Is Maybelline a subsidiary of L'Oréal?

Maybelline is a wholly-owned brand of L'Oréal S.A., not a separate subsidiary with its own legal entity. It operates within L'Oréal's Consumer Products division. All product development, marketing, and distribution decisions are managed by L'Oréal's corporate structure. The brand does not file independent financial reports or maintain a separate board of directors.

Is Maybelline publicly traded?

Maybelline itself is not publicly traded. Its parent company, L'Oréal S.A., trades on Euronext Paris under ticker OR. L'Oréal's largest shareholders are the Bettencourt Meyers family (approximately 34.7% of shares) and Nestlé (approximately 20.1% of shares). Investors cannot buy Maybelline stock separately.

When was Maybelline founded or acquired?

Maybelline was founded in 1915 by Thomas Lyle Williams in Chicago, Illinois. L'Oréal acquired the brand in 1996 for approximately $758 million. The acquisition gave L'Oréal a mass-market cosmetics brand with strong American distribution, complementing its existing prestige and professional portfolios.

Who founded Maybelline?

Thomas Lyle Williams founded Maybelline at age 19. He created the original product by mixing coal dust with Vaseline to darken his sister Mabel's eyelashes after a kitchen accident. He named the company by combining "Mabel" and "Vaseline." Williams ran the company as a family business until selling to L'Oréal in 1996.

What is Maybelline's market position?

Maybelline is the number one makeup brand in the world by revenue. It holds the leading market share in mass-market cosmetics globally and is sold in over 120 countries. The brand competes with Covergirl, e.l.f. Beauty, and Revlon in the drugstore channel. Its price tier is mid-range, with most products retailing between $5 and $15.

Where is Maybelline manufactured?

Maybelline products are manufactured at L'Oréal facilities in the United States, France, China, Brazil, and India. Products for North America are typically made in the US or France. Asian market products are often produced in China. All manufacturing follows L'Oréal's standardized quality and safety protocols across its 42 global factories.

Beauty & Personal Care

Who Owns Maybelline?

Q: Is Maybelline cruelty free?

No. Maybelline is not certified cruelty-free by Leaping Bunny or PETA. The brand sells products in mainland China, where animal testing is required by law for certain imported cosmetics. PETA's Beauty Without Bunnies list classifies Maybelline as a brand that tests on animals. Consumers seeking cruelty-free alternatives should check the Leaping Bunny database for certified brands.

Maybelline is owned by L'Oreal S.A. (Euronext: OR), the world's largest cosmetics company, headquartered in Clichy, France. L'Oreal acquired Maybelline in 1996 and operates it as a wholly-owned brand within its Consumer Products division. Maybelline is the number one makeup brand globally, available in over 120 countries. In 2026, the brand named Miley Cyrus its global face and partnered with OpenAI to bring virtual try-on technology to ChatGPT.

Parent Company

L'Oréal S.A.

Acquired

1996

Status

Publicly Traded

Headquarters

New York, New York, USA

Maybelline Timeline

1909

L'Oréal S.A.

Parent company established in Clichy, Hauts-de-Seine, France

Company Founded

1915

Maybelline

Founded by Thomas Lyle Williams

Founded

1996

Acquired by L'Oréal S.A.

L'Oréal S.A. acquired Maybelline

Acquired

mid rangemass marketGlobalunisexrecycled materialsOfficial Website

Who Owns Maybelline?

Parent Company: L'Oréal S.A.
Ownership Type: Wholly owned
Acquisition Year: 1996
Company Type: Publicly Traded
Stock Ticker: Euronext Paris: OR

Brand	Parent Company	Ownership Type
Maybelline	L'Oréal S.A.	Wholly owned

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Maybelline on Amazon

History of Maybelline

Founded: 1915
Founders: Thomas Lyle Williams
Acquired by L'Oréal S.A.: 1996

Thomas Lyle Williams founded Maybelline in 1915 in Chicago, Illinois. He was 19 years old. The story goes that his sister Mabel had singed her eyelashes in a kitchen accident, and Williams mixed coal dust with Vaseline to create a darkening product for her lashes. He named the company by combining "Mabel" with "Vaseline." The product sold through mail order and drugstores.

