SkinCeuticals, also conducts cosmetology and dermatology research. With about half of its sales generated outside of Europe, L'Oréal has focused on acquiring brands in those markets. L'Oréal also owns the UK-based natural cosmetics retailer The Body Shop International, which numbers more than 2,550 stores worldwide. The firm's dermatology branch Galderma is a joint venture between L'Oréal and Nestlé.

Key numbers for fiscal year ending December, 2008:
Sales: $24,725.2M
One year growth: (1.5%)
Net income: $2,749.8M
Income growth: (29.7%)

Officers:
Chairman: Lindsay Owen-Jones
CEO and Director: Jean-Paul Agon
Managing Director Operations: Jean Philippe Blanpain

Competitors:
Estée Lauder
Revlon
Shiseido

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Company History: L'Oréal SA
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Incorporated: 1939
NAIC: 32562 Toilet Preparation Manufacturing

L'Oréal SA, one of the largest companies in France, is the world's largest manufacturer of high-quality cosmetics, perfumes, hair care, and skin care products. Its brands are found in over 150 countries and include such well-known names as Lancôme, Maybelline, Garnier, Redken, and Matrix. The company is known for its involvement in research and development--it spent 3 percent of sales on cosmetology and dermatology research in 2000--and owns a 19.5 percent stake in the pharmaceutical firm Sanofi/Synthélabo. Liliane Bettencourt and her family control 51 percent of Gesparal, a holding company that owns 54 percent of L'Oréal. The Swiss food giant, Nestlé S.A., owns the remaining 49 percent of Gesparal.

L'Oréal's story begins in turn-of-the-century Paris, at a time when women of the demimonde dyed their hair, their choice restricted to fiery red or coal black. In 1907, Eugène Schueller, a young chemist, began to concoct the first synthetic hair dyes by night in his kitchen and sell them to hair salons in the morning under the brand name of Auréole. His strategy was successful; within two years he established the Société Française des Teintures Inoffensives pour Cheveux, which soon afterward became L'Oréal.

In 1912, the company extended its sales to Austria, Holland and Italy and by 1920 its products were available in a total of 17 countries, including the United States, Brazil, Chile, Peru, Equador, Bolivia, and the Soviet Union, and in the Far East. At this stage, L'Oréal consisted of three research chemists and ten sales representatives.

Schueller's timing had been singularly fortunate. The end of World War I was celebrated by the Jazz Age, when short hairstyles became fashionable, with a new emphasis on shape and color. By the end of the 1920s, there were 40,000 hair salons in France alone and L'Oréal's new products O'Cap, Imédia Liquide, and Coloral captured the growing market. In 1928, the company made its first move toward diversification, purchasing the soap company Monsavon.

In the 1930s and 1940s, platinum-haired screen idols such as Jean Harlow and Mae West made blond hair especially popular and bleaches such as L'Oréal Blanc sold well. L'Oréal was quick to make use of both old and new media to promote its products. In 1933, Schueller commissioned famous artists of the time to design posters and also launched his own women's magazine, Votre Beauté. Dop, the first mass-market shampoo, was promoted through children's hair-lathering competitions at the highly popular French circuses. and by 1938 L'Oréal was advertising its hair products with radio jingles.

During this period, L'Oréal demonstrated its ability to meet new consumer demands. When the Front Populaire won the 1936 elections and introduced the first paid holidays for French workers, L'Oréal's Ambre Solaire was ready to capture the new market for suntan lotions. Meanwhile, the company's sales network was expanding on both a national and an international scale. Products began to be sold through pharmacies and perfumers and new Italian, Belgian, and Danish subsidiaries were established between 1936 and 1937.

Even the outbreak of World War II in 1939 failed to curb the company's growth. At a time of strict rationing, women permed their hair and bought cosmetics to boost their morale. L'Oréal launched the first cold permanent wave product, Oréol, in 1945. At the same time, the company continued to expand; by the end of the war there were 25 research chemists and distribution had been extended to the United Kingdom, Argentina, and Algeria.

During this period, François Dalle and Charles Zviak joined the group, both recruited by Monsavon at a time when the cosmetics industry held far less attraction for graduate chemical engineers than the atomic-energy or oil industries. Both men would play an important role in the company's future; by 1948, Dalle had already been appointed joint general manager of L'Oréal.

The consumer boom of the 1950s and the arrival of new blond screen idols Marilyn Monroe and Brigitte Bardot (originally a brunette) meant further expansion for L'Oréal. By 1950, a research-and-development team of 100 chemists had created further innovative products, including the first lightening tint, Imédia D, introduced in 1951, and the first coloring shampoo, Colorelle, introduced in 1955, which answered an increasing demand for subtlety. The company advanced further into the field of skin care, entering into technological agreements with the company Vichy, in 1954. Vichy was to become part of the L'Oréal group in 1980.

