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How 90-Year-Old Lancôme Pioneers for L’Oréal

by wellnessfitpro

The sleek, rounded beauty device looks like something just touched down from outer space. Its function is equally as otherworldly: to read skin’s protein biomarkers taken from an easily applied patch, so as to uncover an individual’s skin aging process and potential.

The lab-on-a-chip technology, called Cell BioPrint, can unlock personalized recommendations for skin care ingredients and routines. As it becomes more widely implemented, chronological age will decrease in importance as biological age — the tenet of longevity — becomes quantifiable and addressable.

Soon, Lancôme is set to bring this breakthrough technology to consumers around the world, an apt move for the brand founded by cosmetic chemist Armand Petitjean in 1935 that has been one of beauty’s most fearless pioneers since its inception. From expanding into new geographies to deploying cutting-edge technologies to enlisting superstar ambassadors, L’Oréal-owned Lancôme has never been afraid to push the boundaries of luxury beauty.

It is a winning strategy. Today, as it marks 90 years in business, Lancôme is the leading luxury beauty brand worldwide, with no signs of slowing down or even aging. Over the past decade, Lancôme’s annual sales have multiplied by about 2.5 times. While L’Oréal executives would not discuss sales figures, sources estimate it generates approximately 4.5 billion euros yearly. 

Nicolas Hieronimus, chief executive officer of L'Oréal

Nicolas Hieronimus, chief executive officer of L’Oréal

Photo by Stephane de Bourgies / Courtesy of L’Oréal

“The challenge for a brand, like for a person, is to stay up-to-date and relevant at 90 years old, staying true to your roots, your history, your values,” said Nicolas Hieronimus, chief executive officer of L’Oréal, “but at the same time being able to reinvent yourself constantly, to seduce, recruit and please new generations without losing contact [or threatening] that relationship you’ve built with the earlier adopters.”

That’s a balance the French giant has been able to achieve since acquiring Lancôme in 1964, successfully driving a cross-category strategy that has enabled the brand to have a diversified portfolio of hero products. “From strong, credible skin care anchored in science; playful, chic makeup anchored in Frenchness, and very elevated fragrance ranges rooted also in French elegance, this is what creates the magic of Lancôme worldwide,” said Cyril Chapuy, global president of L’Oréal Luxe. “It’s great for us to attack the markets with a brand that has these three axes.”

The word attack is apropos. L’Oréal is laser-focused on maintaining the core tenets of the brand, all while maintaining a close connection with culture to keep it on the cutting edge of relevance, in whatever market it trades in. “What’s critical is to keep your strength across geographies and across generations, because you never become number one if you’re not very balanced in your business,” Chapuy said. “Lancôme is very balanced, from Gen Z to Boomers. To keep reinforcing authority on all these targets with relevant innovation and embracing these different generations is part of Lancôme’s strategy.” 

For L’Oréal, the success of Lancôme transcends the bottom line. “It’s the brand that allowed the division to really discover the uniqueness of the métier of luxe, because this is the brand we’ve owned for the longest time in luxury,” he said. “We crafted, we finessed, we learned this métier through Lancôme. That’s why it’s a brand which is very dear to our heart.”

Chapuy called Lancôme “la prunelle de nos yeux,” or the “apple of our eye,” and the “crême de la crême” of L’Oréal Luxe. 

Cyril Chapuy, global president of L’Oréal Luxe

Cyril Chapuy, global president of L’Oréal Luxe

Courtesy of L’Oréal

“Lancôme is our biggest luxury beauty brand and also the number-one luxury beauty brand in the world,” said Hieronimus, who was president of L’Oréal Luxe from 2011 to 2018 and oversaw the creation of one of its star products, La vie est belle. “What I love about Lancôme is that it speaks to women of all ages, a brand that passes seamlessly from generation to generation – from Isabella Rossellini to Olivia Rodrigo,” he continued, referring to the 73-year-old actor and 22-year-old singer-actor who are two of Lancôme’s star faces.

“You have very young and trendy indie brands that will not pass the test of time, and will definitely not be bought by women in their 70s, 80s or even 100 years old, whereas Lancôme can,” he continued. “We can have a 15-year-old girl buying Juicy Tubes and a 90-year-old woman buying Rénergie or the new Longevity cream that’s being launched by Absolue.”

Lancôme’s portfolio of ambassadors are important in making the brand transgenerational. Françoise Lehmann, who served as the global brand president for 12 years before stepping down in July, had a keen eye for talent. In November 2024 she signed on the massively popular Rodrigo, and this September added British actress Nico Parker, as the brand’s youngest ambassador. The lineup also includes Julia Roberts, Amanda Seyfried and Joy Sunday.

As the media landscape shape-shifted faster over the past decade than in the last 50 years, Lehmann kept pace with a string of women who represented accomplishment as well as physical beauty. “To express the substance of the brand, we had to find strong signifiers that would allow people to see the meta brand,” she said. 