In 1917, Williams introduced Maybelline Cake Mascara, the first modern mascara widely available to consumers. It came in a compact and was applied with a wet brush. The product was a commercial success and established Maybelline as a cosmetics brand focused on eye makeup. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, Maybelline expanded its product line beyond mascara into eyebrow pencils and eye shadows. Distribution grew from mail order into drugstores and five-and-dime stores across the United States.

The company remained a privately held, family-run business for decades. Williams incorporated as Maybelline Company in 1931 and relocated manufacturing from Chicago to Memphis, Tennessee, in 1967. The move was driven by lower labor costs and a more favorable business climate. In 1971, Maybelline introduced Great Lash mascara in its iconic pink and green tube. Great Lash became one of the best-selling mascara products of all time and remains on drugstore shelves today. The packaging design has changed little in over 50 years.

In 1991, Maybelline launched the advertising slogan "Maybe she's born with it. Maybe it's Maybelline." The jingle became one of the most recognizable taglines in beauty advertising. That same year, the company moved its headquarters from Memphis to New York City to be closer to the fashion and media industries.

L'Oréal acquired Maybelline in 1996. The deal transformed Maybelline from a primarily North American brand into a global cosmetics label. Under L'Oréal, Maybelline expanded into over 120 countries and broadened its product range well beyond eye makeup into foundation, concealer, lipstick, blush, and brow products. L'Oréal's R&D infrastructure gave Maybelline access to formulation technology that its previous independent structure could not support.

In the 2000s and 2010s, Maybelline became known for celebrity-driven marketing. The brand signed Gigi Hadid, Adriana Lima, and Shay Mitchell as ambassadors. In 2020, Maybelline launched Brave Together, a mental health initiative that committed $20 million over five years to support anxiety and depression resources globally.

In 2021, Maybelline introduced Sky High Mascara, which went viral on TikTok and became one of the brand's best-selling products worldwide. The brand revived its iconic jingle in 2024 with a campaign featuring Gigi Hadid, Storm Reid, Peggy Gou, and Shay Mitchell.

In 2026, Maybelline named Miley Cyrus as its global face. Cyrus recorded a new version of the "Maybe it's Maybelline" jingle and became the face of the Sky High mascara franchise. In March 2026, the brand launched the "Record Breakers Go Sky High" campaign featuring aerospace engineer and Blue Origin astronaut Aisha Bowe, bestselling author Alex Aster, and Olympic bronze medalist Ilona Maher. In June 2026, L'Oréal announced a partnership with OpenAI at VivaTech, with Maybelline as the first brand to bring Makeup Virtual Try-On to ChatGPT via L'Oréal's ModiFace technology. L'Oréal's Q1 2026 results specifically called out Maybelline New York Serum Lipstick as a growth driver in the makeup category.

About L'Oréal S.A.

What does L'Oréal own?
L'Oréal owns approximately 37 international beauty brands organized across four divisions. In Consumer Products: L'Oréal Paris, Garnier, Maybelline New York, NYX Professional Makeup, and Essie. In L'Oréal Luxe: Lancôme, Kiehl's, Giorgio Armani Beauty, Yves Saint Laurent Beauté, Urban Decay, and Aesop. In Professional Products: Kérastase, Redken, L'Oréal Professionnel, Matrix, and Color Wow. In Dermatological Beauty: La Roche-Posay, CeraVe, Vichy, and SkinCeuticals.

Is L'Oréal publicly traded?
Yes, L'Oréal S.A. is listed on Euronext Paris under ticker OR and is a component of the CAC 40 index. The company has been publicly traded since 1974. The Bettencourt Meyers family holds approximately 33% of the capital, providing effective influence without majority control. The remainder is held by institutional investors, Nestlé (which holds a reduced minority stake), and public shareholders.

Who founded L'Oréal?
L'Oréal was founded in 1909 by Eugène Schueller, a French chemist who developed a synthetic hair dye formula called Auréale for Parisian hairdressers. Schueller incorporated the company in Clichy and built it into a major French consumer company over his lifetime. His daughter Liliane Bettencourt inherited control of the family holding, and her descendants, the Bettencourt Meyers family, remain the largest shareholders today.