Eugène Schueller's promotional talents were recognized in 1953 when he was awarded an advertising Oscar. Schueller died in 1957 and François Dalle took over as chairman and CEO at 39 years of age.

The 1960s were years of revolution, both cultural and commercial. As music and fashion became increasingly teen-oriented, there was a growing interest in conserving--or simulating--youthful looks. At the same time hundreds of new boutiques, supermarkets, and chain stores sprang up to supply this rapidly growing market. L'Oréal made a growing commitment to capital investment. In 1960, a new research-and-production center was established in Aulnay-sous-Bois, bringing the number of research staff up to 300. In 1963 and 1964, the company opened new cosmetological and bacteriological facilities, evidence of a highly scientific approach to skin care. Another production unit, Soprocos, opened in St. Quentin in 1965, and over the decade new distribution outlets were established in Uruguay, Algeria, Canada, Mexico, and Peru. L'Oréal was listed on the French stock exchange in 1963, during a period of restructuring within the group. In 1962, owing to the boom in hair-product sales, L'Oréal sold Monsavon in order to concentrate on its core business. At the same time it bought the hair-hygiene specialist Cadoricin. In 1964, L'Oréal bought Jacques Fath perfumes and a year later Lancôme thereby gaining a significant entry into the high-quality skin-care, make-up, and perfume market and gaining increased access to perfumery outlets. Garnier, a hair-product company, and Laboratoires d'Anglas were also added to the group. In 1968, the company took major stakes in Golden in the United Kingdom and in Ruby, a personal hygiene and household products manufacturer. In the same year, L'Oréal bought the fashion and perfumes house André Courrèges.

With increased resources and expertise, L'Oréal launched a number of successful products, many of which are market leaders to this day. These included the hair spray Elnett, Récital hair dyes, and the perfume Fidji. Fidji was launched under the Guy Laroche brand name.

In 1969, L'Oréal recruited a young Welshman, Lindsay Owen-Jones, from the prestigious Fontainebleau business school INSEAD. An Oxford languages graduate, he would go on to become the fourth chairman and managing director of L'Oréal. At the age of 25, he became general manager of L'Oréal's public-products division in Belgium and turned around unprofitable subsidiaries in France and Italy, before going to the United States to take charge of L'Oréal's distributor, Cosmair Inc. in 1980.

L'Oréal benefited from the emphasis on health and fitness in the 1970s. From this time onwards, L'Oréal's earnings outstripped those of any other French blue chip and grew twice as fast as the cosmetics-industry average. L'Oréal's success permitted further commitment to research and development; the number of research staff rose from 500 in 1970 to 750 in 1974. New production facilities were opened in France and in 1979 the International Centre for Dermatological Research was established at Sofia-Antipolis, in the south of France, for the treatment of skin disorders and aging.

Over the decade, structural and tactical changes were made within the group, based on the findings of the 1969 management study done by McKinsey & Co. The year 1970 saw the establishment of new operational divisions and management structure. A few years later, the company began to speed up the process of internationalization, with particular emphasis on New Zealand, Australia, Japan, and Hong Kong. In 1976, L'Oréal signed a technical-assistance contract with the Soviet Union.

Expansion into overseas markets--particularly Japan--was aided greatly by the company's new alliance with the Swiss foods giant Nestlé S.A., to whom Eugène Schueller's daughter, Madame Liliane Bettencourt, sold nearly half of her L'Oréal stock in 1974. The two allies established a French holding company, Gesparal--51 percent-owned by Bettencourt and 49 percent-owned by Nestlé. Gesparal controlled 72 percent of L'Oréal's voting rights, while Bettencourt remained largest individual shareholder of Nestlé, holding roughly 5 percent.

Throughout the 1970s, L'Oréal continued to make purchases within the cosmetics and hair-care industry: Biotherm in 1970; Gemey, Ricils, and Jeanne Piaubert in 1973; and Roja in 1975. The latter merged with Garnier in 1978. This was also a time for diversification for L'Oréal. In 1973, it took a controlling stake of 53.4 percent in the pharmaceutical company Synthélabo, a specialist in the production of cardiovascular drugs and hospital materials, followed in 1979 by the purchase of Metabio-Joullie, manufacturer of aspirins, over-the-counter drugs, veterinary, cosmetic, and dietary items. Metabio-Joullie and Synthélabo were merged in 1980 under the latter's name. In 1977, L'Oréal ventured into another complementary field, magazine publishing, taking stakes in Marie-Claire Album and Interedi-Cosmopolitan.

