L'Oréal

The L' Oréal S. A. is a French consumer goods company headquartered in Clichy, currently the largest cosmetics company in the world. The only production site for a pure German manufacturing is located in Karlsruhe.

History

1907 began in Paris Eugène Schueller, the chemist with the small-scale production of Haarfärbetinkturen. He called one of these means aureole ( halo ). The name of the company founded in 1909 is probably derived from that name, but has no meaning in this form. The company is expanding its production and is soon all kinds of beauty products here. With a portfolio of over 500 brands and thousands of individual products L'Oréal increases soon the world leader in cosmetics, and markets its products in more than 150 countries.

Beginning of the 20th century gave Schueller financial aid to Cagoule, an anti - communist, extreme right-wing group. After the Second World War, several members were hired in management positions.

Ambre Solaire 1956, the brand will be launched for sun protection.

Lancôme is created as a new luxury brand in 1964.

1965 takes over L'Oreal Garnier and develop it further.

1973 L'Oréal acquires the French pharmaceutical company Synthelabo, which merges with Sanofi in 1999.

For the testing of finished products L' Oréal replaced in 1989 successful animal experiments with a specially developed skin model called Episkin. In May 2007, L'Oréal receives by ECVAM (European Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods ) the model's recognition as full-fledged replacement method for skin irritations. With 20 years studied in vitro method, the tolerance of ingredients and finished products without animal testing can now be evaluated in the future. However, L' Oréal caused, according to the animal rights group PETA in 2000 that individual ingredients for cosmetic products were tested on animals.

Since the 1990s, the basis for the Group's growth is mainly due to the expansion in emerging countries such as China, India and South Africa. The Group also conducts an aggressive acquisition strategy: 1991 Dralle, 1995 Jade, 1996 Maybelline, 1998 Soft Sheen, 2000 Kiehl's, Carson Products, 2001 Bio -Medic and Colorama, 2003 shu uemura, 2003 Mini Nurse, 2004 Yue - Sai, 2005 SkinCeuticals, 2006 Sanoflore and SkinEthic, 2007 Canan, Beauty Alliance, PureOlogy and Maly 's West, 2008 Columbia Beauty Supply, 2011 Clarisonic.

In February 2002, L' Oréal and Nestlé set up a joint venture called Laboratoires innéov, which specializes in cosmetic nutritional supplements.

L' Oréal maintains 19 research centers worldwide: inter alia, in Aulnay -sous -Bois (F), Chevilly (F), Clark (New Jersey, USA), Kawasaki (JP) and since 2005 in Shanghai.

In March 2005, L' Oréal announced the British natural cosmetics chain The Body Shop to take over for the equivalent of 940.3 million euros. First, an ethical change in direction of the chain became public fears, but L' Oréal later clarifies, The Body Shop to be treated as independent daughter, and make any changes regarding products, management and ethical values ​​.

In July 2007, a Paris court convicted the cosmetics group L' Oréal for racial discrimination. The Group and its agency were sentenced to 30,000 euros, because the subsidiary Garnier had excluded dark-skinned candidates for an advertising campaign in the search for women. L' Oréal dismissed all allegations and announced that it would pull up in front of the Supreme Court. "We do not tolerate any form of racism and discrimination," it said in a statement.

Company Profile

2012, the Group achieved an annual turnover of 22.46 billion euro operating profit of EUR 3.69 billion. Sales, profit and return on sales increased steadily over the last 20 years.

The expenses for advertising and promotion be a multiple of the research effort ( 6.3 billion euros compared to 721 million euros, as of 2011). Main shareholder with 30.8 % is Liliane Bettencourt ( * 1922 ), the daughter of Eugène Schueller. 41.1 % of this share has her daughter Françoise Bettencourt- Meyers is over, but without the associated voting rights. The second largest shareholder is the Nestlé group with 29.6%. The Bettencourt family and Nestlé have mutually granted a right of first refusal for their shares until the end of 2013.

The remaining shares are traded on the public capital market.

Chairman is Jean -Paul Agon. The first woman on the Board was Béatrice Dautresme. Today, three women on the Executive Board: Brigitte Liberman, An Verhulst -Santos and Sara Ravella.

The Group owns 27 brands, which are divided into four divisions.

• The Consumer Products include L' Oréal Paris, Garnier and Maybelline Jade, Essie, SoftSheen Carson
• Professional products that are sold only in salons Kérastase, Redken, Matrix, Shu Uemura Art of Hair and L' Oréal Professionnel.
• Brands of luxury products are: Lancôme, Biotherm, Helena Rubinstein, Kiehl's, Diesel, Giorgio Armani, Ralph Lauren, Cacharel, Viktor & Rolf and Yves Saint Laurent Beauté, Clarisonic.
• Brands of dermopharmacy are Vichy, La Roche -Posay, innéov, Roger & Gallet and SkinCeuticals. In addition, part of the L' Oréal Group, the natural cosmetics brand Laboratoire Sanoflore.
• The Body Shop

The Group promotes the UNESCO L'Oréal prices outstanding women in science.

Criticism

In the mirror (10/2005 ) Critics accuse the group not kept advertising promises. The expensive perfumes contained almost exclusively synthetic fragrances, the cost of producing substances cheat less than 3% of the sale price. Cosmetics Group was counteracted neither of cellulite even the aging of the skin, although in the consolidated Such advertising would suggest. Next L' Oréal is accused by the Spiegel article, polluting substances such as phthalates, which are regarded as toxic to reproduction, and phenylenediamine, an aggressive allergen to use in some products and skin.

The animal rights organization PETA criticized L' Oréal for years because they still (as of: January 7, 2014) to perform animal experiments or to commission.