L'Oreal

L'Oreal is today the world's biggest manufacturer of beauty care products. It makes and markets an extensive range of skin care, hair care, and face care products, and also perfumes. In 2007, with its profit of $2,585, Fortune magazine ranked L’Oreal 353 in the list of ‘Fortune Global 500.’ In October 2008, the company's Canada branch was named one of Canada's Top 100 Employers. It was the only cosmetics company to receive this honor.


L’Oreal was started in 1907 as a home business in hair dyes and is even today best known across the world for its famous hair colors. The company grew fast and by the end of the First World War, its products were available across 17 countries. By 1928 the product range started growing. By the 1930s and 40s, they incorporated more personal care products like soaps and shampoos and suntans, and started its advertising campaigns in earnest. They even launched their own women’s beauty magazine to aid marketing.


Over a period of time, L’Oreal recruited many chemical engineers and started its own research and development wing. In 1954, in collaboration with the company Vichy, they branched into skin care products as well. In 1980 Vichy became a part of L’Oreal.


All through the second half of the 20th century, the company expanded by increasing their stake in other companies and by the acquisition of yet others. The perfume house André Courrèges and the drug manufactures Metabio-Joullie, the company Synthélabo, and quite recently the cosmetics company The Body Shop, have been acquisitioned by L’Oreal. It has operations in more than 130 countries today.


With the quality of its products, an ever expanding research base, and continuously evolving advertising and marketing methods, the company has retained its No. 1 position in beauty care products.