Meanwhile, in the new division Parfums et Beauté International, several of L'Oréal's most successful products were launched--Vichy's moisturizer Equalia and the Cacharel perfume Anais Anais, reckoned to be the world's best-selling perfume. In addition, the well-known Kérastase hair products were redesigned.

The 1980s were particularly favorable for L'Oréal. François Dalle won the post of first vice-president on Nestlé's administrative council, the title of Man of the Year in the chemicals and cosmetics sector from the Fragrance Foundation of the United States, and title of Manager of the Year from the Nouvel Economiste. In 1984, he gave up the leadership of L'Oréal, although he continued to act as chairman of the group's strategic committee. The position of chairman and CEO went to Charles Zviak. Lindsay Owen-Jones became vice-president and Marc Ladreit de Lacharrière, joint vice-president, soon to take control of the company's financial policy.

This event was followed by some restructuring within the group; in 1985 the Parfums et Beauté division was split into three departments--Lancôme/Piaubert, perfumes, and active cosmetics--and five geographical areas. At the same time the new management clearly felt it necessary to centralize control of the company's finances, and in 1987 a financial bulletin was issued announcing the creation of L'Oréal Finances, which would implement the financial strategy established approximately ten years before.

In 1986, L'Oréal's shares were distributed to investors outside France for the first time when the company raised FFr1.4 billion through a one-for-ten rights issue, offering new shares to stockholders. This was followed, in 1987, by a one-for-five stock split.

At this time, L'Oréal began to play an increasingly active role in the management of Synthélabo, which, after merging with Metabio-Joullie, had become France's third-largest pharmaceutical company. Synthélabo's research-and-development budget was increased considerably, allowing the company in 1982 to become the first private laboratory to participate in the World Health Organization's project for research and education in neuroscience.

During the 1980s, Synthélabo enhanced its international status, setting up joint marketing affiliates in the United States and Britain with the U.S. company G.D. Searle, and establishing joint ventures in Japan with Fujisawa and Mitsubishi Kasei. The company also took controlling stakes in Kramer of Switzerland, in 1982, and LIRCA of Italy in 1983. Nevertheless, Synthélabo continued to report poor sales figures, owing to difficulty in updating its product line and unfavorable market conditions in France. L'Oréal subsequently reiterated its commitment to Synthélabo, keeping restructuring to a minimum and increasing its holding from 63 percent to 65 percent after October 1987's Black Monday, when the shares fell considerably. L'Oréal saw that the solution to Synthélabo's problems lay in extending its overseas sales, thereby offsetting unfavorable domestic pricing and reimbursement policies. By the end of the decade, profitability had improved and some promising new drugs were ready to be approved for marketing in the 1990s.

Meanwhile, L'Oréal's research-and-development facilities continued their steady growth, with research staff reaching 1,000 by 1984. L'Oréal's enormous commitment to research resulted in the success of products such as Lancôme's Niosôme, launched in 1986, one of the few anti-aging creams found to be effective by independent dermatologists.

If this was the age of high-tech skin care, it was also the era of designer brands. In 1980, a new distribution company, Prestige et Collections, was created for Cacharel, whose perfume Loulou, launched in 1987, went on to become a best seller. In 1984, Nestlé took over Warner Cosmetics of the United States on behalf of L'Oréal's U.S. agent Cosmair, thereby acquiring for the group the prestigious names of Ralph Lauren, Paloma Picasso, and Gloria Vanderbilt. At this stage, however, L'Oréal was interested only in the perfumes and cosmetics divisions of the designer brands. In 1983, the company sold its 49.9 percent stake in the couture house Courrèges to Itokin of Japan, although it retained 100 percent of Courrèges Parfums.

A further addition to the L'Oréal group was the Helena Rubenstein skin-care and cosmetics range. In 1983, L'Oréal began by taking major stakes in Helena Rubenstein's Japanese and South American subsidiaries, the former integrated with Lancôme in the new Japanese affiliate, Parfums et Beauté, in 1984. In 1988, L'Oréal bought Helena Rubenstein Inc., a U.S. company that was in financial difficulties as a result of the sharp drop in sales following the founder's death. It would not be an easy matter to bring the company back into profit. Bought in the same year, Laboratoires Goupil, a dental-care-products manufacturer whose toothpastes held over 90 percent of the French market, was also unprofitable, but it was felt that L'Oréal's skillful marketing could remedy the situation. L'Oréal's last acquisition of the 1980s was the skin-care specialist Laboratoires Roche Posay.

