L'Oréal

Company overview

L'Oréal is the world's largest cosmetics company, based in France, with brands such as L'Oréal Paris, Lancôme, Garnier, Maybelline, Kérastase, La Roche-Posay, CeraVe and Kiehl's. It sells skin care, hair care, make-up and perfume in around 150 countries. It invests heavily in research, including biotechnology, lab-grown skin models and the study of the skin microbiome. Many of its products use active ingredients derived from plants, algae and microbes, some produced through fermentation and genetic research. Beauty makes up almost its entire business. The company was founded in Paris in 1909 and is still controlled by the founding Bettencourt family and Nestlé.