Françoise Lehmann, Lancôme's former global brand president

Françoise Lehmann, Lancôme’s former global brand president

Courtesy of LOreal

One moment Lehmann is most proud of is the return of Rossellini to Lancôme after an almost 20-year absence. The actor-model was the face of Lancôme for 14 years, until 1996 when it was alleged her contract was not renewed because the brand believed her to be too old, at the age of 43. Lehmann brought Rossellini back in 2016, as a “muse” or spokesmodel.

“Because Isabella was the memory of the brand, but she also showed a new brand attitude, a new brand posture, which is [Lancôme] capable of saying: ‘We were wrong, and we want you back, because you are part of the family. And because the women you represent are important for us,’” Lehmann said.

Collaborations with other brands have also kept the brand fresh in spirit. “We found that it was a rather modern way of enriching ourselves culturally, but in a soft way — through impregnation,” said Lehmann, who added among the tie-ins she’s proudest is with the Louvre museum in 2023. “Why? Because Lancôme is a major player in French industry…a major French beauty and luxury brand, and the Louvre is also an iconic French cultural institution.”

The Louvre link “expresses what a luxury brand should be, which is this blend of modernity and history or roots,” Hieronimus said.

“This association of the first luxury brand on Earth, which happens to be French, and this incredible museum, seemed pretty obvious to us to embody le luxe à la française, which is what we wanted to say loudly,” Chapuy said. 

For the campaign of the limited-edition makeup collection, dubbed Lancôme x Louvre, global superstar Zendaya was associated with the Winged Victory of Samothrace and He Cong with the Venus de Milo sculpture, for instance. “It’s not directed toward the past, it’s directed toward the future,” Hieronimus said. “It was very aspirational, very original and very Lancôme.”

There should be more such tie-ins to come, though Chapuy remained mum on details. “We consider this kind of cultural collaboration as an important ambassador for a brand this size and that has this much global scale,” he said.

A Worldwide Powerhouse

When it comes to global expansion for L’Oréal’s Luxe division, Lancôme has led the pack. “Lancôme was the Trojan Horse, or the spearhead of conquest in luxury across many, many geographies,” Chapuy said. Over the past four decades, it has established dominance in the U.S. and China, and that remains the case today in key emerging markets, such as Southeast Asia, Latin America and Africa.

“When I took over the brand in 2013, it was big in Europe and North America and small in Asia — except in Japan,” Lehmann said. Today, Lancôme leads in most geographies. Executives contend that it is number one in China, number two in the U.S. and number one in most European countries.

Creating cutting-edge experiences has kept Lancôme at the top of the charts in China.

Creating cutting-edge experiences has kept Lancôme at the top of the charts in China.

GUOYONGLIANG/Courtesy of L’Oréal

Lancôme has been in China since 1997, making it among the first foreign beauty brands to establish itself there. “When I go to China, I see incredible admiration and respect for the brand, from young and old consumers,” Hieronimus said. “But you have many other countries.”

Lancôme ranks first in Spain. “And it’s not just because of Penélope Cruz,” laughed Hieronimus, referring to another one of the brand’s ambassadors. “Lancôme can travel the world, because it’s not a brand that segregates or that puts people at a distance. It’s very inclusive.”

Two turning points punctuated the first decade of Lehmann’s leadership, including Lancôme’s expansion into North Asia, and especially China, which accelerated strongly starting around 2016. The first step of that was the introduction of Génifique, which became a hit in the key serum market in Asia.

In 2018 came the launch of the complete Absolue line, which met with tremendous success, according to Lehmann, who said that range “has surfed on the desire for premiumness in the Chinese market.”

Absolue currently generates more than $1 billion dollars in sales annually. “It immediately established Lancôme widely as a premium luxury range,” said Lehmann, noting that it also contributed significantly to the geographic center of gravity shift Lancôme has experienced over the past 10 years.

The Absolue range has helped cement Lancôme's luxury positioning.

The Absolue range has helped cement Lancôme’s luxury positioning.

HAOBO/Courtesy of L’Oréal

“It was very much in the west,” she said. “Now, the brand is all over the world.”

Lehmann said Lancôme is far from maxing out growth, even in established markets. “In the United States, there is still very significant potential, and in China, too,” she said, noting that emerging markets also represent prime opportunities.  

“The only limitation is that there are parts of the world where there are not enough middle and upper classes,” Hieronimus said.

While skin care has been a significant engine of growth, the introduction of La vie est belle in 2012 was a second turning point for Lehmann and a major pivot point for Lancôme, helping to establish the  brand’s raison d’être. 

“Lancôme is here to make women happy,” Lehmann said. “The launch of this perfume crystallized the idea of Lancôme’s sense of purpose.”