While making acquisitions, L'Oréal also took the opportunity to sell off unwanted components of the group. These included the personal hygiene and comfort products of Laboratoires Ruby d'Anglas and Chiminter, which were felt to be too far outside the group's main area of interest and not in accord with L'Oréal's policy of internationalization.

L'Oréal was keen to diversify into communications. In 1984, the company took a 10 percent stake in the French pay-TV company, Canal Plus, with the stake raised to 10.4 percent in 1986. In 1988, L'Oréal took a 75 percent stake in Paravision International, an organization charged with the creation, production, and distribution of audiovisual products for an international audience. The following year, L'Oréal entered by way of Paravision into a joint venture with the U.S. company Carolco Pictures Inc., to handle foreign television-distribution and programming rights.

In 1988, Lindsay Owen-Jones became the new chairman and chief executive officer of L'Oréal at the age of 42. Marc Ladreit de Lacharrière became director and executive vice-president while Charles Zviak moved on to the chairmanship of Synthélabo. Zviak died the following year, having been one of the few chemists to attain leadership of a major French company. The end of the decade was marked further by rumors of L'Oréal's involvement in a proposed joint takeover bid for the French luxury-goods company Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy, together with Vuitton's head, Monsieur Racamier, and Paribas/Parfinance. Although the existence of such a plan was denied by L'Oréal, the company joined with Orcofi, a Vuitton-controlled holding company, to buy 95 percent of the perfume and couture house Lanvin.

L'Oréal explained that although Vuitton owned Dior and Givenchy, competitors in the perfume and cosmetics market, L'Oréal had no Vuitton shares and no intention of attacking the company. On the contrary, the Vuitton alliance would give L'Oréal an entrée into the field of luxury goods. Although Lanvin lost money since L'Oréal's acquisition, company officials remained optimistic, declaring that the experience gained from running a luxury boutique was valuable in itself.

In 1991, L'Oréal found itself embroiled in a bitter dispute with Jean Frydman, a former director of Paravision. Frydman--who held dual Israeli-French citizenship--had filed suit against the company, charging it with "fraudulent behavior and racial discrimination" stemming from the 1989 sale of the Frydman family's 25 percent share of Paravision--L'Oréal's film distribution division--after being pressured by François Dalle. Frydman alleged that L'Oréal violated a 1977 French law prohibiting companies from participating in an Arab boycott against Israel when the company forced his resignation and the sale of the family's stake at an unfair price because of his business ties to Israel. The ensuing investigation created a minor scandal in France by digging up unsavory facts about founder Eugène Schueller's anti-Semitic, fascist politics during World War II. Later that year, however, Frydman dropped the suit in exchange for a letter of apology from Dalle.

During the 1990s, the cosmetics industry experienced growth, but with increasing rivalry. While L'Oréal's alliance with Nestlé protected it from corporate marauders, it continued to be vulnerable to competition in Western markets in the early 1990s from the likes of Japanese competitors Shiseido and Kao--although 90 percent of the turnover of both companies come from their home market--and from Unilever, following the latter's takeover of Elizabeth Arden and Fabergé.

In the years following his appointment as chairman and CEO, Owen-Jones set about making L'Oréal a genuinely international company. He began cultivating an integrated international team of top managers, enabling the company to quickly respond to and capitalize on consumer trends worldwide. Owens-Jones also supported greater cooperation between L'Oréal's numerous brand names and divisions. After Lancôme Niosôme was developed in 1986, L'Oréal then translated the new technology into a mass market L'Oréal skin-care line sold under the name Plentitude. Plentitude was launched in Europe and Australia in the late 1980s, and within two years of its U.S. launch in 1989, it had captured a 10 percent share of the market.

It was precisely this kind of synergy between subsidiaries, analysts say, that led to L'Oréal's 15 percent overall profit growth in the 1980s. In the boom years of the 1980s, high-end lines such as Lancôme and Helena Rubenstein performed extremely well. When the prestige market slumped in the early 1990s, such mass market lines as L'Oréal were poised to pick up the slack.

L'Oréal also eyed the U.S. market, which represented one-third of the world market, as one with opportunities for further profit growth. At the time, despite having full control of strategy, management, and marketing in this region, L'Oréal reaped only 5.5 percent from the profits of its sole U.S. agent Cosmair Inc. One advantage of this system for L'Oréal was protection from the weakness of the U.S. dollar and from high marketing costs--Cosmair handled a sales volume of over $1 billion that provided the company with the flexibility to launch new products which could then be transferred to L'Oréal affiliates worldwide. Other markets targeted for expansion during the early 1990s included Japan.

