Who Owns What In The Beauty Industry? (2024)

216 Comments on Who Owns What In The Beauty Industry?

1. There are a lot of good other good brands but not including in the list i.e GKhair & Tibolli

   • Aash, that’s true. There are too many brands to keep track of them all!

     • HI,

       Just came across Truffoire. The sales personnel have a superb sales pitch. The product at the seating does seem to have impressive, immediate results but I am interested in how it performs over time. I was told that one has to use the product for two years and a 7 years improvement will result. I have been trying to find out more about the company but not much yet.
       Can you do some scouting around and let us know what you find.

       • Claudia, I had never heard of this company, but judging from their ingredient lists, I am not impressed. The base of their products is made of oils (including mineral oil) and other emollients all brands use. Those will moisturize your skin and when your skin is well-moisturized, it’s softer and smoother and its wrinkles look smaller. So, that’s why you’re seeing immediate results.

         The 7 years improvement probably refers to the use of antioxidants. Those are preventative so it takes years to see the results. Sadly, there’s only a sprinkle of antioxidants in their products, so they won’t do too much for the skin.

         I do think the formulas look good but they are too basic for what they charge. You can find the same thing at the drugstore for a fraction of the cost.

2. IT Cosmetics recently acquired by L’Oreal.

   • Debra, thanks for sharing. I will add it to the list.

3. Carol’s Daughter was recently acquired by Loreal.

   • Sherel, thanks! I will add it to the list.

4. NYX is now acquired by L’oreal also.

   • Meg, thank you! I’ll add it ti the list.

5. Does anyone know who owns the brand By Terry?

   • Ann, I think By Terry owns itself.

6. I wondered who owns Lorac because their duch*ess lip gloss is an isentical sup for Revlon super lustrous in the color Super natural. Same texture and pigment as well.

   • Holly, as far as I know, Lorac isn’t owned by any major corporation. Sounds to me like both Lorac and Revlon are using the same manufacturer, though. Lots of brands use private label cosmetics and then just put their logos on them. That’s why you can find the same product sold by different brands at different price points.

     • Lots of brands? Are they safe?

       • Kaido, yes, private label products are safe. These companies still have to abide by the rules. They can’t put anything toxic in cosmetics. They just sell the same product to different brands who will then sell it at different price points. Some may sell it for $10 and another for $50.

         • Thanks for the information. While I can’t be sure now if products I’m using are not part of this private labelling thing, at least we know they are mostly safe. Just wondering how they can make claims on the packaging since it’s not really their product.. I guess there’s nothing we can do.

       • Kaido, it may not be their product but if they buy the rights to sell them and distribute them under their name then everything is legal. This is not just for beauty though. There are private label brands for everything, clothing, electronics, food… That’s why you sometimes see the same jacket in two different shops but with different brand names and price points. The private label company has the responsibility to create products without breaking the laws but once they’ve done that they have every right to either sell it themselves or resell it to others who can then sell it under their names.

     • Carol Shaw, founder of LORAC, partnered with Encore Consumer Capital in 2015.

       • Lorna, thanks for letting us know!

         • Who owns Clarins?

   • good question as i love revlons lipstick but i dont want to use them if they test on animals

     • Ilona, unfortunately so many brands still do. 🙁

7. Relvon purchased Elizabeth Arden

   • Kcardoso, thanks for the update. I will edit the post.

8. What about Hard Candy, Urban Decay, Lime Crime??

   • Kim, I think they are all independently owned.

     • It hurts me to write it because I love Urban decay, but they are now owned by L’Oréal ! Thank you for all your work, it’s really useful, and I mean it like on a daily basis !

       • Theodorides, that broke my heart too. 🙁 Aww thanks, you’re so welcome.

     • L’Oreal acquired Urban Decay in 2013.

       • Lorna, good to know. Thanks!

   • Urban Decay is owned by L’Oreal … don’t know about the rest…

     • Elena, thanks for the letting me know. I’ll update the post now.

   • This is a great bit of info! Also, Hard Candy hasn’t been independent for years. They were once owned by LVMH but then sold to Falic Fashion Group (family name or not…I’m not sure how they pronounce it but I know how most people would so I definitely would have considered a different company name), which is owned by Duty Free Americas.

