L'oreal brand history

A name that pleases the ear, cosmetics that caress the skin - few people know that L’Oréal has been responsible for our beauty for a hundred years. We have prepared a mini-lecture about the history of the company and invite you to it right now. So. Once upon a time there lived a young chemist Eugene Schueller in Paris...

1. First laboratory. At home in the kitchen
2. Dream of clean hair
3. Sunburn and amber
4. Bestsellers of the L’Oréal Paris brand

First laboratory. At home in the kitchen

In the heart of Paris, near the Louvre, chemist Eugene Paul Louis Schueller spent his days and nights experimenting in his own kitchen in a small apartment. And one day his experiments led him to the desired formula: he managed to create a relatively permanent hair dye - a completely natural golden blonde. He christened his brainchild L’Aureale (Loreal) - this was the name of a fashionable hairstyle at that time made of waves of curled hair neatly laid around the head.

The new product has made life a lot easier for both hairdressers and ladies themselves. After all, previously the path to beautiful hair and renewed color lay through henna and hydrogen peroxide, which sometimes led to the most unexpected results.

The French Company of Safe Hair Dyes, created by Eugene, was renamed L’Oréal in 1909. In honor of the first happy experience.

Dream of clean hair

As befits the creator of any grandiose company, Eugene was obsessed with the idea of ​​innovation in the beauty industry and was looking for new ways to develop his business. Not far from home, in one of the most beautiful places in Paris, he opens a hair coloring studio, where he trains hairdressers.

It is curious that one of the first master teachers was a hairdresser of the imperial court from Russia.

But Schueller wanted to bestow beauty on everyone. Everyone without exception. In the mid-20s, he literally made a revolution by offering a product for home use - foam for washing hair without water (plumbing in the house was a luxury at that time). As a chemist, he knew for sure that beauty begins with purity. In the advertisement, the product was called “champagne for hair.”

In the 30s, the first homemade shampoo was invented and gradually came into use. Thanks to L'Oréal.

Sunburn and amber

The company was doing well; its founder purchased a yacht and decided to spend the summer sailing in the seemingly cool Brittany. The sunburn came as a surprise and prompted the scientist that Schueller always remained to think about sunscreen lotion. Thus, in 1936, the product Ambre Solaire (“Solar Amber”) appeared, which is still very familiar to us today.

And then began a series of discoveries that sometimes overturned the usual ideas about skin and hair care and, without exaggeration, changed people’s lifestyles. We list only the iconic ones.

Soap softened with milk has become much more convenient and pleasant to use.

A gentle hair lightening product and - the bomb - platinum blonde dye. Schueller said: “One day millions of brunettes will want to become blondes.” I wonder how he knew this?

Homemade hair dyes.

Revitalift formula, which has become the basis for several lines of anti-aging cosmetics.

Artificial leather, which, continuing the company’s glorious scientific traditions, was created in the L’Oréal laboratory in order to refuse to test new products on animals.

Caring cosmetics for men.

“Beauty for everyone” was the motto of Eugene Schueller. These words still determine the course of the company, which has grown to become the world's largest holding company. Yes, we all deserve it.

Bestsellers of the L’Oréal Paris brand

For hair

Hair dye Casting Crème Gloss in a set with a balm intended for caring for hair after coloring. Huge selection of shades.

Line “Elsev luxury 6 oils” includes a nourishing shampoo, conditioner and cream oil that makes hair smooth, gives it shine, and also provides protection when styling with a hair dryer or straightener.

Duet "Elsev Fibrology" from shampoo and balm really increases hair thickness: the phyloxan molecule penetrates the hair structure and thickens it from the inside.

For body

Sunscreen cosmetics “Sublim Sun” is a wide range of products for use before and after tanning, from traditional milk to dry oil.

For face

Anti-aging care line Revitalift Filler (ha) combined day and night creams, serum, eye cream. The Revitalift formula is enriched with high concentrations of hyaluronic acid - it smooths out wrinkles and restores volume to the face.

Anti-aging care line Revitalift Laser x3 showed high efficiency. In addition to the day cream and night cream-mask, the range includes a peeling lotion for a deeper rejuvenating effect.

Biphasic micellar water Contains cleansing oils and removes even waterproof makeup while caring for your skin.

Luxury Food Line with nourishing and antioxidant oils, in addition to day and night transforming creams, it offers extraordinary oils and cream-oils for different skin types.