L'Oréal was also one of the first western companies to set up shop in the former Soviet Union, forming Soreal, a joint-venture with the Russian chemical company Mosbytchim. L'Oréal invested $50 million in the venture to produce approximately 40 million units of deodorant, perfume, shampoos, and hair sprays annually. Soreal products were sold in 1992 at a mere 100 outlets in Moscow and at an additional ten throughout Russia. Hard currency was difficult to come by as banks either collapsed or were unaccustomed to dealing with Western businesses. In order to obtain the equipment necessary to upgrade production, Soreal created Maroussia, a women's fragrance that was imported to Western Europe in exchange for machinery and materials.

L'Oréal's structure during this time remained unchanged, with the group consisting of a federation of competitive companies, including 147 production and distribution facilities worldwide, divided into five divisions. Only research and development facilities and overall management control were centralized. There was speculation as to the fate of L'Oréal when Bettencourt, in her mid-60s in 1990, relinquishes her corporate involvement. The French government took a strong interest in the issue. French government agreements restricted foreigners from taking over French companies before 1994. However, by 2001 Bettencourt still controlled her interest in the firm: should she decide to sell, Nestlé would have first option to purchase, and Bettencourt remained tight-lipped about her future plans.

As consumers became more environmentally aware, L'Oréal fell under increasing pressure to conform to new standards of product safety. The company was forced to phase out the use of chlorofluorocarbons which are said to be harmful to the ozone layer. L'Oréal also came under attack from the animal-rights lobby, which accused the company of subjecting laboratory animals to inhumane tests, although L'Oréal claimed that animal testing of new products was down to 5 percent from 50 percent in 1985. By 1989, the firm stopped animal testing altogether.

As L'Oréal entered the mid-1990s, the company found itself engaged in a battle with rivals Proctor & Gamble and Unilever for worldwide domination of the mass cosmetic and fragrance markets. L'Oréal seemed determined to remain the leader, hiking its advertising budget by as much as 50 percent for some products, and creating a whole new image for most of its color cosmetics. The company was also reaching out to customers by repackaging its merchandise and making display cases more accessible and user-friendly.

L'Oréal also made several strategic moves to solidify its market position. In 1994, it purchased control of Cosmair from Nestlé and Bettencourt. The following year, it acquired the Maybelline brand for $600 million. The company also purchased two drug companies that year including Germany-based Lichtenstein Pharmazeutica and Irex, based in France.

As part of its continued focus on the U.S. market, the firm formed L'Oréal Retail division in 1996, merging its U.S. hair care and cosmetics businesses under one umbrella. It continued to introduce new products in this market, including the Garnier hair care brand. By that time, its Cosmair subsidiary accounted for 23 percent of L'Oréal's entire cosmetics business.

In 1998, the company launched a global advertising campaign with the tagline, "Because I'm worth it." Under the leadership of Owen-Jones, L'Oréal began making a series of acquisitions that would bring it closer to its goal of becoming one of the world's top four brands. It also renewed its focus on its emerging markets including Asia and Eastern Europe. In China, Maybelline was sold in 40 cities and the company hoped to up that number to 80. Owen-Jones stated in a 1998 Women's Wear Daily article, "It's the beginning of the Chinese snowball. There have been three million Maybelline lipsticks sold. Our aim is to make sure every Chinese woman has a lipstick in her hand instead of the Little Red Book." Latin America also became a key market focus, especially after an economic crisis shook the Asian region in the latter half of the 1990s.

In 1998, Cosmair acquired Soft Sheen Products Inc., a leading ethnic hair care firm. The ethnic market was now considered to be among the top growth opportunities in the cosmetics industry. The following year, Elf Aquitaine and L'Oréal merged their pharmaceutical subsidiaries to create Sanofi-Synthélabo, creating the second-largest pharmaceutical company in France. Long-known for its dedication to research and development, L'Oréal continued forging ahead on that front. The company signed a five-year partnership agreement with the United Nations Organization for Education, Science, and Culture (UNESCO) entitled "For Women in Science." As part of the program, female researchers would be given grants to pursue scientific research. During 1999, sales continued to increase--up 12.1 percent over the previous year. Western Europe accounted for 56.1 percent of company sales, while North America accounted for 27.1 percent. That year, the company reported the strongest profit growth of the decade.

L'Oréal entered the new millennium with continued success. It purchased Carson Inc., the leading ethnic cosmetics firm, cementing L'Oréal's position in that market. It also acquired Ylang Laboratories Ltd., an Argentine cosmetics firm, and the Scandinavian Respons brand from Colgate Palmolive Inc. Kiehl's Since 1851 Inc. was also purchased along with Matrix Essentials Inc. In order to take advantage of its parent company's strong brand recognition, Cosmair's name was changed that year to L'Oréal USA.