     • D, thanks for sharing! Odd name indeed…

       See Also

       Emilia Clarke Is "Obsessed" With This Lightweight Moisturizer, and It Just Got a Major Upgrade

9. Murad is part of the unilever family of companies

   • Lyn, thanks for sharing. I’ve just updated the list.

10. Mary Kay is exclusively owned with own research labs and manufacturing plant. Patented products!

    • Patti, that’s amazing! I wish that were true for more brands.

11. Shiseido also own beaute prestige international (brand like Issey Miyake, JPG, Narcisco Rodriguez, Elie Saab, etc.). Also add Dolce and Gabbana, RéVive and Laura Mercier…the list goes on…

    • Simone, thanks for your comment. I’ve updated the list.

12. Coty just bought Wella in 2016

13. Hi there, would you mind sharing which high end products you think are actually worth the high price?

    • Shiela, that’s a very good question. I think I should answer this by writing a post about it so stay tuned. But, off the top of my head, I like Skinceuticals. Overpriced, but their products use ingredients that are proven to work. Unlike most high-end brands you can find at department stores.

      • Hi!… have you written about this? Which products are similar? if so, please send me the link… Thank you very much… Dinorah

        • Dinorah, I have. Here’s the link: http://www.beautifulwithbrains.com/expensive-skincare-products-worth-price/

14. Too Faced was bought by Estee Lauder in November,2016.

    • E, thanks. I’ll add it to the list.

15. Manzanita Partners owns Diptyque, Byredo, Malin and Goetz, Lipstick Queen, Eve Lom, Kevyn Aucoin and Space NK.

    • JJ, thanks. I’ve just updated the article.

16. Coty purchased P & G last summer, & sold off some brands. I do know that they kept most of the fragrances, with Dolce & Gabbana leaving & going to BPI (Beaute Prestige Inteernational) , that owns Shiseido.

    • Camille, thanks for the heads up. I will do some research about the sale and update this post accordingly.

17. Coty bought Younique cosmetics recently, wanting to break into direct sales. However it seems COTY hasn’t hurt the business (I’m an independent Presenter ?)

    • Crystal, good to know! I’ll add it to the list, thanks!

18. Who owns Buxom? I thought I heard it was Shiseido, by way of Bare Minerals?

    • Lia, I believe so, yes.

19. Isn’t Deciem part of the Estee Lauder group?

    • Nikolett, Estee Lauder has invested in Deciem and has a minority shareholder position in the company: http://deciem.com/estee-lauder-partnership

20. Who owns Physicians Formula?

    • Rita, I think Markwins does.

21. What about OPI and Sally Hansen? Are the part of the same company?

    • L, I think they’re both owned by Coty.

22. Who owns As I Am and Fenty Beauty?

    • AP, As I Am is owned by Salon Commodities, Ltd and Rhianna partnered with Kendo for Fenty Beauty.

      • Which own by LVMH

        • Irina, thanks for the info.

23. Do you know about koh gen do? Nordstroms started carrying it this year. Thanks

    • Mitzi, I believe they are privately owned but I may be wrong.

24. i cannot find a list of sisley subsidiaries/manufacturers anywhere. Any ideas?

    • Mo, I couldn’t find it either but I will keep digging. Hopefully someone will know more.

25. Thanks so much for this helpful post!
    Do you know if all brands under the same parent company manufacture products in the same factories and use the same raw ingredients?

    • Amy, glad you find it helpful. I’m afraid but I don’t but I would guess they do in most cases. It makes more sense.

    • What about Yon Ka. What is you opinion?

      • Marian, I think it’s owned by Multaler & Co.

26. Pingback: How To Look Good At Forty And Overthrow Your Government | Crappy Living

27. What about Soap & Glory?

    • Melissa, Alliance Boots.

28. I would like to know what you think of Clarins skin care products. I have heard that they are number one in Europe, but haven’t made it here. I tried them and have to say I love them, but another opinion would certainly be appreciated.

