When you think of L’Oreal, do visions of candy bars dance through your head? Don’t be alarmed if they do. As a matter of fact, after this post, you may never again be able to look at a tube of Voluminous Mascara without picturing a Nestle Crunch bar.
Swiss food giant Nestle owns a 28 percent stake in L’Oreal. Today Nestle, which owns bits and pieces of dozens of different companies, sold an $11 billion chunk of contact lens maker Alcon. What does this have to do with L’Oreal? Well, rumor has it that Nestle intends to use the proceeds from the Alcon sale to stage a full takeover of L’Oreal. Yes, Nestle is sweet on makeup.
This afternoon, in the pursuit of “makeup knowledge,” your girl 1) ate a Nestle Crunch bar and 2) uncovered a few fun facts about L’Oreal.
Did you know…
- L’Oreal’s largest single shareholder is 85-year-old French heiress Lilian Bettencourt, daughter of L’Oreal’s founder. Worth an estimated $22 billion, Bettencourt is also the world’s richest woman.
- Swiss food company Nestle owns 1/4 of the company.
- L’Oreal is the world’s largest cosmetics company.
- L’Oreal is also the top nanotechnology patent-holder in the United States.
- L’Oreal was founded in 1907 by Eugene Schueller, a young French chemist who developed an innovative hair-color formula. He named his improved hair dye Auréole. With that, the history of L’Oreal began.
- L’Oreal employs 50,500 people (only 24 percent work in France) in over 130 countries.
- Spokespeople for L’Oreal have included Aishwarya Rai, Matthew Fox, Ben Affleck and the Spice Girls.
- L’Oreal consists of over a dozen global brands split into five groups: consumer products, professional products, luxury products, active cosmetics and The Body Shop.
Consumer Product Brands
Garnier
L’Oreal Paris
Le Club Des Createurs
Maybelline New York
Softsheen.Carson
Professional Products
L’Oreal Professional
Kerastase
Redken
Matrix
Mizani
Luxury Products
Lancome
Biotherm
Helena Rubinstein
Kiehl’s
Shu Uemura
Giorgio Armani
Ralph Lauren
Cacharel
Victor & Rolf
Diesel
Active Cosmetics
Vichy
La Roche Posay
Inneov
Skinceuticals
Sanoflore
The Body Shop
The Body Shop
Sources: wikipedia, Forbes, LOreal.com
The nanotechnology and Matthew Fox things are a little out of left field, yah?
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
P.S. Before you jet, beauty lover, check out the home page for more makeup reviews. 🙂
Nikki says
April 7th, 2008 at 9:46 pmAnd that means that like all of those companies (except The Body Shop) test on animals! Shoot!
i♥makeup says
April 7th, 2008 at 10:09 pmYay Aishwarya Rai:)
i♥makeup’s last blog post..Interview with Make-up Artist Clint Fernandes
Karen says
April 7th, 2008 at 10:15 pmHi Nikki,
It’s sad but very few big cosmetics companies with histories as long as L’oreal’s (101 years) can claim to have never tested any products on animals.
christal says
April 7th, 2008 at 10:32 pmwow had no idea that l’oreal owned laroche posay as well crazy
Breezy says
April 7th, 2008 at 10:43 pmHmm that would be weird if they did an entire takeover. They best not discontinue my favorite products! Seems like everything is owned by some bigger company nowadays, that’s what it felt like when I went to Hearst Castle – ever been? – turns out the Hearst family owns Oprah and allll sorts of other magazines and shows blah blah blah – yeah ok that’s my little out of nowhere comment hehe. Its just been that kinda day.
Amita says
April 7th, 2008 at 10:47 pmHi Karen!
I’m from India and I’ve been lurking here since last month. I think you’ve done an amazing job on this blog, and I’ve learned so much from you (about make-up, writing style and humour! 😀 )
I’m restarting my own blog which I abandoned a year and a half ago, with a specific focus on make-up for women living in India. I want to give you a huuuuuge thank you for the inspiration you provided.
