Françoise Bettencourt Meyers is the granddaughter of Eugène Schueller, the founder of the French cosmetics giant L’Oréal. She is the chairwoman of L’Oréal’s board of directors and one of the most influential figures in the global beauty industry.

Françoise Bettencourt Meyers was born on July 10, 1953, in Neuilly-sur-Seine, an affluent suburb of Paris, France, as the only child of André Bettencourt and Liliane Bettencourt. Despite being born into extraordinary wealth, she became known for her modest lifestyle and reserved personality.

She began playing the piano at an early age while studying at the Marymount School in Paris, where she received instruction from the renowned music teacher Yvonne Lefébure. Due to fears of kidnapping for ransom during her childhood, she was withdrawn from school and educated at home, with the piano becoming her greatest comfort. Today, piano remains her favorite hobby, and her two-story home in Neuilly-sur-Seine is adorned with two grand pianos, one by Steinway and the other by Yamaha.

Françoise Bettencourt Meyers completed her university education in the United States at Stanford University, where she studied business, economics, and art.

The cosmetics company L’Oréal, founded in 1909 by the French chemist Eugène Schueller, passed to his daughter Liliane Bettencourt following his death in 1957. After Liliane Bettencourt’s death in 2017, the family fortune and influence over L’Oréal were inherited by Françoise Bettencourt Meyers. Her father, the politician André Bettencourt, had passed away earlier in 2007.

Françoise Bettencourt Meyers serves as the chairwoman of L’Oréal’s board of directors. According to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, she was the world’s richest woman in January 2022, with a net worth of USD 94.9 billion, ranking her as the 12th wealthiest person globally at that time.

Outside of business, Françoise Bettencourt Meyers is also an accomplished author. She wrote a five-volume work titled A Look at the Bible, as well as a multi-volume book on Greek mythology. These publications have made her the world’s wealthiest female author. Despite being a cosmetics heiress, she is known for her minimal makeup, usually wearing little more than eyeliner, and favoring thick-framed glasses, scarves, and tailored trouser suits as her signature style.

Raised as a Catholic, Françoise Bettencourt Meyers met her future husband Jean-Pierre Meyers at the age of 19. He was five years older and came from a wealthy French Jewish banking family, and was the son of a L’Oréal executive. The couple married in Tuscany, Italy, in 1984. They have two sons, Jean-Victor Meyers and Nicolas Meyers. After marriage, she converted to Judaism, and both children were raised in the Jewish faith.

According to Forbes, as of November 2024, Françoise Bettencourt Meyers had an estimated net worth of USD 71.1 billion, making her once again the richest woman in the world.

Following the devastating fire at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris on April 15, 2019, Françoise Bettencourt Meyers and L’Oréal pledged USD 226 million toward the restoration of the historic cathedral.

Source: Biyografiler.com