Moisturizing Expert products — creams and cream-gel that solve the problem of moisturizing the skin for 24 hours. Suitable for different skin types, from dry sensitive to oily.

Men's line "Men Expert Hydra Sensitive" based on birch sap, it includes a cleansing gel, an aftershave gel and a moisturizing care designed specifically for men’s sensitive skin.

France remains the world leader in the production of cosmetics, and largely thanks to this company. Opening a series of articles devoted to the history of the most famous brands of cosmetics and perfumes, we will begin with the history of the L’Oréal concern - “because it deserves it.”

5 surprising facts about L’Oréal:

In 2009, L’Oréal celebrated its centenary: it was founded in 1907 by the French chemist Eugene Schueller (Eugène Schueller, 1881-1957). His baker parents sincerely hoped that Eugene would continue the family business and invent some new cake, but a different fate awaited him. Having trained as a chemist, he went to work at the Central Pharmacy of France.

Eugene was prompted to create such a business by an incident: one evening he found his wife Louise in a terrible mood and in... hat It turned out that her hair was dyed unsuccessfully, and instead of blond curls, she received burnt tufts of hair of a reddish hue (at that time there were only natural dyes - henna and basma). To console my wife, 1907 Eugene invented synthetic paint, which delighted not only Louise, but also a hairdresser friend. This is how a hair dye called L’Auréale was born: the first safe (lead-free!) synthetic dye.

In 1909, Eugene Schueller registered his company with a complex name Société Française de Teintures Inoffensives pour Cheveux (literally translated – a French company producing safe hair dyes) with the slogan: “beauty research and innovation" The company with such a big name existed in a modest two-room apartment in Paris and an initial budget of 800 francs.

Eugene Schueller was the first to demand that clients first test the effect of the dye on one strand, and then dye their entire hair: this attention and care for consumers became the company's priority for a long time.

In 1928, Eugene Schueller buys a small Monsavon soap production plant – 10 years later, soap under this brand became the best-selling in France.

In 1929, Eugene's company released to the Paris market Immédia hair dye - a prototype of modern peroxide-based hair dyes, it colored hair faster and better than its predecessors.

The same year a beauty magazine was released Votre Beauty, existing to this day. Interesting fact: in 1945, the magazine's general director was François Mitterrand, the future president of France. In 1937, the company founded a new magazine, Marie-Claire.

Already in 1932, the business of Eugene Schueller expanded to production of legendary hairsprays, and in 1934 also an unheard of novelty - hair shampoo – DOP – before this, hair was washed only with soap or soap shavings.

In 1936 it was developed Sunscreen milk Ambre Solaire, which conveniently coincided with the introduction of paid vacations and the emergence of the fashion for tanning. And soon the first plant for the production of sunscreens was built.

Officially The L'Oréal brand was registered in 1939 with its main office in Paris, rue Royal, 14. Many people find consonance with French words in the name l'or (gold) And aureole (halo). According to another version, the name of the company comes from the name hairstyle popular in the early 20th century — l'auréale – the hair frames the face in waves, like a halo.

In 1945, the first hair perm – Oreol, and in 1947 L’Oréal offered the first paint for home use Rege-Color.

In 1953, L’Oréal expanded beyond the European market and opened its first branch in the USA.

After the death of Eugene Schueller in 1957, the company was inherited by his daughter Liliane Bettencourt (Liliane Bettencourt)

L’Oréal pursues a policy of expansion at the expense of well-known cosmetic brands: in 1964 it buys a French company Lancôme, then Garnier (1965), Biotherm (1970), and in the 80s - company shares Helena Rubinstein And Vichy, La Roche-Posay (1989) and Maybelline (1996). One of the latest and most high-profile acquisitions of the concern is the company The Body Shop worth £652 million (2006).

Following the trends of the time, L’Oréal teams up with one of the European leaders in mail order sales - Les 3 Suisses, and creates Beauty Makers Club, distributing branded cosmetics by mail Agnes B. And Jean-Marc Maniatis.

This is how L’Oréal turned from a family business into the largest cosmetics company in the world. Today, L’Oréal has: 67 thousand employees, 47 factories in 22 countries and 25 world-famous cosmetics companies, representing about 500 different brands sold in 130 countries. An amazing fact: most of the brands of cosmetics that you buy in pharmacies, supermarkets and even expensive cosmetics stores belong to the L’Oréal concern: ĽOréal Professionnel, Kerastase, Redken, Matrix, ĽOréal Paris, Garnier, Maybelline, SoftSheen-Carson, Lancôme, Giorgio Armani, Yves Saint Laurent, Ralph Lauren, Biotherm, Helena Rubinstein, Shu Uemura, Kiehl's, Diesel, Cacharel, Vichy, La Roche-Posay, Inneov, SkinCeuticals And The Body Shop.

