L'Oréal Paris celebrates 28 years in Cannes with global ambassadors

Makeup, hair, brand ambassadors, red carpet: Cannes's glamor is a well -greased business machine. For L'Oréal Paris, partner for 28 years, the Film Festival offers powerful returns in brand images and global sales.

L'Oréal Paris maintains a strong presence in the Croisette, especially at the iconic Martínez Hotel, where the brand takes care of an entire floor. There, a team of around 30 makeup artists and 15 stylists delivered 2,000 beauty sessions for 15 days, even for brand ambassadors such as Viola Davis, Jane Fonda and Elle Fanning.

“We still have no power for hair dryers … Oh, well, we will make up,” joked a stylist on Saturday, improvising during an unexpected regional energy cut.

While the Chopard jeweler, another official partner, brings a luxury aligned with the palme d'Or, Cannes serves a different role for L'Oréal Paris. “It is a mass market brand, but associating with Cannes gives it a luxury image, even if it is not technically a luxury brand,” said Julie El Ghouzzi, author of “Manuel Du Luxe”, in an interview with AFP.

“The Cannes Film Festival is very rich in terms of image,” added Laurence Lim, head of the Cherry Blossoms Intercultural branding agency. “It is the glamor linked to culture, something that the Met or Oscars do not offer at all.”

“A feminist can also be beautiful!” He declared Jane Fonda to AFP. “I feel very comfortable in Cannes with L'Oréal Paris. It is a brand that really respect. Next year it will mark 20 years that I have been with them,” he said.

However, beyond the beauty of the red carpet, Cannes has become a strategic content for the brand. “It is a time for all participating brands to create content for social networks,” said Ghouzzi.

“What has changed in the last 15 years is the digitalization of our profession,” confirmed Delphine Viguier-Hovasse, head of L'Oréal Paris, AFP.

5 billion visits

“Cannes offers 5 billion opportunities to see L'Oréal Paris on social networks,” he said. While a team of about 10 manages social networks during the festival, much of the content is prepared in advance.

“When Alia Bhatt, the Indian actress and ambassador of L'Oréal, stepped on the red carpet, the lipstick, the base and the hair lacquer used for her makeup were already available on the Indian Electronic Commerce platform Nykaa,” explained the brand head.

The strategy was worth it. “On Alia Bhatt's day, we saw an 80% increase in makeup sales in India in Nykaa,” he said. The actress has more than 86 million Instagram followers.

In terms of media impact value (MIV), a launchmetics metric that assigns a monetary value to the visibility of the brand, the house directed during the 2024 Cannes Festival with $ 32.3 million in MIV, followed by L'Oréal Paris with $ 28.7 million and Dior with $ 26.8 million.

However, the strategy comes with challenges. “The risk,” said Laurence Lim, “is the growing importance of national pride, especially in countries like China and India. The outstanding celebrities in Cannes are mostly Americans.”

He added that the recent false steps, such as the Met 2024 gala in New York, were “very criticized in India because Bollywood celebrities present were ignored.”

“What matters is not what happens in Cannes, but the resonance of the event,” said Alexis Perakis-Valat, general manager of the L'Oréal consumer products division.

He pointed out that the L'Oréal Group “achieved a 50% growth last year in emerging markets (Latin America, Middle East, India …)”.

In 2024, L'Oréal Paris reported sales greater than 7 billion euros, an increase of 9.2% year -on -year. The largest L'Oréal group exceeded 43 billion euros in sales.

By Katell Prigent
Cannes, May 25, 2025 (AFP)