As consumers, we generally think that when we buy from a certain brand, we’re buying from a different company relative to if we buy another brand. After all, the packaging and product seem very different from each other, which seems to imply different companies. But when you compare two different brands, you are often comparing things that come from the exact same company.
Just a handful of giant corporations own the entire beauty industry. Around 200 beauty companies fall under the umbrellas of just seven conglomerates.
Do you know who owns your favorite skincare and makeup brands?
Many global beauty companies have used acquisitions as a key growth strategy. Consequently, we have seen a steady rise in merger and acquisition (M&A) activity in the beauty space.
If you follow the beauty business world, it’s possible to be aware of all this. But most who purchase these brands aren’t aware of what’s going on behind the curtain.
If you love L’Oreal products, you might think it’s a brand in itself. But it also owns the Body Shop, Shu Uemura, and other brands.
Did you know that Estee Lauder owns dozens of skincare and makeup brands (including Clinique and MAC)?
Beauty brands frequently changed ownership hands quickly, and they often end up in in the hands of a smaller number of large manufacturers.
Consolidation reduces competition, enables them to use the same infrastructure to create different products, and can give higher margins and shareholder returns.
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Who Owns Your Skincare & Makeup Brands: Why It’s Important To Know
Why it’s important to know who owns what skincare and makeup brands:
To avoid being misled
Beauty brands are companies that have their own interests in mind. That means they want to sell you the product in a way that maximizes their own profits (like everything else).
That means they like to save money. In both their low-end and high-end products, they largely use the same ingredients, then add in various textures and scents to tell them apart.
If you read the ingredients list, lots of products (from different brands) are basically the same as each other. They generally have the same owner, same ingredients, but vary up the details (e.g., how it smells) in order to differentiate them for consumers.
In reality, they’re otherwise the same thing.
Not all of it is “bad.”
It is true that some high-end products do you use more expensive ingredients and are more technologically sound.
But innovative technologies tend to not stay rare for long. At the beginning of the 20th century, technologies like FaceTime (face-to-face mobile communication) were reserved for the richest of the rich. Now practically everyone can do it.
In other words, these technologies eventually end up in generic products as well.
When Company A owns both Brand 1 and Brand 2, when Brand 1 starts coming out with products with a new rare extract, it’s only a matter of time before you start seeing the same thing in Brand 2.
So, before you spend exorbitantly on a new luxury product, compare what’s in it relative to the ingredients in other brands they own.
You’ll generally see that there’s not much differentiation.
The ability to make choices that align with your values
Knowing what beauty brands own what skincare and makeup brands also enables you to make more conscious choices about which ones to support.
If one brand you love doesn’t test on animals and a big brand buys it, chances are you’ll be less likely to keep on purchasing their products.
Let’s take a look at who owns what skincare and makeup products in the beauty industry.
Brands Owned By L’Oreal
- Biotherm
- Cacharel
- Carol’s Daughter
- CeraVe
- Clarisonic
- Decleor
- Diesel
- Essie
- Garnier
- Giorgio Armani
- Helena Rubinstein
- Innéov
- IT Cosmetics
- Kérastase
- Kiehl’s
- L’Oréal Paris
- L’Oréal Professionnel
- La Roche-Posay
- Lancôme
- Matrix
- Maybelline New York
- Mizani
- NYX
- Pureology
- Ralph Lauren
- Redken
- Roger & Gallet
- Sanoflore
- Softsheen-Carson
- Shu Uemura
- SkinCeuticals
- Urban Decay
- Vichy Laboratoires
- Victor & Rolf
- Yves Saint Laurent Beaute
Brands Owned By Estee Lauder (EL)
- Aerin
- Aramis
- Aveda
- Bobbi Brown
- Bumble and Bumble
- By Kilian
- Clinique
- Darphin
- Donna Karan
- Estee Lauder
- Eyes by Design
- Flirt!
- Frederic Malle
- Glamglow
- Good Skin Labs
- Grassroots
- Jo Malone
- Kiton
- La Mer
- Lab Series
- Lab Series Skincare for men
- Le Labo
- MAC
- Michael Kors
- Missoni
- Mustang
- Ojon
- Origins
- Osiao
- Prescriptives
- Rodin Olio Lusso
- Smashbox Cosmetics
- Tom Ford Beauty
- Tommy Hilfiger
- Too Faced
- Tory Burch
Brands Owned By Procter & Gamble (PG)
- Aussie
- Boss Black & Orange Fragrance + Skincare
- Braun
- Clairol
- Covergirl
- Gillette
- Gucci Fragrances
- Head and Shoulders
- Herbal Essences
- Infusium 23
- Lacoste Fragrances
- Max Factor
- Noxzema
- Olay
- Pantene
- Perfect 10
- SK-II
- Venus
- Fragrances (such as Valentino, Hugo Boss)
Brands Owned By Coty
- Calvin Klein
- Davidoff
- Jill Sander
- Lancaster
- Opi
- Philosophy
- Rimmel London
- Sally Hansen
- Younique Cosmetics
- Wella
- (Various celebrity fragrances, such as the Beckhams and Jennifer Lopez)
Brands Owned By Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA)
- Boots
- Botanics
- Liz Earle
- No 7
- Soap & Glory
- Solution
Brands Owned By Johnson & Johnson (JNJ)
- Ambi skincare
- Aveeno
- Clean and Clear
- Johnsons
- Lubriderm
- Neutrogena
- Purpose
- Piz Buin
- RoC
- Rogaine
- Shower to shower
- Vendome
Brands Owned By Unilever (UL)
- Axe
- Clear
- Dermalogica
- Dove
- Kate Somerville
- Lux
- Murad
- Pears
- Ponds
- Rexona
- St Ives
- Sunsilk
- Tony & Guy
- TRESemmé
- Vaseline
Brands Owned By LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton (LVMH)
- Acqua di Parma
- Benefit
- Dior
- Fendi
- Fresh
- Givenchy
- Guerlain
- Kat Von D
- Kenzo
- La Brosse et Dupont
- Make up for ever
- Nude
- Ole Henriksen
- Perfumes Loewe
- Sephora
Brands Owned By Shiseido (SSDOY)
- Bare Minerals
- Clé De Peau
- Dolce & Gabbana
- Elie Saab
- Issey Miyake
- JPG
- Laura Mercier
- Majolica Majorca
- Narciso Rodriguez
- Nars
- ReVive
- Serge Lutens
- Shiseido
Brands Owned By Manzanita Partners
- Byredo
- Diptyque
- Eve Lom
- Kevyn Aucoin
- Lipstick Queen
- Malin and Goetz
- SpaceNK
Brands Owned By Revlon (REV)
- Almay
- CND
- Elizabeth Arden
- Revlon
- Sinful Colors
- Ultima 2
Brands Owned By Kao
- Ban
- Bioré
- Curél
- Guhl
- Jergens
- John Frieda
- Kanebo
- Molton Brown
Brands Owned By Avon
- Avon Color
- Anew And Solutions
- Mark
Brands Owned By Beiersdorf
- Eucerin
- La Prairie
- Nivea
