A man named Eugène made hair dye. He worked in a lab. He started a big beauty company. This company helps people look nice. It is a very famous company. Do you like to use hair dye?
A man named Eugène was a chemist. He studied in a lab in Paris.
A barber asked him for help. He wanted a new way to dye hair. Eugène made a new formula for this.
He started a big beauty company. It was called L'Oréal. He sold his products to hairdressers.
His company also made sun cream. People bought a lot of it. This happened when people began taking trips.
His family still runs the company today. It is a very large business.
Eugène Schueller was a French chemist. He studied in Paris. In 1907, he made a new way to dye hair. He called this formula Oréale. He made the products himself. Then he sold them to hairdressers in Paris.
In 1909, he started a company. It was named the French Company of Inoffensive Hair Dyes. This company later became L'Oréal. He also made a sunscreen called Ambre Solaire. Sales for the sun cream grew very fast in 1936. This happened because more people began to go on trips.
Schueller was also part of a group called La Cagoule. This was a violent group with fascist ideas. They held meetings at the L'Oréal office. After World War II, the company hired some members of this group. A writer named Michael Bar-Zohar wrote about this in a book.
His family still has links to the company. His daughter was Liliane Bettencourt. She was a very wealthy woman. Her daughter, Françoise Bettencourt Meyers, is the chair of the board. She is one of the richest people in the world. The main office of L'Oréal is named after Eugène.
Eugène Schueller was a famous chemist from France. He helped start a huge company called L'Oréal. This company makes many things for beauty and skin care. People all over the world use these products today. His work changed how many people look after themselves. He turned science into a big business.
Schueller began his work in a laboratory. A barber once asked him to make a new hair dye. In 1907, he created a special formula named Oréale. He made these products himself in his own shop. He sold them to hairdressers in the city of Paris. In 1909, he started a company with a long name. It was the French Company of Inoffensive Hair Dyes.
Schueller studied science at a school in Paris. He graduated in 1904 from the Institut de Chimie Appliquée de Paris. After school, he worked as an assistant at the Sorbonne. He worked under a man named Victor Auger. These early years helped him learn how to mix things safely. He used this training to build his own research shop.
His company grew in many different ways. In 1936, France saw new social reforms led by Léon Blum. These changes helped start a new vacation industry. Because of this, sales of L'Oréal sunscreen called Ambre Solaire grew very fast. However, Schueller was also part of a group called La Cagoule. This was a violent group with fascist ideas. They held meetings at the L'Oréal headquarters.
Schueller's family is still linked to the company today. His daughter was Liliane Bettencourt. She was once the wealthiest woman in the world. Her daughter is Françoise Bettencourt Meyers. She is the chair of the board at L'Oréal. She is also one of the richest people on Earth. The main L'Oréal office in Clichy is named the Centre Eugène Schueller.
Eugène Paul Louis Schueller was a French chemist and entrepreneur. He is most famous for founding L'Oréal. This company is a global leader in the cosmetics and beauty industry. Schueller combined his scientific training with business skills to change how beauty products are made. His work turned chemical research into a massive commercial success. Today, his name remains connected to the company through its main office.
Schueller's journey began with a formal education in chemistry. He graduated in 1904 from the Institut de Chimie Appliquée de Paris. This school is known today as Chimie ParisTech. After graduating, he worked as a laboratory assistant at the Sorbonne. He worked under Victor Auger, who was the father of Pierre Victor Auger. This period allowed him to master the science of chemical formulas.
His path to entrepreneurship started with a specific request from a barber. The barber wanted a new type of hair dye. Schueller used this as a chance to run his own research shop. In 1907, he developed an innovative hair-color formula. He called this product Oréale. He manufactured these products himself and sold them to hairdressers in Paris. In 1909, he officially registered his company. Its original name was the Société Française de Teintures Inoffensives pour Cheveux. This name means the French Company of Inoffensive Hair Dyes.
As the company grew, it adapted to changing social trends in France. In 1936, social reforms led by Léon Blum took place. These reforms helped create a new vacation industry in the country. As more people went on holiday, the demand for sun protection increased. Consequently, sales of L'Oréal's sunscreen, known as Ambre Solaire, skyrocketed. This showed how social changes can directly impact a business's success.
Schueller's history also includes controversial political involvement. During the early twentieth century, he supported a group called La Cagoule. This was a violent French fascist-leaning group. They were also antisemitic and anti-communist. Schueller provided financial support to them. He even held meetings for the group at the L'Oréal headquarters. The leader of this group formed the Mouvement Social Révolutionnaire, or MSR. This political party supported the Vichy collaboration with Nazi Germany during the occupation of France.
The impact of these political ties continued after World War II. L'Oréal hired several members of the group as executives. One notable example was Jacques Corrèze, who served as the CEO of the company's US operation. These historical details were later researched by Michael Bar-Zohar in his book, Bitter Scent. This shows how the personal beliefs of a founder can influence a company's history and leadership for many years.
Schueller's family legacy is tied to immense global wealth. His daughter was Liliane Bettencourt. She was once considered the wealthiest woman in the world. In 2017, her holdings were estimated at $39.5 billion. Her daughter, Françoise Bettencourt Meyers, continues this legacy. She is the chairwoman of L'Oréal's board of directors. As of January 2022, the Bloomberg Billionaires Index listed her as the 12th richest person in the world. Her net worth was approximately US$ 94.9 billion.
Today, the influence of Eugène Schueller is still visible in the corporate world. The L'Oréal head office is located in Clichy, Hauts-de-Seine. This main building is named the Centre Eugène Schueller. The company has grown from a small research shop into a massive global entity. It remains a primary example of how scientific innovation can drive a major international industry.
Where will your curiosity go next?
More to explore
✨ What else?
Related topics you might enjoy
🔬 Go deeper
More advanced topics to explore
🪜 Step back
Simpler topics to build understanding
What is Nepedia?
A free, ad-free encyclopedia for children. Every article is written at five reading levels, so the same page works for a five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old — use the level switcher above to see this one change. No account needed to read.