L'Oréal Group, world leader in cosmetics, a billionaire family

The L'Oréal Group, a name familiar to women and men around the world. This company, whose headquarters are relatively modest in light of its international importance, has a history tied to two men: its founder, Eugène Schueller, and his successor and visionary, François Dalle. **Eugène Schueller and the Origins of the L'Oréal Group** Eugène Schueller, a young French chemist of Alsatian origin born in 1881, graduated from the Paris Institute of Applied Chemistry in 1904. On November 14, 1907, he filed a patent with the French National Industrial Property Office for a hair dye process. At the time, he worked as a preparator at the Sorbonne under the direction of Professor Victor Auger, advisor to the Central Pharmacy of France. He was the only one to volunteer to conduct research on a completely reliable—and above all, harmless—hair dye to conceal white hair. At the time, these “dyes” relied on hydrogen peroxide. This problem would shape his destiny for the rest of his life. He developed a formula for a dye that provided long-lasting coverage of white hair, based on potato starch. In January 1908, Schueller resigned, founded his own company, and set up shop in a two-room apartment at 3, rue d’Alger, in the 1st arrondissement of Paris. This space served as both an office and a showroom. But the expected success does not materialize. **André Spéry’s financial contribution** André Spéry, an accountant from Épernay and employee of the Cusenier spirits house, provides the necessary 25,000 francs through an inheritance. On July 30, 1909, the *Société française de teintures inoffensives pour cheveux* is established as a simple limited partnership at 7 bis, rue du Louvre, in the 1st arrondissement of Paris. They hire a representative and a demonstrator, a former hairdresser at the Imperial Court of Russia. The company founded by Eugène Schueller is now up and running: its first issue of *La Coiffure de Paris* (a publication for hairdressers) is published in October-November 1909. **The historic headquarters of the L'Oréal Group, 14 rue Royale, near Place de la Concorde in Paris** The historic headquarters of the L'Oréal Group since 1938 and renamed *Le Visionnaire* upon its reopening in 2023, 14 rue Royale is a place steeped in history. It stands at the corner of rue Saint-Honoré. It once housed an agency of Crédit Lyonnais, present here since at least 1910. But before that, at the end of the 19th century, it was home to a cabaret called *La Porte Saint-Honoré*. Its name comes from the old gate in Louis XIII’s city walls, which stood on this site and was demolished in 1733. The physiologist Claude Bernard lived there in 1859. Today, it is the headquarters of L'Oréal, established at this address by Eugène Schueller in 1938. The premises of the company occupy the entire buildings at 14 rue Royale, extending to rue Saint-Florentin at the rear and running parallel to rue Royale. The building itself is one of the architectural masterpieces of 18th-century France, designed by architect Ange-Jacques Gabriel, whose façade and roof are classified as historic monuments. Inspired by the vision of François Dalle, L'Oréal’s CEO between 1948 and 1984, 14 rue Royale has retained the spirit of a workshop and a “bivouac,” where, for over 80 years, the care and beauty products that have sometimes revolutionized our daily lives were imagined. Hairdressing, the cradle of L'Oréal’s original activity, will once again take center stage with over 750 square meters of space, including a highly digitalized, hybrid, and agile training area offering cutting-edge expertise and a unique experience. **The interwar period for the company that would become the L'Oréal Group on April 5, 1939** Initially, the L'Oréal Group was a company consistently featured in professional hairdressing publications. In 1923, Eugène Schueller launched *L'Oréal Bulletin*, a trade magazine distributed in hair salons. Two years later, *L'Oréal Humoristique* was introduced to entertain female customers while they waited. The women’s magazine *Votre Beauté* was created in 1933. In 1935, Eugène Schueller merged all these publications into the Société d’éditions modernes parisiennes (SEMP). L'Oréal then diversified. In 1928, he acquired the Société des Savons français, founded in 1920 on rue Martre in Clichy (where L'Oréal’s administrative headquarters is located today) and better known under the Monsavon brand. This was the company’s first foray into mass-market products. Monsavon was sold to Procter & Gamble in 1961. L'Oréal’s future also lay in developing its own products. In 1929, Eugène Schueller created the first fast hair dye called “Imedia,” whose success was amplified by the fashion for short hair. Four years later, he launched the Dopal shampoo in hair salons. The following year, the product was rebranded as Dop for mass-market distribution. In 1935, he developed Ambre Solaire, the first sunscreen—one year before