The L'Oréal Smile

Inheriting a family business can be more common than we think, but the secret lies in keeping that business successful. Not all socialites born into a family of wealth manage to duplicate or even triplicate that wealth, but this admirable woman is one who did manage.

Liliane Bettencourt was more than just a French socialite and businesswoman; she was the face and principal shareholder of one of the world’s biggest cosmetics empires: L'Oréal. Her chemist father, Eugène Schueller, founded L'Oréal in the early 20th century and then Liliane inherited his company following his death in 1957.

She developed an interest in business and cosmetics at an early age and often helped her father, whom she was very close to for having lost her mother while young. That turned her into an independent and resourceful businesswoman, and Liliane did everything she could to preserve the renown of her company and augment the worth of its shares. So, in 1974 she decided to exchange approximately half of her stake for a 3% share in Nestle- a move that came as a response to the national fears that the company would be nationalized after the elections.

_{^{Liliane Bettencourt and her husband André Bettencourt}}

Her ambition was limitless and her creativity was boundless, and Liliane worked diligently to eventually acquire big names like the luxury beauty brand Lancôme, the American cosmetics company Helena Rubinstein, and the American fashion retailer Ralph Lauren. She prioritized her business over every other aspect in her life, landing her the well-deserved title of the wealthiest woman in the world and the richest person in France in 2017 with an impressive net worth of 40.9 billion dollars!

Under her leadership, L'Oréal became one of the largest cosmetics companies in the world, and she was so revered in her native France that she was awarded the La Légion d'honneur, the highest civilian decoration of France. Not only was Liliane a powerful businesswoman but also a philanthropist. She possessed a heart of gold and took great interest in lending a helping hand to those in need. Alongside her husband and daughter, she founded the Bettencourt Schueller Foundation in 1987 which was meant to support scientific research, humanitarian and social projects, and culture and arts.

She was passionate about what she did and never let any obstacles hinder her progress, which explains why Liliane was the 13th richest person in the world when she passed away in September 2017. She left behind a huge empire as her legacy, and is remembered through the smile of every woman who has fallen and will fall in love with yet another L'Oréal product whose special ingredient is late Liliane’s dedication.