Eugène Schueller

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.