L'Oréal is the second most valuable company in France after the oil giant Total Fina Elf.

L’Oréal, following the slogan of Eugene Schueller, pays great attention to research in the field of cosmetology, the concern owns 5 research centers: two in France, in the USA, Japan and China: 2,700 chemists annually develop about 3 thousand new cosmetic formulas.

L'Oréal spends record advertising funds – about 30% profit. Been the face of advertising campaigns Painting Deneuve, Jane Fonda, Andie MacDowell, Penelope Cruz, Laetitia Casta. Advertising company slogan: “Because you deserve it!"(until 2009 - “Because I deserve it!”) and the somewhat ironic “They deserve it too!"for the men's line.

The majority shareholders of the concern are Liliane Bettencourt (30%) and Nestlé (29%). Liliane is the only daughter of Eugene Schueller, she received her surname from her husband Andre Bettencourt, a friend of her father, he was a member of the National Assembly, a minister, a senator and even an academician. At 86 years old, Liliane Bettencourt is richest woman in France, her fortune of 20 billion US dollars ranks 17th in the world according to the Forbes ranking for 2010.

Some more scandalous facts: the name of the creator of L’Oréal, Eugene Schueller, is often mentioned in connection with the far-right anti-Semitic organization during the Second World War, La Cagoule, whose finances he managed. Mr. Bettencourt also belonged to the same organization at one time. And today Ms. Bettencourt is engaged in scientific work, the subject of which she chose “what is common in Christianity and Judaism.”

The beginning of the 20th century for France, as for other European countries, was a time of rapid growth, development and modernization of the economy, and a way out of the crisis. The share of agriculture still prevailed over industrial production, but this ratio quickly changed, and large industrial and commercial enterprises began to appear, factories were built, technical inventions such as cars and airplanes appeared, and the railway network developed.

Economic situation in Europe at the beginning of the twentieth century

Two types of business ideas had the greatest success:

1. ideas for improving mechanisms, machines and equipment;
2. ideas related to meeting the everyday needs of the newly formed working class.

Typical and quite frequent for this time are stories about the emergence of a business from scratch, based only on a person’s personal knowledge and unique experience. The article will discuss the main business strategies chosen by the founder of the L’oreal concern and the flexible policy of his successors to gain world dominance in the cosmetics market.

The founder of the future L’oreal company, Eugene Schueller, became a businessman thanks to his inquisitive mind, knowledge of chemistry and chance.

Birth of a business idea

Eugene Schueller was born in 1881 in Paris, into a family of confectioners and was supposed to continue the work of his parents. But the young man was attracted to chemistry classes. In 1904 he graduated from the French National School of Chemical Technology. After training, he worked as a laboratory assistant at the Sorbonne University and at the Central Pharmacy of France. At the Sorbonne, Eugene meets his future wife Louise, who will then play an important role in the development of his business idea.

It is believed that it was the unsuccessful dyeing and damaged hair of Schueller’s wife that prompted him to come up with a synthetic, more durable dye that does not contain harmful lead impurities and is close to the natural shade of the hair.
My wife tested a sample sample on herself and was pleased. Eugene Schueller offered several samples to a hairdresser he knew. Having received good reviews, he realized that he could make money with the paint and began offering his development in hairdressing salons in Paris. Gradually, the demand for synthetic paint begins to grow.

First paint. Schueller's idea was unique and ahead of its time, because hairdressers used only one type of dye - Japanese, made from henna and basma, which irrevocably damaged the hair and dyed it in bright unnatural shades. Realizing this, in 1907 the young businessman decided to patent two hair dyes with the names Noir et Or and L’Aureal.

The emergence of L'oreal

In 1909, Schueller registered his company for the production of hair dyes and gave it the name “French Company for the Production of Safe Hair Dyes”, and then renamed it to a more convenient and memorable one - L’oreal.

The company's office was located in the chemist's apartment, and the authorized capital was 800 francs. Schueller had to make the paint himself at night, without assistants, and during the day conduct business meetings with potential buyers. In order to interest clients, he carried out such a marketing move - he invited them to dye one strand and, after evaluating the result, decide on purchasing the product.

