A saucepan, a lock of hair, and patience: this is how the L'Oréal cosmetics empire was born.
The "because I'm worth it" company was hatched in a dark Paris apartment and now has a turnover of €43 billion.
In a dark, cramped apartment on Rue d'Argel, in the heart of Paris, Eugène Schueller sits at the stove. He lights one and, concentrating hard, heats a saucepan. It contains a thick paste that he stirs carefully while adding the final touches of a thousand ingredients. His intuition tells him that this time, yes, he's going to get it right. It's 1907, and after weeks of puzzlement, he feels he's about to stumble upon the ideal formula: a product capable of dyeing hair a uniform, shiny shade without causing irritation or unpleasant odors. He takes a spatula and, using surgical powder, deposits a small amount of the mixture onto a strand of hair that has been waiting on his desk for days. It only takes a few seconds to confirm: he's just created a dye with enormous potential.
She named it L'Auréale, inspired by the way young Parisian women call the hairstyle popularized by actress Sarah Bernhardt. Her hair is left loose on both sides of the face, with gently wavy strands that create a swaying motion across the cheekbones. It's a simple yet groundbreaking style: a symbol of freedom, modernity, and class.
Indeed, L'Auréale is the origin of L'Oréal, a colossal group that—apart from the products labeled with this flagship name—today includes brands such as Lancôme, Biotherm, Maybelline, Garnier, La Roche-Posay, and CeraVe. In 2024, it had a turnover of more than €43 billion worldwide and employs nearly 90,000 people. So, how did Eugène Schueller go from his home laboratory on Rue d'Algiers to leading a global cosmetics empire?
The success of the formula
Two years after the discovery, on July 30, 1909, Schueller founded the Société Française de Teintures Inoffensives pour Cheveux. He had a clear goal: to manufacture safe hair dyes and offer them to professionals in the hairdressing industry. For the first few months, he rolled up his sleeves and did everything himself. He manufactured the formula, packaged it, visited beauty salons, and used impeccable oratory to convince hairdressers. When he showed them what his product could do, they realized it was just what they needed to give the finishing touch to the girls who asked for a hairstyle.goldendyed blonde. The formula became very popular.
Over the years, Schueller consolidated his business and expanded his activities. In 1928, he purchased the Monsavon brand, specializing in soaps, and entered the mass market for the first time. The move was strategic: it was no longer just about selling hair dyes to professionals, but also about bringing cosmetics to the general public. The following year, he created the El Oréal Bulletin, a technical magazine for hairdressers, and later, a women's publication designed to promote its products and reinforce the brand's aesthetic message. In addition to being a chemist, Schueller proved to be a marketing pioneer.
From then on, the project grew steadily. In 1931, it launched Imédia, the first rapid hair-dyeing system, and in 1934, it launched Dop shampoo, designed for the whole family. A year later, it introduced Ambre Solaire, a sunscreen. In 1939, the company officially adopted the name L'Oréal, which simplified the original brand and paved the way for a new phase of expansion. L'Oréal products had been sold in Spain since 1914, but it wasn't until 1950 that the subsidiary, headquartered in Madrid, was formally established.
The assault on mass consumption
Until the 1970s, the group hired new management skills, invested in research, and developed a more complex corporate structure. Above all, L'Oréal strengthened its presence in the professional sector, but also began to open up to the general public with its own brands and strategic alliances. With the Préférence line and the iconic slogan "Because I'm worth it," it made a definitive leap toward self-service cosmetics: it connected with a new generation of consumers who brought the essence of beauty salons to their dressing tables and bathrooms.
With the arrival of the new millennium, L'Oréal expanded into new markets and integrated brands such as NYX, CeraVe, and La Roche-Posay. It embraced digital innovation and sustainability, opening up to diverse profiles. More than a century later, that hairy man on the desk still sets trends and moves billions of euros.
