
NYX Professional Makeup is owned by L'Oréal S.A., the French beauty group that acquired the brand in 2014 for a reported $500 million. Toni Ko founded NYX in Los Angeles in 1999. The brand operates inside L'Oréal's Consumer Products Division and remains headquartered in Los Angeles. L'Oréal trades on Euronext Paris under the ticker OR.
| Brand | Parent Company | Ownership Type |
|---|---|---|
| NYX Professional Makeup | L'Oréal S.A. | Subsidiary |
Toni Ko founded NYX in Los Angeles in 1999 with a $250,000 loan from her parents, who ran a cosmetics wholesale business. She named the brand after Nyx, the Greek goddess of the night. The original pitch was professional-quality makeup at drugstore prices, targeting beauty enthusiasts who could not afford MAC or department store lines.
The company's early growth came through beauty supply stores and wholesalers rather than traditional retail. NYX built a reputation for highly pigmented products, especially eye makeup and lip color, and was among the first beauty brands to bet heavily on social media. It sponsored beauty vloggers and ran the annual FACE Awards, an online makeup artistry competition, well before influencer marketing was an industry standard. By the early 2010s it had become one of the fastest-growing color cosmetics brands in the United States.
L'Oréal acquired the brand in June 2014 for a reported $500 million. The deal gave L'Oréal a digital-native, youth-skewing label to complement Maybelline, while NYX gained L'Oréal's manufacturing scale and international distribution. In September 2015 L'Oréal opened the first NYX-branded freestanding stores, and the chain expanded across the Americas, Europe, Australia, and the Middle East. The brand was renamed NYX Professional Makeup in 2016.
Under L'Oréal ownership NYX pushed into entertainment-driven marketing, running collaborations with film franchises, musicians, and gaming properties aimed at Gen Z. The brand reports more than 30 million followers across its social accounts and sells in more than 70 countries through its own stores, Ulta Beauty, Target, CVS, Boots, and thousands of other retailers. It employs roughly 1,100 people as of 2025.
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.
NYX is certified cruelty free under PETA's Beauty Without Bunnies program and has been listed there since 2015. It is not Leaping Bunny certified. When L'Oréal acquired the brand in 2014, PETA contacted NYX and confirmed that its no-animal-testing policy would continue under the new owner, and PETA has kept the brand on its cruelty-free list since. L'Oréal itself is on PETA's "do test" list because the group sells products in markets where animal testing has been legally required.
The brand offers more than 100 products labeled vegan but holds no certification from The Vegan Society. At the corporate level, L'Oréal has science-based emissions targets validated by the Science Based Targets initiative and is a founding member of the Responsible Mica Initiative. These are parent-level commitments rather than NYX-specific certifications.
NYX has no major product recalls on record with the FDA or CPSC. Its principal controversy is inherited from its owner: critics of L'Oréal's animal testing position argue that buying NYX products supports a non-cruelty-free parent. PETA's position, stated publicly, is that NYX's standalone cruelty-free certification remains valid regardless of the parent company's status.
The brand also faced scattered consumer criticism over limited-edition collaborations and discontinuations, matters common to trend-driven cosmetics lines rather than regulatory issues. Founder Toni Ko's public comments about regretting the 2014 sale generated recurring press coverage but no legal or regulatory consequence.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lvmh | United States | 2017 | Premium | Global | Womens | |
| Lvmh | United States | 1976 | Premium | Global | Womens | |
| Clorox | USA | 1984 | Mass market | United states | Unisex | |
| Estee Lauder | USA | 1946 | Luxury | Global | Womens | |
| Hindustan Unilever | India | 1952 | Mass market | Regional | Womens | |
| Mary Kay | USA | 1963 | Mass market | Global | Womens |
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Beauty Personal CareOwned by The Clorox Company
American personal care and cosmetics brand specializing in natural products, owned by The Clorox Company.
Beauty Personal CareOwned by The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.
American prestige skincare and cosmetics brand and the flagship label of The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (NYSE: EL). Founded in 1946, the brand is known for Advanced Night Repair and Double Wear foundation, sold in approximately 150 countries through department stores, specialty retailers, and e-commerce.
Beauty Personal CareOwned by Hindustan Unilever Limited
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Beauty Personal CareOwned by Mary Kay Inc.
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Market Positioning: NYX Professional Makeup competes with 6 brands in the same categories, ranging from mass market to luxury positioning.
Geographic Distribution: Competitors are headquartered across multiple regions, indicating global competition in this market segment.
Brand Heritage: Competitor brands range from established heritage brands to newer market entrants, with founding years spanning several decades.
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Beauty Personal CareOwned by Evyap
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Arko is privately owned, unlike NYX Professional Makeup which is under a publicly traded parent company.
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Duru is privately owned, unlike NYX Professional Makeup which is under a publicly traded parent company.
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Mass-market soap and personal care brand owned by Evyap, sold in over 100 countries with strong positions in Eastern Europe and the Middle East.
Fax is privately owned, unlike NYX Professional Makeup which is under a publicly traded parent company.
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Men's personal care and grooming brand owned by Evyap, a privately held Turkish personal care company founded in 1927. Gibbs offers shaving products, deodorants, and grooming items primarily in European, Middle Eastern, and Central Asian markets.
Gibbs is privately owned, unlike NYX Professional Makeup which is under a publicly traded parent company.
Beauty Personal CareOwned by Great Clips, Inc.
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Great Clips is privately owned, unlike NYX Professional Makeup which is under a publicly traded parent company.
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