History of L’Oréal

L’Oréal was founded in 1909 by Eugène Schueller, a French chemist who developed an early hair dye formula and began selling it to Paris salons. Schueller established a small laboratory and gradually built a distribution network across France. The company’s name, initially ‘Société Française de Teintures Inoffensives pour Cheveux,’ was later shortened, and L’Oréal registered as a commercial brand in the early decades of the 20th century.

By the mid-20th century, L’Oréal had expanded beyond hair colour into skincare, cosmetics, and fragrances, and began acquiring other companies. Key acquisitions included Lancôme, Garnier, and Maybelline, which gave L’Oréal coverage across luxury, mid-range, and mass-market cosmetics segments. These moves allowed the company to reach a broad global consumer base and establish operations across Europe, North America, and Asia.

In subsequent decades, L’Oréal invested heavily in research and development, building laboratories focused on dermatology, formulation science, and digital beauty technology. The company grew into the world’s largest cosmetics group by revenue, with its portfolio spanning more than 30 brands sold in over 150 countries. Its acquisition strategy continued into the 2010s and 2020s, adding brands such as CeraVe, IT Cosmetics, and Aesop.

L’Oréal established a manufacturing facility in Migdal Ha’emek, in northern Israel, in the mid-1990s, producing skincare products incorporating Dead Sea minerals. The site has been a focal point for BDS campaign groups, which note that Migdal Ha’emek was established on land previously occupied by the Palestinian village of al-Mujaydil. L’Oréal was also fined $1.4 million in 1991 by the United States Commerce Department for complying with the Arab League’s boycott of Israel; the company subsequently reversed its stance and expanded its Israeli operations.