How Francoise Bettencourt Meyers became the richest woman in the world

Françoise Bettencourt Meyers is a French billionaire heiress born in 1953 and raised as a strict Catholic. Bettencourt Meyers inherited her fortune from her mother, Liliane Bettencourt, whose father, Eugene Schueller, founded cosmetics giant L’Oréal. Bettencourt Meyers and her family still own a 33% stake in the company. 💄
•
As of 2021, she is the richest woman in the world, with an estimated fortune of $89.5 billion. After a fire severely damaged Notre-Dame de Paris, Bettencourt Meyers and L'Oréal donated $226 million to repair the cathedral. Bettencourt Meyers has served on the board of L’Oreal since 1997. ⛪
•
The $33.6 billion (2020 sales) L'Oreal profits fell 6% in 2020, in part due to consumers losing their appetite for makeup during quarantine measures. Yet the stock still rose 38% thanks to recovering cosmetics demand, especially for skincare products. She is close to become the first $100 billion woman in history. 📈