Where is L'Oréal headquartered?
L'Oréal is headquartered in Clichy, Hauts-de-Seine, France, where Eugène Schueller founded the company in 1909. The headquarters is located in the western suburbs of Paris, close to the company's historic manufacturing and research facilities. L'Oréal's global R&D headquarters is also located in France, in the Aulnay-sous-Bois area.

How many brands does L'Oréal own?
L'Oréal owns approximately 37 international brands across its four divisions. The company has historically grown through acquisition, adding major brands at regular intervals. The most recent significant additions include Aesop (acquired 2023), Skinbetter Science (2023), and the House of Creed plus 50-year beauty licenses for Bottega Veneta, Balenciaga, and Alexander McQueen (acquired March 2026 through the Kering Beauté transaction). The Gucci 50-year beauty license begins after Coty's current license expires.

Who owns L'Oréal?
L'Oréal is a publicly traded company. The Bettencourt Meyers family, descendants of founder Eugène Schueller, hold approximately 33% of the capital through their family holding company Téthys. Nestlé S.A. holds a reduced minority stake of less than 10%. The remainder is held by institutional investors worldwide. Nicolas Hieronimus serves as CEO, appointed in May 2021, and Jean-Paul Agon serves as non-executive Chairman.

Is L'Oréal cruelty free?
L'Oréal's brands are not independently certified as cruelty free by Leaping Bunny or PETA's Beauty Without Bunnies program at the group level, primarily because L'Oréal has sold products in markets where animal testing is mandated by local regulators. The company states it does not conduct animal testing itself. Chinese regulatory reforms since 2021 have reduced mandatory testing requirements for ordinary cosmetics. Consumers should verify the current status of individual L'Oréal brands through the Leaping Bunny database, as certification status varies by brand and market.

What is L'Oréal's annual revenue?
L'Oréal reported full-year 2025 sales of €44.05 billion, growth of 4.0% on a like-for-like basis and 1.3% as reported. The operating margin reached a record 20.2%. Earnings per share were €12.71. E-commerce represented 30% of total sales. The company has grown revenue from approximately €25 billion in 2015 to €44 billion in 2025, driven by both organic growth and acquisitions.

Founded: 1909
Headquarters: Clichy, Hauts-de-Seine, France
Company Type: Publicly Traded
Stock: Euronext Paris: OR
Revenue: €44.05 billion (FY2025)
Employees: More than 95,000

Visit L'Oréal S.A. website

View full company profile for L'Oréal S.A.

Where Is Maybelline Made / Based?

Headquarters: New York, New York, USA
Manufacturing / Operations: United States, France, China, Brazil, India

Maybelline Categories & Tags

Makeup Cosmetics Beauty Affordable Mass Market

Maybelline Sustainability & Ethics

Maybelline runs a sustainability program called Conscious Together, organized around four pillars: packaging, production, formula, and circularity. The brand has replaced 1,100 tons of virgin plastic with recycled plastic since 2019. In 2024, 9.2% of Maybelline packaging used recycled materials, up from 3.5% in 2022. The target is 50% recycled or biobased materials in all packaging by 2030. Products including Lash Sensational Sky High Waterproof Mascara and Super Stay Matte Ink Liquid Lipstick now use 100% post-consumer recycled plastic bottles, excluding wipers.

On the production side, L'Oréal reports that all company-owned factories producing Maybelline products will use 100% renewable energy by 2025, with 50% already powered by renewable sources in 2024. The Conscious Formula pillar reports that 34% of Maybelline ingredients are sourced from plant, mineral, or recycled materials, contributing to L'Oréal's group target of 75% by 2030.

Maybelline is not cruelty-free. The brand sells products in mainland China, where animal testing is required by law for certain imported cosmetics. PETA's Beauty Without Bunnies list classifies Maybelline as a brand that tests on animals. The brand does not appear on the Leaping Bunny cruelty-free database. This positioning conflicts with the growing clean beauty movement but reflects L'Oréal's commercial decision to maintain access to the Chinese market.

L'Oréal received the 2026 World's Most Ethical Companies recognition from Ethisphere for the 17th time, which covers corporate-level practices. However, brand-level cruelty-free status remains a separate question from corporate ethics awards.

