In 2015, in a buoyant market, the Division’s growth underperformed the market, but accelerated in the second half. In Western Europe, our sales were stable in a challenging context, but with good performances in Germany and the United Kingdom. In North America, the Division returned to dynamic growth, thanks to make-up where we set a new market share record(1). In the New Markets, all the Zones are growing, with strong contributions from countries such as Russia, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, India and Mexico. L’ORÉAL PARIS also stepped up its development in China, where it is the No.1 beauty brand(2).

The upsurge of local brands, the rapid changes in distribution and the acceleration of digital media have led us to reinvent ourselves to better meet consumer expectations. The new “Make it happen” communication platform by MAYBELLINE NEW YORK is backed by an ambitious plan of innovations, which has significantly accelerated growth, especially in the United States. We have also modernised the L’ORÉAL PARIS brand by highlighting its expertise in every category, for example in make-up with the success of the “MakeUp Designer Paris” positioning. With the success of Ultra Doux, GARNIER reinforced its position in the fast-growing natural beauty trend. These strategic repositionings have helped to accelerate our growth.

First of all, the focus on make-up: in 2015, we strengthened our worldwide leadership(3). Our ambition is to keep on outperforming this market, thanks to our perfectly complementary brands, a wide range of innovations and the global roll-out of our current star, NYX Professional Makeup. Secondly, stepping up our haircare presence, thanks to Elvive by L’ORÉAL PARIS and Ultra Doux by GARNIER. In 2016, we will continue the worldwide roll-out of the Extraordinary Oil range by Elvive. Following successful launches in Germany and Spain in 2015, we will step up the internationalisation of Ultra Doux, in particular in the United States. We will also continue to innovate in the other categories: in facial skincare and in hair colour with, for example, the Magic Retouch range, a handy new root touch-up spray.

Highly developed in China, where it already accounts for more than 20% of our sales, e-commerce is now accelerating in all the Zones(4). But digital transformation is also about the power of social media, which gives us a new and highly effective way to support our brands, inspired by the NYX Professional Makeup model and its huge community of fans. Furthermore, digital media enables us to deliver services on a massive scale, like the Makeup Genius app, already downloaded 16 million times.

Strengthened by the repositioning of our brands and the Division’s key strategic choices, we are well-equipped to seize all the opportunities of a market that remains buoyant. We are determined to take advantage of the market in all countries, win market shares and gradually accelerate our growth to ensure that we can outperform the market in a sustainable way.