French beauty major also moves to acquire majority stake in Innovist to deepen its Indian footprint
French beauty major L’Oreal said on Wednesday that its India business continued to gain momentum in the first half of 2026, powered by strong growth in haircare and skincare. The company’s SAPMENA-SSA region, which spans South Asia Pacific, Middle East, North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa, posted adjusted like-for-like growth of 13.8 percent over the period.
L’Oreal noted that performance was outstanding in Vietnam and very strong across Australia and New Zealand, while growth in India continued to accelerate, driven by its haircare and skincare segments. Consumption in Gulf countries, meanwhile, was affected by the ongoing Middle East conflict, with Saudi Arabia proving to be the exception.
Category and Channel Drivers
According to the company, haircare remained particularly strong across both professional and mass-market segments, supported by strong-performing brands and new product launches. At the same time, skincare benefited from growing consumer interest in dermatological beauty products. E-commerce also remained a significant growth engine across the region, with India, Southeast Asia and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries standing out as key markets for online sales.
Innovist Acquisition
As part of its strategy to dominate the Indian market, L’Óreal has agreed to buy a majority stake in one of the largest Indian personal-care companies, Innovist. Experts believe that the acquisition will enable the company to meet local demand for cosmetics by introducing its portfolio of trusted domestic brands into the French company’s sales network. The deal is expected to be finalized in a few months, once all legal and regulatory requirements are met.
Broader Financial Context
L’Oreal announced the improvement of the division’s performance in several emerging markets such as India, Brazil and Vietnam, where they performed well and contributed significantly towards the group’s overall sales. For the first half of 2026, the company’s sales hit 23.78 billion euros, which is a 6.8 percent increase compared to the same period of the previous year.