Bye for now and keep up the good work,
Amita
Amita’s last blog post..the resurrection post
Mariah says
April 7th, 2008 at 11:09 pmThat is so bizarre!!! @.@
And to think, I just added to their wealth today! I finally bought the Parrot dupe “Showy” from the HiP line! Weird! …why do I have this craving for chocolate now…???? XD
Mariah’s last blog post..Stolen from buttfacemakani!
Clueless Cat says
April 7th, 2008 at 11:39 pmOk, that picture you posted of the HIP line…just reminded me of a cream eyeliner I bought in a gorgeous shade of midnight blue. Gorgeous colour, yes. Flaking off my eyelids an hour later, check. Yuck. lol
Clueless Cat’s last blog post..Tidbits
Anna says
April 8th, 2008 at 2:01 amI try to stay away from L’oreal- well known for animal testing I’m afraid.
Jenny says
April 8th, 2008 at 3:09 amOooh wee! I love me some random facts!! WOW to billonaire heiress!! Anywho.. Karen, have you tried anything from their HiP line? I’ve heard mix reviews. I keep missing the BOGO half off or free deals! And my wallet refuses to spend $10+ on their cream (or gel?) eyeliners when I can spend a few extra dollars to get MAC fluidlines.. soo, I have yet to try it.
ilovecheese says
April 8th, 2008 at 7:26 amI didn’t know Loreal was such a Colossus in the beauty world! It nearly owns all the major companies, doesn’t it? I only use the moisturiser..shucks they test on animals..:( I have to give it up then!
ilovecheese’s last blog post..New Fergie pic
Tania says
April 8th, 2008 at 7:40 amKaren thanks for this very informative post. I totally love what you did with the Matthew Fox pic… hilarious!!! Girl KU totally rocked the hiz house!! We are the champions….my friend….
Dao says
April 8th, 2008 at 8:06 amI saw a flash avatar of Professor Snape (in Harry Potter) flipping his hair and said “Because you’re worth it!” A lot of people have been saying that Keratase is very similar to L’Oreal Vive and I guess it’s true. L’Oreal owns Keratase after all, plus Keratase is so freakin’ expensive!
Amanda says
April 8th, 2008 at 9:03 amwow, I knew that Loreal owned “some” other companies, just didn’t realize ALL the ones they owned! I’m most surprised that they own Maybelline and Kiehls! and all those different “competing” hair lines. and I think at one time I knew they owned shu, but had forgotten that. Do you recall off the top of your head what Matthew Fox and Ben Affleck promoted for them? I just can’t picture the men as spokespeople, lol.
Megan says
April 8th, 2008 at 9:30 amThat’s defintiely interesting. So it seems like between Estee Lauder and L’oreal, you can cover most brands…except for like the drugstore ones under P&G and J&J. I saw something in an article about Liliane Bettencourt before…I think her daughter has more of a hand in the company now than she does…even though she is the one who is the majority shareholder. I wonder what they will do if Nestle does move forward with a buy out.
BTW I’m wearing bronze goddess today and it’s definitely beachy. 🙂 when I went to Bloomingdales last week and bought it. I also smelled the Private Collection Tuberose Gardenia…which in name alone just made me think it might be old ladyish and too overwhelmingly floral…but it was really really nice. Very classic and nice. I’m thinking I might have to invest…but I’m going to have to visit this one for awhile. The eau de parfum is like $120 and the parfum is $300…or I may look into buying decant instead because…I’m not sure I can get behind that. Have you smelled this one before K?
Glosslizard says
April 8th, 2008 at 10:03 amNice post! Y’know, I was just in the drugstore the other day and saw a new HIP lipgloss that looked like a dead ringer for Style Minx! I was wondering if I could’ve saved myself some bucks, but when I checked out the price, it was about $12 compared with MAC’s $14! Not so big a difference! It seems that the “cheap” drugstore brands keep inching their prices up until there’s not even that much price difference between them and the more expensive “luxury” lines!
Perversely, one of the things I like about Chanel is that it’s not owned by L’Oreal, Estee Lauder or P & G (perverse because I can’t really think of a reason to resent these brands other than the fact that they are huge corporate entities — and Chanel is a mom n’ pop, right? LOL)!
Hmm, making a lot of (wet shirt) typos this morning! I must be distracted by (wet pants) something! Oh my, Matthew! 🙂
Karen says
April 8th, 2008 at 12:09 pmHi Iheartmakeup!
