L'Oreal: Color and much, much more

Around the world for almost a century, the L'Oreal name has been one most respected in the beauty care industry. From its formation in 1907 by French chemist Eugene Schueller, L'Oreal's history has been one characterized by a leadership role in beauty care technology and an unparalleled passion in bringing the consumer quality and innovative products. L'Oral's significant commitment to research and development pays solid dividends in the form of an exciting lineup of hair care, skincare, color cosmetics and fragrance products. Operationg in more than 150 countries, L'Oreal's is a French company which has gained a reputation as the most international of the maior cosmetic houses.

In 1907, haircolor was only for the very rich or the very daring, and black and bright reds were the only colors available. That same year, a Parisian hairdresser sought help from chemical engineers at the Sorbonne to find a way to cover his clients' gray hair. He found that assistance in Eugene Schueller, a 25-year-old creative visionary who founded L'Oreal in a two-room flat which became both a laboratory and demonstration center. Monsieur Schueller developed the first permanent haircolor using an oxidation process. The process was called "Aureole," French for the "aura of light," hence the name L'Oreal and a company committed to answering the needs of both salon professionals and consumers worldwide.

The American professional beautician was introduced to L'Oreal in 1954, when women traveling to Europe came home expounding the virtues of the beautiful, natural-looking haircolor of the French company. Cosmair, Inc. was formed in the U.S. to manufacture and distribute these haircoloring products from the original French formulas.

Much has changed in the hair care industry and at L'Oreal over the past 90 years, but the standards set by Schueller and the company's dedication to the needs of the consumer have always remained constant. Those qualities are most evident in L'Oreal's facility in Aulnay-sous-Bois, France, where for decades its documentation department has been gathering information on every important development in the fields of cosmetology and hair care, both from within its own research and development facilities and from outside sources. L'Oreal staffs its laboratories and research facilities with the most talented and dedicated scientists it can find. Each product L'Oreal produces undergoes at...