Our History

The adventure of Beauty

1909-1956

The first step, constructing a model

In 1909, Eugène Schueller, a young chemist with an entrepreneurial spirit, founded the company that was to become the L’Oréal Group. It all began with one of the first hair dyes that he formulated, manufactured and sold to Parisian hairdressers. With this, the founder of the Group forged the first link in what is still the DNA of L'Oréal: research and innovation in the service of Beauty.

© DR / L'Oréal Heritage

1957-1983

On the road to the Grand L’Oréal 

© DR / L'Oréal Heritage

These are the formative years of “Le Grand L’Oréal”.

At the instigation of Chairman François Dalle, the Group starts to expand internationally. Strategic brand acquisitions mark the beginning of a period of spectacular growth for the company and emblematic products come into being.

Our motto becomes “Savoir saisir ce qui commence” (seize new opportunities).

1984-1987

Beauty is a scientific adventure

Charles Zviak, a research and development pioneer succeeds François Dalle. These years are marked by a great period of growth for us, mainly driven by the significant investments made by our group in the field of research.

Alongside these efforts are strategic product launches that not only make history, but also succeed in strengthening our Group’s brand image.

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1988-2005

Become number one in the beauty industry

Under the management of Lindsey Owen-Jones, our Group would completely change in scope to become the world leader in cosmetics through the worldwide presence of our brands and strategic acquisitions.

2006-Today

Diversity of Beauty worldwide

With Jean-Paul Agon as its Chief Executive Officer, L'Oréal commits itself to the path of universalization with a clear mission statement: Beauty for All.
With our portfolio of powerful international brands, we enter the 21st century by embracing diversity and inclusion in our global growth agenda.
In addition to the business dimension, the new L’Oréal is characterized by new ethical and socially responsible initiatives.
We continue to make new acquisitions to cover the world’s varied cosmetic needs, and to carry out initiatives that are socially, environmentally and digitally responsible, underlying the interests of sustainable development for all.

Discover The Visionaries

The founders of our brands are daring personalities.
They embody our entrepreneurial spirit, our thirst for innovation and our passion for beauty.
They seize new trends ahead of their time.

They create the beauty that moves the world

Group

Visionaries: Eugène Schueller

Visionaries: Eugène Schueller

Group

Visionaries: Armand Petitjean

Visionaries: Armand Petitjean

Group

Visionaries: Jamie Kern Lima

Visionaries: Jamie Kern Lima

Group

Visionaries: John Kiehl, Aaron Morse, Irving Morse

Visionaries: John Kiehl, Aaron Morse, Irving Morse

Group

Visionaries: Shu Uemura

Visionaries: Shu Uemura

Group

Visionaries: Jeanine Marissal

Visionaries: Jeanine Marissal