    • Carol, I’m not a big fan of Clarins. They have some good cleansers but the rest of their line is mostly based moisturisers with no or little anti aging properties. 🙁

      • That is so NOT true!! I’ve been using Clarins for 10 years (along with other products) and can honestly say, no one can compare to their skin care line. Now the make up line is still very good, but there are others out there that are better at certain things. They have come a long way with the color line and I think it will just continue to get better and better. Def don’t listen to ^ regarding the line. It’s the best out there! I signed up just to post this because I couldn’t let it go! ?

        • Daisy, I’m judging them purely on a scientific perspective. Where are the retinol, vitamin C, exfoliating acids and etc in their products? Their formulas are extremely basic and can’t do anything to prevent or reverse aging. But they are very moisturising, which is why many people like them.

          • Clarins is still a family owned company and currently their Double Serum is number two in the world. All of their products are based on plants and botanicals and do make a difference in your skin through plants, not chemicals.

29. Hi, is Colorpop still independent? What about Kat Von De?

    Thx

    • Lilliana, Kat Von D is with LVMH. Colorpop is owned by Seed Beauty.

30. Pingback: Cutting the Crap | Digital in Dublin

31. Thanks for this list Gio. I have recently decided to only use cruelty-free products. This list is very helpful. I know Olay, Neutrogena, Estee Laude, L’Oreal, Kao, Unilever and Shiseido are not cruelty-free. China requires animal testing so any company that sells in China is not cruelty-free. A lot of companies or products you think would be cruelty-free, are not. Just because a product is organic and even vegan doesn’t mean it’s cruelty-free. The Ordinary seems to be cruelty-free, but I don’t know if all Deciem’s products are. I generally prefer vegan products, but to be labeled vegan, you can’t use honey and I have no problem with honey. I did want to recommend an American skin care line with the unlikely name of Mad Hippy that has excellent cruelty-free products.

    • Susan, thank you for your comment. I agree, sadly it’s really difficult to figure out what brands are truly cruelty free. China is a big market so a lot of brands will want to sell there. 🙁 Also, some brands outsource animal testing to a third company so they can claim to be cruelty-free. Its a very tricky business.

    • Here’s what my research found:

      “Estee Lauder does not test on animals. but Lancome does, unfortunately. Estee Lauder themselves may not test on animals, but the suppliers to the ingredients of their products might.” This is the case for almost ALL cosmetic companies even if they don’t do animal testing.

      • Rosie, thanks for the clarification. Unfortunately all ingredients have been tested on animals at some point. Those who don’t use ingredients tested by someone else. For a long time, having someone test the ingredients was a law requirement. Hopefully now that’s not the case anymore in many parts of the world, this practice will stop.

32. To all, remember this, all cosmetics is largely dependent on you. I went to Estee Lauder school back in the mid-70s. Once I had a customer come in and she asked me why my skin looked so good. I told her that at 26 it better look good. But seriously, here’s what I told her and her two companions, what makes (creates?) good skin: 1) your genes (and I’m not talking 501 Blues); 2) what do you expose your skin to on a daily basis (tennis, golf, gardening, skiing, etc.); what do you ingest (excessive chocolate, caffeine, fried and acidy foods); and last, but certainly not least, how well do you take care of your sking (your daily cleansing and moisurizing routines)? All of these are equally important to good skin. Today, I add, do you drink enough water and get enough sleep. I would strongly suggest that anyone with skin problem should see a dermatologist and go from there. If not, it doesn’t matter how much you spend, but that it works for YOU. So go to CVS or Neiman Marcus……..it’s not your budget but rather what works and makes you feel good. For myself, I primarily use Estee Lauder, Clinique, Chanel, Sisley and Lancome. From the drugstores I use L’Oreal, Boots, Vichy and LaRoche. A good time to try new products is when you can get a gift with purchase. And, living here in Tucson, I especially like Dillards. Whatever you do, have fun with it.

    • Rosie, thanks for your comment. I agree, there’s a lot more to great skin than the right skincare products. Definitely experiment to see what works for you. We’re all unique and what works for one person may not work for another.