I am wearing my Aishwarya greens today! Yippee! 🙂
Karen says
April 8th, 2008 at 12:09 pmHi Christal,
I know! I was surprised to find out some of the companies they owned too, like Victor & Rolf!
Karen says
April 8th, 2008 at 12:11 pmHi Breezy,
I’ve lived in California practically all my life and have *never* been to Hearst castle! Funny that you mention the company because during my day job I do stuff related to publishing and Hearst is one of the companies that I hear about a lot.
Any, hope your day is going better today. 🙂 Didja go to kickboxing class this week?
Karen says
April 8th, 2008 at 12:12 pmHi Amita,
Oh, that’s great! I can’t wait to head over to your site and take a looksy. Happy blogging and writing, girl!
Karen says
April 8th, 2008 at 12:13 pmHi Mariah,
Oh! How do you like Showy? Do you own Parrot, by the way?
Karen says
April 8th, 2008 at 12:15 pmHi Clueless Cat,
I think I saw that liner when I did a drug store run two weeks ago. Too bad it flaked on you, boo.
Have you tried MAC Fluildline? It’s a gel liner that never flakes and stays put like CRAZY!
Mrs. Lynne, MakeupFix.net says
April 8th, 2008 at 1:37 pmThis is exactly why I said in one of my posts that L’Oreal needs to have a store front instead of hanging out next to Wet’n Wild in Wal-Mart, hah.
Mrs. Lynne, MakeupFix.net’s last blog post..Product Tip: Paint Pots Deserve The Spa Treatment Also!
i♥makeup says
April 8th, 2008 at 4:46 pmPost an FOTD with it, I wanna see the look u came up with gorgeous
i♥makeup’s last blog post..Katherine Heigl’s 27 Dresses’ (Indian Bridesmaid) Make-up Breakdown
Clueless Cat says
April 8th, 2008 at 6:15 pmKaren –
No, I haven’t tried fluidline yet…guess I’ll have to now!! lol But god, that L’Oreal HiP one is a disappointment, cause it was such a pretty colour! (The brush it came with is seriously crap too. LoL)
-CC 🙂
Victoria says
April 8th, 2008 at 7:25 pmAwesome – thanks for the beauty history lesson.I never would have thought they owned the body shop -wow!
Karen says
April 9th, 2008 at 7:11 pmHi Mrs. Lynne,
Ha! So true!
Karen says
April 9th, 2008 at 7:11 pmSho’ nuff Iheartmakeup,
I have some killer dark circles (haven’t been sleeping well lately) and a big ole pimple on my cheek… when they go away I’ll do one!
Karen says
April 9th, 2008 at 7:14 pmHi Clueless Cat,
Fluidline is AWESOME. It’s the easiest eyeliner to use and you can do so much with it. You can smudge it, make crisp lines, use it as a eyeshadow base and on your waterline too (it won’t budge). I use several different brushes; right now I’m all about the Laura Mercier tightline brush or the MAC 209 with the Fluidline! Lemme know if you need some color recommendations. 🙂
Karen says
April 9th, 2008 at 7:15 pmHi Victoria! You’re welcome! Gotta love learning random, fun facts…
Karen says
April 9th, 2008 at 7:19 pmHi Glosslizard,
I’ve noticed the prices inching up as well, especially with lines like Neutrogena and Revlon. Despite the price increase I still like the experience of going to the drugstore, getting an ice cream cone, and just wandering around to look at makeup. It totally makes me feel like a kid again!
Yah, for some reason I though Chanel was owned by LVMH but I guess they are still independently held. Speaking of Chanel, I wore my Teint Innocense foundation today and if I do say so myself it looked pretty rockin…
OMG, Matthew! Did you watch him on Party of Five back in the day?
Karen says
April 9th, 2008 at 7:22 pmHi Anna,
I am not sure if all their companies animal test. I’m looking into it, though…
Karen says
April 9th, 2008 at 7:24 pmHi Jenny,
I’ve tried their pigment sticks and I like em. They are fun… they look kinda like sidewalk chalk. I wet them to get a higher payoff! But that’s the only thing I’ve used.
