Message from Alexandra Palt and Christophe Babule

Christophe Babule
Dual excellence — financial performance on the one hand, and environmental and social exemplarity on the other hand — forms the backbone of our strategy.

Alexandra Palt
It’s what drives us forward with both performance and purpose.

2022 in three keywords?

Alexandra Palt
My three keywords for 2022 are: “commitment”, as individuals and as a collective, which makes the difference on a daily basis in stepping up to the challenges we’re facing. “Perseverance”, to accelerate our efforts in tackling ever more pressing global issues. And “courage”, the one required to continue taking the necessary decisions, and pursue our path of sustainable innovation.

Christophe Babule
I would say “acceleration”, not only with respect to the challenges we face, but also in terms of the transformations underway within the Group. The “agility” demonstrated by employees in every field in adapting, adjusting, finding solutions, and reinventing the way we do things. And our “responsibility” as both a company and an employer.

Looking back on 2022, what are you most proud of?

Christophe Babule
I’m proud of the belief shared by everyone at L’Oréal that we can only grow if that growth is sustainable and responsible, which means actively involving everyone at the company. This commitment is the reason why we received the EcoVadis Platinum award, which puts us among the top 1% of leading global companies in terms of environmental and social performance, out of more than 100,000 companies included in the assessment.

I’m also proud of the way we have continued our impact investment strategy by creating the Circular Innovation Fund, which L’Oréal founded and in which we are the number-one investor, providing 50 million euros in financing. This is the first major investment fund a company has supported with a focus on circular solutions.

Lastly, the L’Oréal for Youth programme and the Group’s commitment to support young people and help them start a career also give me a real sense of achievement. I personally see this as not only a priority but also a responsibility.

Alexandra Palt
Beyond proud, I’m grateful to be responsible for sharing and carrying the vision of the Group, which guides our teams on a daily basis in shaping a more sustainable future. I’m proud that the unwavering commitment and efforts of our employees were recognised again this year by a Triple A rating from CDP. L’Oréal is the only company in the world to have achieved this score seven years in a row.

Why is external recognition important?

Alexandra Palt
These independent recognitions and acknowledgements are important in the eyes of the public, as they are proof of our commitments and results achieved. This is something consumers cannot check themselves, so these distinctions function as third-party guarantees of credibility and transparency. Overall, they convey the social and environmental leadership of the L’Oréal group and encourage us to continue in our efforts and ensure ongoing progress. These recognitions and acknowledgements also reflect the day-to-day engagement of all the teams involved in the sustainable transformation of the Group.

Christophe Babule
They also provide tangible proof of performance for our individual shareholders and investors.

What is behind L’Oréal’s success?

Christophe Babule
One of the keys to L’Oréal’s success is the power of our brands to meet beauty aspirations worldwide. We also have a balanced, sustainable growth model underpinned by powerful drivers through Divisions, categories and geographic Zones. Innovation is a driving force and an integral part of our success. Stable governance enables a long-term strategic vision and a continuous ability to transform and adapt. And, above all, we owe our success to our passionate people, to their commitment and to their wide-ranging expertise.

What are L’Oréal’s strengths for the future?

Alexandra Palt
I believe L’Oréal’s strength in shaping a more sustainable future lies in involving our entire ecosystem in our transformation. Within the Group itself – through our teams, our experts, and our executives who work daily to step up the sustainable innovation of our products. And also through our brands, through their commitment to social causes.

But involving our entire ecosystem goes beyond our value chain, for instance, by informing our consumers so they make more sustainable consumption choices through our environmental and social impact labelling system, which is already available in 27 countries and 8 brands. And by involving more than 60 stakeholders of the beauty sector in the EcoBeautyScore Consortium, which aims to adopt an industry-wide environmental impact assessment and scoring system for cosmetics products. Because it’s only together that we can change behaviours and ensure more sustainable consumption.