In the same 1909, Schueller acquired a partner, Eppernet, who invested 25 thousand francs in the production of hair dye. To expand and take his business to the next level, Eugene Schueller is taking the following steps:

1. Expands production by attracting new employees.
2. Works closely with the press to promote the brand more successfully. In 1910, in the magazine “Parisian Hairdresser”, he published an article on hair coloring, where he emphasized the need to carry out a skin test to check for the possibility of an allergic reaction. In 1912, he bought this magazine.
3. relies on potential consumers - hairdressers (stylists) and strives to work closely with them, for this he organizes his own hair coloring school on the Rue de Louvre in Paris, where he independently demonstrates his developments.

After just a year of intensive work, the first breakthrough occurs - L’oreal synthetic paints become known outside France in most European countries.

Strengthening our position in the global market

The next significant stage in strengthening the position of the L’oreal brand began in the 1920s - the brand conquered international markets.

At this time, the First World War ended and society was changing - women began to work, take more care of their appearance, fashion trends in clothing, music, and the appearance of people changed. The enterprising Eugene Schueller tries his best to use the new trends of the times and build marketing moves on their basis:

1. The thesis about the need to monitor hair hygiene was promoted to the masses, and in 1928, Schueller acquired the Monsavon soap production company, modernized and launched the production of O’Cap hair washing lotion.
2. Hollywood films where the main roles are played by blonde actresses (for example, Judy Harlow) become popular and women all over the world begin to buy bleaching dyes - the L’oreal company begins to release a new dye, L’Oreal Blanc.
3. The company produces a line of soap-free shampoos called “Dop”, and to attract attention to the new product it organizes a children’s hair washing competition.
4. In 1936, France underwent reforms that led to the adoption of a law on compulsory paid leave for the working class. It was this year that the Ambre Soliaire line of sun protection products was launched.

Thus, the L’Oreal company is conquering more and more new markets due to the fact that the head of the company is very sensitive to changes in society and timely launches the release of new, original and revolutionary products. In addition, Schueller continues to make the most of all possible ways to popularize his products - billboards on city streets, radio advertising, the launch of the magazine "Your Beauty", the launch of television advertising after World War II.

New leader - new horizons

Since 1957, Francois Dahl has been a key figure in launching L'Oreal's global dominance., which pursued a policy of expansion by purchasing well-known cosmetic brands and opening enterprises in other countries, increasing production capacity and attracting new researchers.

From 1964 to 2006, L’Oreal gradually turned into a concern, which bought up such famous cosmetics brands as Lancôme, Garnier, Biotherm, Helena Rubinstein, Vichy, La Roche-Posay, Maybelline, The Body Shop. Adapting to the changing market, the company begins to establish sales of cosmetics by mail.

Another key figure who influenced the success of L’Oreal products was Lindsay Owen-Jones, which was not afraid to expand the sales market in Asia, thereby laying claim to world domination, while trying to preserve the uniqueness of the brands affiliated to the concern.

Thus, successive leaders of the concern successfully pursued a policy of acquiring enterprises and intensively creating innovative products.

Features of the development of L’oreal

Unlike its competitors, the L’Oreal concern over the many years of its successful activity has always tried to preserve the uniqueness of those brands that joined it, while constantly working to improve and develop products.

The main distinguishing feature in doing business is that the management of the concern has never skimped on advertising campaigns. According to analysts, up to 30% of profits are spent on all kinds of marketing research and advertising campaigns.

Confident leadership in the cosmetic market

L’Oreal entered the Russian market in the 1990s as L’Oreal CJSC. Gradually, almost all world brands belonging to the concern became available in stores and pharmacies in our country. Since 2010, a plant has appeared to produce hair dyes, rinses and shampoos for such famous world brands as L’Oréal Paris and Garnier.

Now the L’Oreal concern is a leader in the cosmetics and perfumery market. About 68 thousand employees work at 47 enterprises and 5 research institutes owned by the concern, and products are sold in 130 countries around the world. Annual income is more than 16 billion USD, thanks to the fact that over 107 years of operation, management and employees have tirelessly introduced innovations into production and made profitable acquisitions in the right market segments.

Company contacts

Headquarters: France, Clichy-la-Garenne (Ile-de-France)

Website of the Russian representative office - www.loreal.com.ru

Useful video

L'oreal business history.