Essentiality of beauty

IS BEAUTY SUPERFICIAL?

Many people think beauty is superficial, but in doing so they are not looking deeply enough. Beauty has been an essential human need from time immemorial.

Our day begins with beauty rituals, and it ends with them, allowing us to pause and connect with the self we see on the other side of the mirror. Beauty is about self-identity and self-expression. It helps us feel good about ourselves. To have confidence in ourselves. And this is especially so when we are facing hardship. When we are recovering from an illness, or reintegrating into society; beauty is a balm that helps us build confidence and maintain our dignity.

But beauty is much more than an individual need. It is also about social belonging. We can follow beauty norms to show we belong to a group. We can also disrupt them to show our other affiliations. In any event, beauty is deeply social. Of course, we know that, when we face the mirror of society, beauty can be anambivalent force, both alienating and liberating. It is by understanding both the light and the dark sides of beauty that we can construct a human, responsible and inclusive beauty.

For us at L’Oréal, Ethics is an important word - and what we call Cosm’ethics is something that we’ve deeply engrained in our culture. And indeed, the beauty industry has a major socio-economic impact, employing millions of people worldwide and making a significant contribution to the Global World Product (GWP).

At L’Oréal our mission is to create the beauty that moves the world. 

Nicolas Hieronimus, Chief Executive Officer L’Oréal Groupe.
Blanca Juti, Chief Corporate Affairs & Engagement Officer L’Oréal Groupe.