CeraVe, La Roche-Posay, Garnier and Lancôme all belong to L'Oréal. So do Maybelline, NYX, Kérastase and many other brands sold at very different prices. Switching between them changes the product, but keeps the purchase within the same group.
The ownership chart has a few traps. A beauty license is not ownership of a fashion house, a minority investment is not control of the whole company, and a future deal has not happened yet. Here is the useful version of the portfolio for an October 2026 purchase.
L'Oréal brands by division
| Division | Selected owned brands |
|---|---|
| Consumer Products | L'Oréal Paris, Garnier, Maybelline New York, NYX Professional Makeup, essie |
| Dermatological Beauty | La Roche-Posay, CeraVe, Vichy, SkinCeuticals, Skinbetter Science |
| Professional Products | L'Oréal Professionnel, Kérastase, Redken, Matrix, Color Wow |
| L'Oréal Luxe | Lancôme, Kiehl's, Urban Decay, Aesop, Creed |
These are selected global brands from the official portfolio and acquisition announcements, not a complete worldwide list. The divisions organize the business; they are not independent parent companies.
L'Oréal Paris is one brand within Consumer Products. The L'Oréal group is the wider owner. A product does not need to say L'Oréal Paris on the front to belong to that business.
The swaps that do not change the owner
CeraVe to La Roche-Posay stays within Dermatological Beauty. Maybelline to NYX stays within Consumer Products. Redken to Kérastase stays within Professional Products.
A move from a supermarket shelf to a salon or luxury counter can still keep your purchase in L'Oréal. Price and retail setting are poor ways to guess ownership.
If your aim is to buy outside the group, Naturium belongs to e.l.f. Beauty, which is a different owner. That gives you a brand to investigate, not a promise that any Naturium formula replaces the specific product you use.
Our wider ownership table lets you check other groups before choosing a formula. Set the ownership requirement first, then compare what the product actually does.
Creed joined in 2026
L'Oréal completed its Kering Beauté acquisition on March 31, 2026. The deal included the House of Creed. Creed therefore belongs in the owned-brand column at this check.
Medik8 has a more specific relationship: L'Oréal owns a majority stake. Its September 2025 sales update confirms Medik8 joined the Luxe division, and the 2026 half-year results distinguish the acquired business from remaining minority shares.
Majority ownership is still a meaningful corporate link. Calling it a purchase of every share would be less precise than the evidence supports.
Gucci is a future beauty license, not an owned fashion house
The Kering agreement included 50-year beauty and fragrance licenses for Bottega Veneta and Balenciaga. Those rights concern their beauty businesses. They do not mean L'Oréal bought the fashion houses.
Gucci has its own timetable. L'Oréal's July 7, 2026 announcement sets the new 50-year license to begin July 1, 2027, subject to regulatory approvals. At this October 2026 check, it is a future operating change.
For a perfume purchase, two questions can matter: who owns the name, and which company runs the beauty business? A chart that puts every licensed name under owned brands hides that distinction.
What about Cetaphil and Galderma?
L'Oréal's 2025 annual results report a 20% stake in Galderma after a transaction completed February 10, 2026. That is a minority investment, not ownership of all of Galderma.
It matters if your rule concerns financial links as well as control. It does not make Cetaphil a wholly owned L'Oréal brand. Our Cetaphil review examines its testing policy separately.
| Relationship | Example | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| Owned brand | CeraVe | The brand belongs to the group |
| Majority stake | Medik8 | The group owns more than half, with other shareholders remaining |
| Minority investment | Galderma, 20% | A financial interest without ownership of the whole company |
| Beauty license | Gucci, future start date | Rights to run a beauty business under another owner's name |
Ownership is not a cruelty-free verdict
An ownership chart cannot replace a brand's testing evidence. Read the CeraVe and La Roche-Posay checks for the reasons behind our recommendations.
You can reasonably make parent ownership part of your own rule. Just apply it consistently: switching between two L'Oréal brands will not meet a preference to leave L'Oréal, while buying outside the group does not automatically establish that the replacement is cruelty-free.
Sources
L’Oréal. Our Global Brands Portfolio. https://www.loreal.com/en/our-global-brands-portfolio/. Accessed on October 28, 2026.
L’Oréal (2026). L’Oréal completes the acquisition of Kering Beauté within the framework of its strategic alliance with Kering. https://www.loreal.com/en/press-release/group/loreal-completes-the-acquisition-of-kering-beaute/. Accessed on October 28, 2026.
L’Oréal. Sales at September 30, 2025. https://www.loreal.com/en/press-release/finance/sales-at-september-30-2025/. Accessed on October 29, 2026.
L’Oréal (2026). 2026 Half-Year Results. https://www.loreal.com/en/press-release/finance/2026-half-year-results/. Accessed on October 28, 2026.
L’Oréal (2026). L’Oréal enters a 50-year exclusive worldwide beauty licence with Kering for the Gucci brand. https://www.loreal.com/en/press-release/group/l-oreal-enters-a-50-year-exclusive-worldwide-beauty-licence-with-kering--for-the-gucci-brand/. Accessed on October 28, 2026.
L’Oréal. 2025 Annual Results. https://www.loreal.com/en/press-release/finance/2025-annual-results/. Accessed on October 29, 2026.