The company had a record year in sales and profits during 2000, and L'Oréal remained the market leader in the cosmetics industry with a 16.8 market share. In Japan, sales increased by 46 percent and Maybelline became the leading mass-market cosmetics brand in the country. Along with its acquisitions, L'Oréal launched several new products, including Maybelline's Water Shine lipstick and Full 'n' Soft Mascara, Age Perfect Skincare by L'Oréal Paris, Garnier's Fructis Style product line, and fragrances Ralph by Ralph Lauren and Miracle by Lancôme.

During 2001, the company continued to divest non-core, slow-growth businesses. L'Oréal announced plans to sell its interest in its Marie-Claire magazine holdings along with its Lanvin S.A. subsidiary. It also strengthened its position in the dermatological cosmetics market with the purchase of the BioMedic's brand name from CosMedic Concepts Inc.

Attributing much of its prosperity to its global branding strategy, L'Oréal remained confident that its success would continue into the future. "Blink an eye, and L'Oréal has just sold 85 products around the world, from Redken hair care and Ralph Lauren perfumes to Helena Rubinstein cosmetics and Vichy skin care," claimed a 1999 Business Week article. With its strong market position, L'Oréal seemed poised to continue its dominance in the cosmetics industry well into the future.

Principal Subsidiaries

Carson Holdings Ltd. (South Africa); Kiehl's Since 1851 Inc. (United States); Matrix Essentials Inc. (United States); Lancôme Parfums et Beauté & Cie; Lancôme Institute et Cie; Helena Rubenstein Inc; Laboratoire Garnier Paris; L'Oréal UK Ltd.; L'Oréal USA; Maybelline Ltd. (Hong Kong); Parfums Cacharel et Cie; Parfums Guy Laroche; Parfums Ralph Lauren; Redkin Laboratories GmbH (Germany).

Principal Competitors

The Estée Lauder Companies; Proctor & Gamble Co.; Shiseido Company Ltd.

Further Reading

Benjamin, Patricia, "Sitting Pretty," Business, January 1987.

Dang, Kim-Van, "L'Oréal's Integration: What a Difference a Year Makes," Women's Wear Daily, April 25, 1997, p. 8.

Deeny, Godfrey, "L'Oréal Execs Probed by Magistrate for Joining Arab Boycott of Israel," Women's Wear Daily, May 15, 1991, p. 27.

Dorn, Pete, "Lindsay Owen-Jones: A World Vision for L'Oréal," Women's Wear Daily, October 12, 1990, pp. 10-11.

Echikson, William, "L'Oréal: Aiming at High and Low Markets," Fortune, March 22, 1993, p. 89.

Fearnley, Helen, "L'Oréal--Not Just A Pretty Face," Financial Weekly, May 5, 1988.

"Owen-Jones Satisfied With Remarkable Success," Cosmetics International, April 25, 1999, p. 5.

"L'Oréal Announces Two Key Acquisitions in the U.S.," Chemical Market Reporter, April 24, 2000, p. 16.

"L'Oréal Drops Lanvin as Recent Acquisitions Prove Profitable," Cosmetics International, August 15, 2001, p. 5.

"L'Oréal Goes For Ethnicity," Soap Perfumery & Cosmetics, March 2000, p. 7.

"L'Oréal Keeps Going Strong and Helps Women in Science," Cosmetics International, October 25, 1999, p. 5.

"L'Oréal Says Progress Is History in the Making," Cosmetics International, March 10, 2001, p. 6.

"L'Oréal: The Beauty of Global Branding," Business Week, June 28, 1999.

"L'Oréal's Dark Roots," Time, July 1, 1991, p. 56.

Raper, Sarah, "Ex-L'Oréal Head Settles Race Bias Case," Women's Wear Daily, December 23, 1991, p. 3.

------, "Taking Russia: Tough Times at the Factory," Women's Wear Daily, August 7, 1992, p. 4.

Rummell, Tara, "What's New At L'Oréal?," Global Cosmetic Industry, February 1999, p. 18.

Sauer, Pamela, "A Makeover of Global Proportions," Chemical Market Reporter, December 3, 2001.

Tosh, Mark, "L'Oréal's 1990 Net Rises 15.2%; Sales Gain 11.7%," Women's Wear Daily April 17, 1991, p. 21.

Weil, Jennifer, and Janet Ozzard, "L'Oréal's New Focus on Emerging Markets," Women's Wear Daily, April 10, 1998, p. 11.

