At a hotel in Kuala Lumpur on 25 August, L’Oréal, a French cosmetics and beauty company, celebrated its 30th anniversary in Malaysia. 

In attendance were the L’Oréal Group Malaysia managing director, Tomas Hruska (for obvious reasons); the French Ambassador to Malaysia, Axel Cruau (who seems like a fun person to socialise with); and the Malaysian Investment Development Authority CEO, Sikh Shamsul Ibrahim Sikh Abdul Majid (because of the financial aspect).

At the centre of the event was L’Oréal, showcasing its achievements in Malaysia over the past three decades. Their successes were summarised in the L’Oréal Socio-Economic Impact in Malaysia pamphlet. 

The report stated that the number one player in the beauty sector in Malaysia, where the market was valued at RM13.62 billion, had 590 employees, 47,508 retail outlets, and supported 21,609 jobs.

L’Oréal also stated that it had assisted approximately 50 women entrepreneurs, 54 women scientists, and 1,500 students.

There was also a section in the pamphlet that stated the beauty company was the first in its category to join the Malaysian Recycling Alliance. This was the only point on L’Oréal’s environmental achievements that was listed. There was a lot more showcased in Hruska’s presentation.

The most striking point that Hruska made was that wherever you go in Malaysia, you are likely to come across a L’Oréal product. This was because the L’Oréal Group had more than 30 companies under it. If you walk into a pharmacy or visit the beauty section of a store, most of the brands there are likely part of this group. These brands include Lancôme, Kiehl’s, Maybelline, Garnier, La Roche-Posay, and Yves Saint Laurent (YSL Beauty), just to name a few. 

It was amazing to think that this company, founded in 1905, grew from making just hair dye to becoming a literal world leader in the industry.