Hi friends!
Something a bit different for today. I had the pleasure of attending an event this past Wednesday night featuring a talk with Jean-Paul Agon, the CEO & Chairman of the L’Oreal Group. If you’re brand new to the beauty scene, L’Oreal is a huge global beauty & fashion empire that owns countless other brands you’re probably very familiar with including Urban Decay, Giorgio Armani, Maybelline, Clarisonic, Essie, Redken, Garnier & Pureology just to name a small fraction.
I bought my ticket for this event back in late summer since I was so intrigued by the theme of the discussion, “Beauty for the New World.” I’m always interested in what industry professionals have to say about the future of beauty. And from the head of L’Oreal no less, so I knew I had to go.
The talk was hosted by the CEW (Cosmetic Executive Women) Organization at The Harmonie Club in NYC. This place was swanky, let me tell you! Right by Central Park on the Upper East Side, I’m sure you get the picture now 😉. It was a 2 1/2 hour event. The first hour was cocktails & hor d’oeuvres (food & service were great but I felt a little awkward since I went to this event solo and didn’t really know anyone), and then the talk and q&a with Jean-Paul filled out the rest of the time slot.
View from my seat before the talk started.
It was quite a crowded event.
The first thing I noticed when I sat down in the event space was the massive swag bag on each seat! I felt like I hit the jackpot (even though I kinda paid for it with my ticket price, but moving on)! There was cool stuff from a few L’Oreal brands like IT Cosmetics, Lancome & Kiehl’s. Take a look below.
A Lancome mini set with the Monsieur Big Mascara & Cils Booster XL Primer. I’ve used the Monsieur Big Mascara before and wasn’t particularly wowed. But I’ll give it another try with the Cils Booster underneath.
This is a hero moisturizer for a lot of people but I’ve never tried it so I’m excited to start using it going into winter.
The IT Cosmetics Naturally Pretty Palette. A soft, neutral lovers dream. All shades are matte except for the ‘Transforming’ pearlized shade in the bottom right corner.
IT Cosmetics brush kit with travel pouch. It came wrapped up like a gift. I started using some of these right away, and wow are they soft & beautiful!
Lancome gift set box
La Nuit Tresor Scented Body Lotion, Fragrance & Shower Gel. Not sure I will use any of this so I might save it for a giveaway in the future.
Jean-Paul has been with L’Oreal for 40 years so his perspective on the beauty industry and how it’s changed was very interesting. From the ‘70’s until about 2010 he claimed the way L’Oreal did business didn’t really change much. But then the digital revolution happened and nothing was ever the same. He views the onslaught of technology not as a threat to the beauty business but as an exciting opportunity. For example, the consumer is now at the heart of all products & decisions that are made at L’Oreal, whereas prior to the digital revolution it was products & services that were at the center of decision-making. Throughout his talk he was emphatic on the point that big companies must be ready for change and should try to anticipate it as much as possible. When asked what he hopes his legacy at L’Oreal will be, he said he wanted to be remembered as someone who readied the company for the future as much as possible.
There were some other interesting tidbits I took from the talk. Back in 2001 when Jean-Paul last spoke at a CEW event, an audience member called him out on the fact that L’Oreal was still a “boys club” and had little to no females in high positions of authority. Seventeen years later, things have evolved and now L’Oreal is lauded in the industry for gender equality and pay parity. And when they bought Kiehl’s in 2000 it was a humble $20 million business; news flash it’s now valued at over $1 billion!
What do you think of L’Oreal? Do you like or dislike their products? I’d love to know!
xo, Erica
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Great post 😁
Thank you!
You’re welcome. Check out my blog when you have a chance.
Yes, I will!
Omg! You got some really great stuff! That’s cool that you went by yourself. I feel awkward just eating lunch in a restaurant by myself. 😆 Iove L’oreal products. I’ve been using them for years.
It was a little difficult that first hour but totally glad I went. It’s good to step out of your comfort zone from time to time. And I can totally agree about eating alone in public! I rarely do it.
Erica, that is so awesome and is very impressive that you went by yourself. Yes, you did hit a jack pot!!! Woww, great products you got, although I agree that you paid for it as you purchased your ticket. It is always great to meet SEO of that big of a company. You should stay connected with others, who knows it could lead you to a great opportunity in the future.
I love L’Oreal’s products. They are great. Thank you for sharing a great experience with us.
Thanks Bushra! It was indeed a lovely event!
Wow…sounds like a great experience and some wonderful products. I love L’Oreal’s lipsticks.
Thanks Devinder, I did! You know, I’ve actually never tried L’Oreal lipsticks before?? Which ones do you like in particular?
Ahhh that looks so fun and glamorous!
Thanks Emma, it was fun!
That looks like it was a fun outing! I think it would make me feel a little like a movie star to be there 🙂 I like L’Oreal products, especially the voluminous mascara. The gift items look like fun and I had no idea L’Oreal owned so many other brands.
You know I haven’t tried the original L’Oreal Voluminous before?? Crazy I know. Yea, they own like half of the beauty industry!
Wow, that must have been a great evening! I love a lot of L’ Oreal products. They have not only quality cosmetics but fantastic hair products. And that was quite a ” goody ” bag to take home! Enjoy it all 💄
I know, the goodie bag was quite nice!