And girl, every penny you spend on Fluidline is sooo well spent. What’s your fave? I loves me some Blacktrack…
Karen says
April 9th, 2008 at 7:26 pmHi Ilovecheese,
Which moisturizer do you use? Do you use the new one that has both the moisturizer and the serum?
Karen says
April 9th, 2008 at 7:27 pmHey Tania,
YAY! Congrats! I bet you had a crazy celebration and that your Subway sandwich tasted extra good because your team won! WOOT!
Karen says
April 9th, 2008 at 7:30 pmHi Dao,
I used both Vive and Kerastase back in the day, and they’re fairly comparable. They also have a pretty great line sold at Sally’s callled Nature’s Therapy. I no longer use the products because I quit using silicones on my hair, but for some women they’re a godsend.
LOL, I just laughed thinking of P.Snape flipping his dark locks and saying that catch phrase!
Karen says
April 9th, 2008 at 7:31 pmHi Amanda,
Nope, I don’t remember! I dunno if I’d buy shampoo from Ben, LOL.
Karen says
April 9th, 2008 at 7:38 pmHi Megan,
Apparently there’s some agreement in place where they can’t buy the shares until next year. If there’s a buy out it’s speculated to happen after 2011. I bet you Liliane has a fantastic makeup collection… LE SIGH!
Yay, bronze goddess! I so need to spray some and have it take me alway.
Regarding the Private Collection Tuberose Gardenai, I have smelled it before and I *love* it. I have a weakness for florals, especially rose based ones. I really like EL fragrances. They’ve done several of my faves (Pleasures, Beyond Paradise, Beautiful). I’d visit it for a while, too. I saw online that there’s a 1oz bottle for $65. If it’s Eau de Parfum then you probably won’t have to use much. The bottle for the $300 is gorgeous!
Clueless Cat says
April 9th, 2008 at 8:51 pmHey Karen!
I actually just bought Fluidline last night, in Waveline (such a GORGEOUS colour, even though I was really looking for something metallic, haha) am using it today, and used my bobbi brown eyeliner brush 🙂 loving it so far although the colour isn’t as dense as I would like – then again it might be cause I used the Eye Prep + Prime (thought i was gonna wear eyeshadow today, then decided against it)? dunno, will continue playing around! Thanks for the recommendation 🙂
-CC
Clueless Cat’s last blog post..Three Guys and a Girl
ilovecheese says
April 9th, 2008 at 11:53 pmHi Karen, happy thursday! (it is just one more day to Saturday!!!)
I use the L’Oréal Happyderm Skin Exhilarating Moisturizer, and I have to admit, it is f.a.b.u.l.o.u.s. It goes on light, moisturises evenly with just a teeny tiny drop (half the size of a pea for my entire face), does not make me oily even after 4-5 hours! The scent is very pleasant, quite mild and a bit peachy. I’ve been using it for 2 months, nearly 3-4 times a week and I’ve still used only 20 percent of the bottle. It claims the main ingredient, which makes the skin exhilarated is “Phyto-Dorphines”. Not sure whether my skin feels so happy, but I’m very happy with the results!
Here’s the link to that product http://www.lorealparis.ca/en/skincare/index_happyderm.asp
ilovecheese’s last blog post..So, you think I can bark?
Glosslizard says
April 10th, 2008 at 8:09 amOh, every time I get a prescription (for me, one of the kids, Hubby…) I take it right down to the drugstore so I can cruise the aisles for the 20 minutes it takes them to fill it! I always come away with something, even if its only hair bands! 🙂
And no, I never did watch Party of Five, I think I never even noticed him until you posted that picture! Helloooooo, Matthew!
Lea says
April 16th, 2008 at 11:47 amHey Karen,
I love informative blogs. My bf works for Nestle (he’s been since 1997, his first and only real job…probably will be his employer until he retires). He once forwarded an email to me about a professional make up artist visiting his work to share a tutorial on makeup/L’Oreal. Nestle is absolutely massive! They are on every country immaginable, 130 accros the world. Most people know about NesCafe and their many chocolates but Nestle also owns Arrowhead, Stouffers, Purina, Powerbar, Maggi, Dreyers, Friskies, Carnation.
Now I wish they’d give us freebies and coupons but not really.