— Jessica Griffin


Wikipedia: L'Oréal
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"Loreal" redirects here. This can alse be the adjective related to lore.
L'Oréal
Type Public (Euronext: OR)
Founded 1909
Founder(s) Eugène Schueller
Headquarters Clichy, France
Key people Jean-Paul Agon (CEO), Lindsay Owen-Jones (Chairman of the board), Liliane Bettencourt (Non-executive director and major shareholder)
Industry Cosmetics
Revenue 17.54 billion (2008)[1]
Operating income €2.725 billion (2008)[1]
Profit €2.064 billion (2008)[1]
Employees 67,660 (2008)[1]
Subsidiaries See below
Website www.loreal.com

The L'Oréal Group is the world's largest cosmetics and beauty company[2] and is headquartered in the Paris suburb of Clichy, Hauts-de-Seine, France. L'Oréal has developed activities in the field of cosmetics, concentrating on hair colour, skin care, sun protection, make-up, perfumes and hair care. L'Oréal is active in the dermatological and pharmaceutical fields. L'Oréal is also the top nanotechnology patent-holder in the United States.

L'Oréal is a listed company, but the founder's daughter Liliane Bettencourt and the Swiss food company Nestlé each control over a quarter of the shares and voting rights.

Contents

History

In 1907, Eugène Schueller, a young French chemist, developed an innovative hair-colour formula. He called his improved hair dye Auréole. Schueller formulated and manufactured his own products, which he then sold to Parisian hairdressers.

In 1909, Schueller registered his company, the Société Française de Teintures Inoffensives pour Cheveux ("Safe Hair Dye Company of France" literally "French Society for Inoffensive Hair Dyes"), the original L’Oréal. The guiding principles of the company, which eventually became L’Oréal, were research and innovation in the interest of beauty.

In 1920, the small company employed three chemists. By 1950, the research teams were 100 strong; that number reached 1,000 by 1984 and is nearly 2,000 today.

L’Oréal got its start in the hair-color business, but the company soon branched out into other cleansing and beauty products. L’Oréal currently markets over 500 brands and many thousands of individual products in all sectors of the beauty business: hair color, permanents, hair styling, body and skin care, cleansers, makeup and fragrances. The company's products are found in a wide variety of distribution channels, from hair salons and perfumeries to hyper - and supermarkets, health/beauty outlets, pharmacies and direct mail.

L’Oréal has five worldwide research and development centers: two in France: Aulnay and Chevilly; one in the U.S.: Clark, New Jersey; one in Japan: Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture; and in 2005, one was established in China, Shanghai. A future facility in the US will be in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey.

L’Oréal purchased Synthélabo in 1973 to pursue its ambitions in the pharmaceutical field. Synthélabo merged with Sanofi in 1999 to become Sanofi-Synthélabo. Sanofi-Synthélabo merged with Aventis in 2004 to become Sanofi-Aventis.

On 17 March 2006 L'Oréal made a £652 million agreed takeover of ethical cosmetics company The Body Shop.

The company has recently faced discrimination lawsuits in France related to the hiring of spokesmodels and Institutional racism. In the UK L'Oréal has faced widespread condemnation from OFCOM regarding truth in their advertising and marketing campaigns concerning the product performance of one of their mascara brands. Multiple video parodies of their advertising campaigns have spoofed their products and can be viewed on YouTube - search L'Unreal for links to content.

A book by Monica Waitzfelder, published in French as 'L’Oréal a pris ma maison' and English as 'L'Oréal stole my house!', details how L'Oréal, a company claimed to be anti-Semitic by the author, took over the Waitzfelder home in the German city of Karlsruhe (after the Nazis had engineered the removal of the family) to make it its German headquarters.[citation needed]

L’Oréal's famous advertising slogan is "Because I’m worth it". It has recently been replaced by "Because you're worth it" .

L’Oréal also owns a Hair and Body products line for kids called Loreal Kids, the slogan for which is "Because we're worth it too".

L'Oréal still tests new ingredients on animals, which has led to criticism from Naturewatch Compassionate Shopping.[3] Following L'Oréal's purchase of The Body Shop, who previously were against animal testing, The Body Shop founder Dame Anita Roddick was forced to defend herself against allegations of abandoning her principles over L'Oréal's track record on animal testing. She declared, that her belief in the power of cosmetics to enhance female beauty was greater than any concern over animal testing. As a result, calls were made for shoppers to boycott The Body Shop.[4]

In 1987 L'Oréal and 3 Suisses founded Le Club des Créateurs de Beauté specializing in mail order sales of cosmetic products.

