Eugène Schueller
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Eugène Schueller (1881 - 1954) was the founder of L'Oréal, the world's leading company in cosmetics and beauty.
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[edit] Career with L'Oréal
In 1907, as a young French chemist, he developed an innovative hair-color formula. He called his dye Auréole. With that, the history of L'Oréal began. He formulated and manufactured his own products, and sold them to Parisian hairdressers.
In 1909, he registered his company, the "Société Française de Teintures Inoffensives pour Cheveux", the future L'Oréal. The guiding principles of the company that would become L'Oréal were put into place from the start: research and innovation in the interest of beauty.
[edit] Controversy
During the early twentieth century, Schueller provided financial support and held meetings for La Cagoule at L'Oréal headquarters. La Cagoule was a violent French fascist-leaning and anti-communist group. L'Oréal hired several members of the group as executives after World War II, such as Jacques Corrèze, who served as CEO of the U.S. operation. This involvement was extensively researched by Michael Bar-Zohar in his book, Bitter Scent.
[edit] Family
Schueller's daughter, Liliane Bettencourt, is the widow of André Bettencourt. Together, they have one daughter, Françoise Meyers, who is a member of L'Oréal's board of directors. Françoise Meyers is married to Jean-Pierre Meyers, both of whose parents died in the Nazi concentration camp at Auschwitz. She is currently the richest woman in France, with holdings estimated at $18.8 bn.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Official website of L'Oréal
- Forbes article on L'Oréal
- Forbes article on Liliane Bettencourt
- Book Review of Bitter Scent
[edit] References
Michael Bar-Zohar, Bitter Scent: The Case of L'Oréal, Nazis, and the Arab Boycott (London, Dutton Books: 1996) pp. 264.