33. Hiya, could you do a blog on vegan cruelty-free brands please? I’m trying to move away from the brands above as they test on animals (or their parent company does) but I feel a little overwhelmed stepping into the unknown and there’s a whole new world I now need to understand. The price tags vary wildly, as with mainstream cosmetics, but it’s not easy to test products first as I find they’re mostly online only. Any help is greatly appreciated! (Apologies if you’ve already done this, I couldn’t find anything on your site but it may just be me). Thanks, Ally

    • Hi Ally, no I haven’t touched on this subject because I personally don’t believe there is such a thing as cruelty-free. As long as there are laws that require cosmetics to be tested on animals, someone must do the job. 🙁 if not the brand, then the manufacturer or a third-party agency. And that means that even though a parent company and all its brands don’t test on animals they still use ingredients that were tested by someone else at some point (otherwise, they wouldn’t have anything to formulate with!). Luckily, laws are changing and in Europe, for example, cosmetic testing on animals is banned. But still, pretty much every ingredient has already been tested on animals before the law changed. Only new ingredients that are now being developed won’t be tested on animals in the EU (but they may be tested in other countries like China). Having said that, I think it’s great that are brands that use only ingredients that have been proven to be safe and don’t carry out unnecessary tests themselves and cause even more harm. You can check out this website for a list of cruelty-free products https://www.crueltyfreekitty.com Hope this helps.

34. who owns Physicians Formula and E.L.F

    • Robin, I think ELF owns itself and Physicians Formula is owned by Markwins International.

35. What about Tarte? Almost all of my makeup is from Tarte. Though it boasts using all natural ingredients and real Amazonian clay in nearly all of its products I still allow myself a bit of a doubt. But I still couldn’t find any evidence that proves that they practise other than what they advertise (cruelty-free, vegan). I searched in the Internet and it says Tarte is owned by Kose, a Japanese company which is a bit loose on animal testing policy.

    • Ahdiah, unfortunately in some parts of the world animal tests are still required by law so even if a parent company wanted to stop them, they wouldn’t be able to. 🙁

36. Do you know who owns the Bite brand? I really like their lip products.

    • Simone, I think it’s owned by Kenzo.

37. Kose – owns Tarte and Rimmel (along with more)
    LVMH – also has Kat Von D and Fenty Beauty
    Maybe you could also have a category called “Independent” for some of the others like Chantencaille, Drunk Elephant, Deciem (although Estée Lauder owns a minority share), Colorpop, Makeup Geek, Paula’s Choice

    • Sandra, that’s a great idea! I’ll update this post asap. Thanks for sharing even more brands. 🙂

38. Hi Gio! What about Paula’s Choice? Please tell some huge mega corporation doesn’t own them.

    • Amy, all I know is that Bertram Capital is a huge investor in Paula’s Choice and behind the recent expansion into brick and mortar retailers. But they don’t seem to interfere with the formulas so that’s good. 🙂

39. Who owns RX Systems, I know it was created by a dermatologist, but do not know who owns it.

    • Margo, I believe it’s owned by Emis Group.

40. I believe Buxom is owned by Bare Minerals, who also wins Shiseidō

    • Sarah, thanks for sharing.

41. Oh this has to be updated after the P & G Coty merger!

    • Malena, working on it!

42. Rimmel is owned by Coty

    • Malena, thanks for the info.

43. Unilever as well own Ioma

    • Irina, thanks for letting us know.

44. Hi Gio, I only recently came across this post and I find it extremely useful. One question, please, do you know who owns Bioderma? Thanks.

    • Cristina, I think Bioderma is still privately owned.

45. Hi Gio,
    Do you know who owns Dermablend and if there are any other companies that make the same products that’s cost less?

    This site is great, thanks for all the work you put into it.
    Rory

    • Rory, L’Oreal owes Dermablend. I think Vichy has a similar range but it’s around the same price point.

46. This is an amazing post, thank you so much! I read through all the comments but missed seeing Bobbi Brown Moisturizing Skin Balm, which works really well for my parchment-like skin. I know they were bought out and probably by Estee Lauder, but the formula hasn’t seemed different in the past year or so. Any thoughts? Also, I want to share the app called “Buycott” which I got on the Apple Store several years ago. If you use it to scan products it will show you the company family tree.

47. Who owns CeraVe?

    • Kathy, L’Oreal does.

Comments are closed.