Hieronimus highlighted that Lancôme’s aim to bring happiness to women through well-being, scents, products and experiences “is both very right and more necessary than ever. The mission of this brand within our portfolio for consumers is very important,” he said. “Some brands are admired, some brands are looked up to. Lancôme is a brand that people love. So, there’s a lot of emotion, passion and care. It’s a very special brand.”

Other magic fragrance moments for Lancôme include the introduction of the Trésor women’s scent in 1952 and Idôle in 2019, almost 70 years later. “Idôle was the first range deliberately designed to address Gen Z,” Lehmann said. It is especially well-positioned in Asia, notably China, and ranked in the top 12 in North Asia in 2024.

Lancôme recently launched Absolue Les Parfums, its first collection of fragrances that contain Centifolia rose harvested at the brand’s Domaine de la Rose, in Grasse, France.

Lancôme remains on the cutting-edge of the skin care industry by permanently establishing and renovating key pillars, such as Génifique and Absolue, while establishing new ones when there is breakthrough technology, according to Lehmann.

Longevity will be the prime focus for Lancôme skin care looking ahead, and the brand is the first to benefit from L’Oréal research and innovation’s breakthroughs in the field. “It’s going to be a true revolution,” said Lehmann. “Because it’s about technology, it’s about science. It’s broader than just skin care; it takes into account lifestyle.”

“The fact that you have life span that is expanding is great for Lancôme, because it speaks to all ages,” Hieronimus said. “Everybody wants to be happy at all ages.”

Lancôme has plenty of clout in color cosmetics, too. Its makeup ranked in the top five in Europe and Asia, and top six in the U.S. for full-year 2024. Teint Idôle, its historic foundation franchise, placed among the first three brands in the U.S. and first two in Europe. 

“Lancôme has had a few very iconic products that have built the brand,” said Hieronimus, citing Absolue lipstick and Hypnôse mascara as examples. The formula is to meld glamour, science and technology, a combination the CEO said “has always been the specificity of Lancôme.”

More recently, the Idôle franchise has been reinvigorated with a lip product and mascara. “It’s the young side of the brand,” Chapuy said. “Idôle was so successful that we decided to relaunch Juicy Tubes with it,” he continued, referring to the the blockbuster lip gloss Lancôme introduced in 2000. The Idôle iteration launched with a digital campaign, including celebrities like Ed Westwick of “Gossip Girl,” which went viral and led to a surge in sales.

The brand has also tapped into its French fashion savoir-faire with limited-edition makeup collections created by the late designer Albert Elbaz and, more recently, Simon Porte Jacquemus. Whether capitalizing on a trend or collaborating with a like-minded spirit, the thread that runs throughout is scale. “I prefer Lancôme to do innovations  ‘alla grande’ than to do many innovations,” Chapuy said. “Lancôme doesn’t have an indie strategy. Lancôme has to build big stories.”

One of biggest stories that the brand is focused on revolves around sustainability. Lancôme’s bestselling skin care and fragrances are refillable. “There are three winners: the Earth, because we save on materials; the customer, because they pay less, and the brand, because it associates us with something noble. It’s profitable, too,” Lehmann said. 

Lancôme’s longevity stems from its team’s “fantastic work” also, underlined Hieronimus. 

“The same way this brand is being transmitted from mothers to daughters, there’s been generations of L’Oréaliens who have worked on building Lancôme,” he said. “The last 12 years have been particularly positive at a time when the market was probably the most averse to so-called ‘legacy brands,’ with history.

“Behind the brand magic, there are people with souls and emotions and hard work, and they’ve done a fantastic job,” Hieronimus continued. “Françoise was the great lady that orchestrated it all.”

From grass roots to high tech, Lancôme’s reach is wide. “Beauty tech is about trying to give women an experience that’s not limited to a product, that allows them to know themselves better,” Lehmann said. 

Alongside the Cell BioPrint, there is Rénergie Nano-Resurfacer, a device with 400 nano-tips that creates microchannels on the skin to amplify a product’s penetration. “We’re starting to have a head start in beauty tech,” Lehmann said. “It was a real investment.”

Advances are on a logarithmic curve, though. “It starts timidly and then at one point it takes off,” she said. “We are in this take-off phase.”

Lancôme has found that first movers take the prize. It was early in terms of e-commerce, and today 40 percent of the brand’s business being is transacted online. 

So what might Lancôme 90 years hence look like?

“I see Lancôme as a happy, healthy, growing beauty brand, [which] might be used by women of all generations,” Hieronimus said. “Maybe we’ll have female droids that will think they need to improve their appearance.”

“There will be even more touch points, that’s for sure,” Lehmann said. “If we play it right, Lancôme can be much more present in a woman’s day in 2115 than it is today.”

“It’s a brand of the world, for the world,” Hieronimus said.

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