French cosmetics major L'Oréal recorded sales of €23.77bn ($27.27bn) in the first half of 2026, marking a like-for-like (LfL) increase of 6.8% and reported growth of 5.8%.

On an adjusted LfL basis, excluding the phasing effect of an ongoing IT transformation, growth was 6.5%.

Operating profit rose 6.8% to €5.06bn, or 21.3% of sales.

Net profit excluding non-recurring items, after non-controlling interests, totalled €3.95bn, up 4.7%.

Earnings per share on the same basis were €7.40, an increase of 4.8%.

All four of the company’s divisions posted growth in the half year.

Professional products recorded adjusted LfL growth of 11.6%, while dermatological beauty grew 10.6%.

L'Oréal Luxe increased 5.1% and consumer products rose 4.3%.

By region, SAPMENA-SSA [South Asia Pacific, the Middle East, North Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa] delivered growth of 13.8%.

North America grew 6.7%, followed by Europe at 6.1%, Latin America at 5.2% and North Asia at 4.6%.

Alongside the results, L'Oréal confirmed a licensing arrangement with Kering for the creation, development and distribution of Gucci-branded fragrance and beauty products.

The agreement will run for 50 years on an exclusive worldwide basis and is due to start on 1 July 2027, subject to regulatory clearance.

The two companies said they would continue to work together in the period before then to maintain continuity for the Gucci brand.

L'Oréal also said Creed, Bottega Veneta and Balenciaga have been brought into its financial statements since the start of April, following their transfer from Kering.

Separately, L'Oréal signed an agreement last month to acquire a majority holding in Innovist, an India-based personal care company.

L'Oréal CEO Nicolas Hieronimus said: “Growth – broad-based across all categories, divisions, and regions – was fuelled by two main engines: the seamless execution of our innovation strategy and our market-beating growth in e-commerce, the industry’s most dynamic channel.

“Our teams on the ground keep leveraging fast-shifting distribution patterns—conquering online with digital excellence while creating exceptional brand experiences offline.”