Business

L'Oréal Paris hair gel

Corporate governance

Board of directors

Current members of the board of directors of L’Oréal are: Jean-Paul Agon, Francisco Basco, Werner Bauer, Liliane Bettencourt, Françoise Bettencourt Meyers, Peter Brabeck-Letmathe, Charles-Henri Filippi, Xavier Fontanet, Bernard Kasriel, Marc Lacharrière, Jean-Pierre Meyers, Lindsay Owen-Jones, Franck Riboud, Annette Roux and Louis Schweitzer.

Management committee

The management committee includes:

  • Jean-Paul Agon, Chief Executive Officer
  • Laurent Attal, Chief Executive Officer, L’Oréal USA
  • Béatrice Dautresme, EVP of Corporate Communications
  • Jean-François Grollier, EVP of Research and Development
  • Christian Mulliez, EVP of Finances
  • Simon Shum Siu-hung, President of Nano-technology Products
  • Jean-Jacques Lebel, President of Consumer Products
  • Nicolas Hieronimus, President of Professional Products
  • Geoff Skingsley, EVP of Human Resources
  • Marc Menesguen, President of Luxury Products

Stockholders

As at year-end 2008:[1]

  • Breakdown of share ownership: 30.8% by the Bettencourt Family, 29.6% by Nestlé, 3.2% treasury shares, and the remaining 36.4% are publicly traded.

Sales, profits, etc.

In 2003, L’Oréal announced its 19th consecutive year of double-digit growth. Its consolidated sales was €14.029 bn and net profit was €1.653 bn. 96.7% of sales derived from cosmetic activities and 2.5% from dermatological activities. L’Oréal has operations in over 130 countries, employing 50,500 people, 24% of which work in France. 3.3% of consolidated sales is invested in research and development, which accounts for 2,900 of its employees. In 2003, it applied for 515 patents. It operates 42 manufacturing plants throughout the world, which employ 14,000 people.

  • Cosmetics sales by division breakdown: 54.8% from consumer products at €7.506 bn, 25.1% from luxury products at €3.441 bn, 13.9% from professional products at €1.9 bn, and 5.5% from active cosmetics at €0.749 bn.
  • Cosmetic sales by geographic zone breakdown: 52.7% from Western Europe at €7.221 bn, 27.6% from North America at €3.784 bn, 19.7% from rest of the world at €2.699 bn.

In 2007, L’Oréal was ranked 353 in the Fortune Global 500.[5] The company had earned $2,585 million on sales of $19,811 million. There were 60,850 employees.[5]

Joint ventures and minority interests

L’Oréal holds 10.41% of the shares of Sanofi-Aventis, the world's number 3 and Europe's number 1 pharmaceutical company. The Laboratoires Innéov is a joint venture in nutritional cosmetics between L’Oréal and Nestlé; they draw on L’Oréal's knowledge in the fields of nutrition and food safety. Galderma is another joint venture in dermatology between L'Oréal and Nestlé.

Community involvement and awards

In 2008, L'Oréal was named Europe's top business employer by The European Student Barometer [6], a survey conducted by Trendence that covers 20 European countries and incorporates the responses of over 91,000 students.

The L'Oréal-UNESCO Awards for Women in Science was established to improve the position of women in science by recognizing outstanding women researchers who have contributed to scientific progress.

The awards are a result of a partnership between the French cosmetics company L'Oréal and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and carry a grant of $100,000 USD for each laureate. [1]

The same partnership awards the UNESCO-L'Oréal International Fellowships, providing up to $40,000 USD in funding over two years to fifteen young women scientists engaged in exemplary and promising research projects.[7]

Claims of racial discrimination in advertising and litigation

On August 11, 2005, the Supreme Court of California ruled that former L'Oréal sales manager Elyse Yanowitz had adequately pleaded a cause of action for retaliatory termination under the California Fair Employment and Housing Act, and remanded the case for trial.[8] 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.

In May 2007, L'Oréal was one of several cosmetic manufacturers ordered by the Therapeutic Goods Administration in Australia to withdraw advertising regarding the wrinkle removal capabilities of their products.[9]

In July 2007, the Garnier division and an external employment agency were fined €30,000 for recruitment practices that intentionally excluded non-white women from promoting its shampoo, "Fructis Style".[10] L'Oréal is reported as saying the decision was "incomprehensible",[11] and would challenge the measure in court.

In July 2007, the British Advertising Standards Authority attacked L'Oréal for a television advert on its “Telescopic” mascara, featuring Penélope 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 wearing false eyelashes.[12]

Brands

Brands are generally categorized by their targeted markets, such as the mass, professional, luxury, and active cosmetics markets.

References

See also

External links


 
 

 

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