Last year, L’Oréal USA, the leading beauty company in America, took a major leadership position on diversity in the workplace.
While various companies released their diversity figures, prompt- ing a national discussion about gender disparity regarding em- ployee benefits and compensation, L’Oréal received the EDGE (Economic Dividends for Gender Equality) certification for gender equality. L’Oréal USA was the first company in the U.S. to receive the EDGE certification, which is the only global standard of equal- ity in pay, leadership development, hiring and promotions, flex- ibility and culture. The certification validates a company has the right programs and policies in place to work toward a 50/50 gender balance.
“We’re extremely proud to be a leader in diversity and believe this commitment brings with it a responsibility to constantly evalu-
ate how we’re doing and to challenge ourselves to be better, to constantly innovate and to be role modeling wherever possible,” says Angela Guy, the SVP of Diversity & Inclusion at L’Oréal USA. “Striving toward gender equity is about creating a workplace that works for everyone.”
L’Oréal’s commitment to diversity dates back over a century. Now, more than ever before, the company is squarely focused on creat- ing innovative products to meet the needs of their increasingly- diverse consumers. With a portfolio of 32 international brands (L’Oréal Paris, Maybelline New York, Garnier, Redken, Lancôme, Kiehls Since 1851, Clarisonic, SoftSheen-Carson and the recently- acquired Carol’s Daughter, to name a few), a presence in 130 coun- tries and more than 78,000 employees worldwide, L’Oréal’s ambi- tion is to make beauty accessible to all.
According to Frédéric Rozé, President and CEO, L’Oréal Americas,“Diversity fosters creativity. We need to generate the best ideas from our people at all levels of the company and incorporate them into our business practices. L’Oréal is the number one beauty company in the world because we recognize that there are many different visions of beauty. It is the collective ideas and creativity of our diverse teams and employees that have enabled us to innovate and meet the needs of consumers all over the world.”
For L’Oréal, measuring and tracking various dimensions of diver- sity is a business imperative.
“The diversity of the marketplace is our playground,”says Guy. “By partnering with business leaders, human resources, suppli- ers and community leaders, we have successfully implemented a holistic approach to Diversity & Inclusion that offers a productive and creative work environment for everyone. A diverse organization is more than the right thing to do; it is vital to maintaining our leadership in the industry.”
L’Oréal understands the importance of supporting consumers through national and global programs. Since 1998, the company’s For Women in Science program has recognized and rewarded more than 2,000 female post-doctoral scientists in over 100 countries for their contributions in STEM fields and for the last decade, the company’s flagship brand, L’Oréal Paris, has celebrated extraordi- nary women in the U.S. for their innovative approaches to tackling significant issues and hardships in their local communities.
L’Oréal has been recognized for its leadership in diversity and inclusion with a Visionary Award by Women’s Corporate Directors, Top Companies for Executive Women by National Association of Executive Women, American Conference on Diversity Humanitar- ian Award, Disability Matters Workforce Award, among others.
