L’Oreal plans strategy reset for India; CEO says company must be “more ambitious”

New Delhi: L’Oréal CEO Nicolas Hieronimus on Friday said the French beauty major is “not satisfied” with its India performance, even as the market delivered high single-digit growth in 2025.

Speaking on the company’s fourth-quarter earnings call last week, Hieronimus said L’Oréal did not gain market share in India during 2025, and the group is resetting its operating setup from this year to improve execution.

“India, though, is not meeting expectations, and we have a new setup there starting this year,” he said, adding that he is “optimistic” and “ambitious” about a stronger performance in 2026.

Hieronimus said India currently accounts for roughly 1% of L’Oréal’s turnover and will require higher investment and leadership bandwidth to accelerate growth.

“Let’s say that today, India is roughly one per cent of our turnover, which is very small. So, you know, it can only go up, and we have really put a lot of effort, both financially and humanly, in terms of talents, to change gears in India,” he said.

He said the company has revised its strategic plan after taking the board of directors to India in late October and identifying “major growth opportunities” across categories.

“As far as India is concerned, when I say that, I am not satisfied. We had high single-digit growth, but we did not gain a lot of market share, if any,” Hieronimus said. “And in the end, I think it's just because we are setting up a new team, a new organisation.”

He flagged L’Oréal Dermatological Beauty (LDB) as a key growth lever, citing the launches of CeraVe and La Roche-Posay in India. “It’s starting very well, but it’s still very small,” he said.

At the same time, he said L’Oréal holds strong positions in select categories, including hair care, where Garnier is the market leader, and hair colour, where the group has “great products”.

Hieronimus said the company has appointed a new leadership team for India, including a new CEO who previously led the Consumer Products Division in Mexico, and has expanded capacity with investments in factories.

Separately, L’Oréal has announced its first dedicated Beauty Tech centre in Hyderabad, which will support digital platforms and AI-led solutions across international markets.

Omar Hajeri, president of L’Oréal’s Professional Products Division, said emerging markets continue to be the strongest growth engine for the segment, with double-digit growth led by the Gulf, India, Brazil and Mexico.

L’Oréal India, a wholly-owned subsidiary of L’Oréal SA, has operated in the country since 1994 and sells 26 brands across mass, professional salon and selective distribution channels. The company also sells fragrances through L’Oréal International Distribution. It has manufacturing facilities in Chakan, Maharashtra and Baddi, Himachal Pradesh, along with research and innovation capabilities in Mumbai and Bengaluru.