Awards & Recognition

Maybelline products have received consistent industry recognition. Great Lash mascara has been a staple on Allure Best of Beauty lists and is frequently cited by beauty editors as a drugstore hero product. Sky High Mascara won viral product recognition across TikTok and beauty press in 2021 and 2022, appearing on best-of lists from Cosmopolitan, Glamour, and Byrdie.

The "Maybe she's born with it" tagline has been recognized by advertising industry publications as one of the most effective beauty marketing slogans ever created. The 2024 revival campaign and the 2026 Miley Cyrus partnership generated significant earned media coverage.

L'Oréal, Maybelline's parent, was named the most innovative company in Europe by Fortune in 2025 and received the 2026 World's Most Ethical Companies recognition from Ethisphere for the 17th time. Maybelline's Brave Together mental health initiative has been recognized by mental health organizations for its commitment to destigmatizing anxiety and depression.

Maybelline Recalls & Controversies

Oil-Free Labeling Lawsuit (2020): A class action lawsuit alleged that Maybelline Fit Me Matte + Poreless foundation and Fit Me Concealer, marketed as "oil-free," contained ingredients chemically classified as oils, including tocopherol and isododecane. The plaintiff argued that L'Oréal used technical ingredient names that consumers would not recognize as oils. The case was consolidated with similar claims against L'Oréal Paris products. The parties reached a settlement, and L'Oréal updated product labeling.

Animal Testing: Maybelline is not certified cruelty-free by Leaping Bunny or PETA. The brand sells in mainland China, where regulatory authorities require animal testing on certain imported cosmetics. Consumer advocacy sites including Cruelty Free Kitty and Logical Harmony list Maybelline as a brand that tests on animals. This remains an ongoing issue with no resolution expected unless Chinese regulations change or Maybelline exits that market.

Ingredient Safety Concerns: Consumer advocacy groups have raised questions about parabens, phthalates, and synthetic fragrances in some Maybelline formulations. L'Oréal maintains that all products comply with FDA and EU regulations and undergo safety testing. No regulatory body has issued a recall or ban on Maybelline products related to these ingredients.

Environmental Criticism: Environmental groups have criticized mass-market cosmetics brands, including Maybelline, for plastic waste from single-use packaging. Maybelline's Conscious Together program addresses this partially through recycled packaging targets, but critics argue the pace is too slow. The brand has not faced regulatory action or fines related to environmental practices.

Maybelline Ownership: Pros & Cons

Advantages

+Access to L'Oréal's 22 research centers and 4,000+ scientists for formulation development
+Distribution in over 120 countries through L'Oréal's global logistics network
+Manufacturing scale across 42 L'Oréal factories keeps unit costs low
+L'Oréal's digital infrastructure, including the ModiFace AR platform and OpenAI partnership, gives Maybelline technology advantages independent brands cannot match
+Strong brand equity built over 110 years, with the "Maybe it's Maybelline" tagline still recognized globally

Considerations

-Not cruelty-free due to Chinese market sales, limiting appeal to ethical beauty consumers
-No independent financial reporting, making it difficult to assess Maybelline's standalone profitability
-Mass-market positioning constrains pricing power and gross margins compared to L'Oréal Luxe brands
-Vulnerable to private-label store brands and ultra-low-cost competitors like e.l.f. Beauty gaining share in drugstores
-L'Oréal's corporate decisions on China policy, sustainability targets, and AI partnerships are made at the parent level, not by Maybelline's brand team

Frequently Asked Questions About Maybelline

Sources & Further Reading

Competitors to Maybelline

These competing brands operate in the same categories and provide similar products or services. Compare key attributes to understand market positioning and competitive landscape.

Brand	Parent Company	Country	Founded	Market Position	Primary Market	Gender Target
Sephora	Lvmh	France	1969	Premium	Global	Female-focused
Ultra Beauty	Ulta Beauty Inc	USA	1990	Mass market	Global	Unisex
Basic Care	Walmart	USA	2017	Mass market	United states	All-ages
Benefit Cosmetics	Lvmh	United States	1976	Premium	Global	Womens
Fax	Evyap	Turkey	1970	Mass market	Europe	Unisex
Fenty Beauty	Lvmh	United States	2017	Premium	Global	Womens