LANCÔME
Founder: Guillaume d'Ornano
History
Founded in 1935 by Guillaume d'Ornano and his business partner Armand Petitjean in France, as originally a fragrance house. The name "Lancôme" was inspired by the forest of Lancosme that lies in the Indre valley in the heart of France in the region of La Brenne - the name was chosen by Guillaume's wife Elisabeth d'Ornano. The roses in the area inspired the company's symbol of the single golden rose. Lancôme launched its first five fragrances in 1935 at the World's Fair in Brussels: Tendre Nuit, Bocages, Conquete, Kypre and Tropiques. Petitjean entered into the luxury skincare market, a multi-tasking repair cream called Nutrix, his first "all-purpose repair cream" in 1936, followed by make-up, cosmetics, and skincare products. Lancôme was acquired by L'oreal in 1964, and quickly became part of its luxury products division.
About Lancôme Cosmetic
Two years later after he released the Nutrix he expanded into cosmetics with a pinky-red lipstick scented with roses that remained a bestseller for the following 30 years. L'Oréal acquired Lancôme in 1964, and it is now known as one of the largest luxury skincare companies in the world. Lancôme later became one of the trendsetters using famous faces in big ads - from Isabella Rossellini in the 80s to Kate Winslet, Penélope Cruz and Harry Potter's Emma Watson today. Speaking of Emma Watson, she's the face of Lancôme's new lipstick range Rouge in Love. It's a collection of 24 shades split into three categories inspired by times of the day. There's Jolis Matins - natural nude tones; Boudoir Time - brighter and bolder shades with more of a shine; and Tonight is My Night - darker and deeper reds and browns. Their most famous products include their mascaras, namely "Hypnôse", their Visionnaire Range which contains a patented ingredient, "LR 2412", aimed to improve skin texture color qualities, especially in pore reduction, fine lines and uneven skin tone.