General Motors vs L'Oreal: Founders, CEOs and History

Company facts

Founders

CEOs and their tenures

Timeline: General Motors and L'Oreal side by side

1. 1908General Motors

   General Motors Founded

   William C. Durant incorporates General Motors in Hudson, New Jersey, on September 16, 1908, with Buick Motor Company as its primary asset.

2. 1909General Motors

   Cadillac and Oldsmobile Acquired

   GM acquires Oldsmobile and the prestigious Cadillac Automobile Company, establishing the multi-brand architecture that will define GM's market segmentation strategy for decades.

3. 1909L'Oreal

   Company Founded

   Eugène Schueller registers the Société Française de Teintures Inoffensives pour Cheveux in Paris with 800 francs in capital, beginning commercial sale of his Oréale hair dye formula to Parisian hairdressers.

4. 1912L'Oreal

   First International Expansion

   L'Oréal hair dyes reach distribution in the Netherlands, Austria, and Italy, establishing the international distribution ambition that would eventually span 150 countries.

5. 1923General Motors

   Alfred Sloan Becomes President

   Alfred P. Sloan takes the GM presidency and begins implementing the decentralized divisional management structure and market segmentation strategy that transforms GM into the world's most admired corporate organization.

6. 1929L'Oreal

   Imédia First Consumer Hair Dye

   L'Oréal introduces Imédia, the world's first hair dye product formulated for home application by consumers, marking the company's pivot from purely professional B2B to consumer-facing distribution.

7. 1931General Motors

   GM Surpasses Ford as World's Largest Automaker

   General Motors overtakes Ford Motor Company as the world's largest automobile manufacturer by sales volume, a position it would hold for the majority of the next seven decades.

8. 1963L'Oreal

   Euronext Paris IPO

   L'Oréal lists on the Paris Stock Exchange, providing capital for accelerated international expansion and establishing the public shareholder structure that persists today alongside the Bettencourt family's controlling stake.

9. 1971L'Oreal

   'Because You're Worth It' Campaign Launched

   Copywriter Ilon Specht creates the 'Because You're Worth It' tagline for L'Oréal Paris one of the most enduring advertising phrases in consumer goods history, reframing beauty products as expressions of female self-worth rather than instruments of male approva…

10. 1984General Motors

    Saturn Corporation Founded

    GM establishes Saturn as a separate subsidiary intended to compete with Japanese small cars through innovative labor relations, retail practices, and manufacturing processes.

11. 1991L'Oreal

    Acquisition of La Roche-Posay

    L'Oréal acquires La Roche-Posay, the French dermo-cosmetic brand founded in 1975, establishing its first significant presence in the pharmacy channel and laying groundwork for what would become the Dermatological Beauty division.

12. 1996General Motors

    OnStar Connected Vehicle Service Launched

    GM introduces OnStar, the world's first embedded cellular connected vehicle service, offering emergency assistance, stolen vehicle tracking, and remote diagnostics.

13. 1996L'Oreal

    Maybelline Acquisition

    L'Oréal acquires Maybelline New York from Wasserstein Perella for approximately $758 million, instantly becoming the global leader in mass-market color cosmetics and significantly expanding its North American market position.

14. 2000L'Oreal

    Matrix and Kiehl's Acquisitions

    L'Oréal acquires professional hair care brand Matrix and American apothecary brand Kiehl's Since 1851, broadening both the professional channel and the prestige specialty retail presence in the U.S. Market.

15. 2009General Motors

    Chapter 11 Bankruptcy and Government Bailout

    General Motors files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on June 1, 2009, with $49.5 billion in U.S. Government assistance as part of the Troubled Asset Relief Program.

16. 2010General Motors

    IPO Return to Public Markets

    General Motors returns to public markets through an initial public offering on November 18, 2010, raising approximately $23.1 billion - at the time one of the largest IPOs in U.S. History. The offering allows the U.S.

17. 2014General Motors

    Mary Barra Becomes CEO

    Mary Barra, a 33-year GM veteran with a background in engineering and manufacturing, becomes CEO on January 15, 2014, becoming the first female CEO of a major global automaker.

18. 2016General Motors

    Cruise Automation Acquired

    GM acquires Cruise Automation, a San Francisco-based autonomous vehicle startup, for approximately $1 billion - at the time one of the largest acquisitions in GM's modern history.

19. 2017L'Oreal

    CeraVe Acquisition $1.3 Billion

    L'Oréal acquires CeraVe, AcneFree, and Ambi from Valeant Pharmaceuticals for $1.3 billion.

20. 2018L'Oreal

    ModiFace Acquisition Beauty Tech

    L'Oréal acquires ModiFace, a Toronto-based augmented reality and artificial intelligence beauty technology company, establishing a proprietary virtual try-on and skin diagnostic platform deployed across brand apps, retail partner websites, and social media pla…

21. 2021General Motors

    Ultium Platform and EV Commitment Announced

    GM announces its commitment to invest more than $35 billion in electric and autonomous vehicles through 2025 and introduces the Ultium battery platform as the technological foundation for dozens of future EV models across all four U.S. Brands.

22. 2021L'Oreal

    Nicolas Hieronimus Becomes CEO

    Nicolas Hieronimus, a 30-year L'Oréal veteran who led the Luxe division's transformation, succeeds Jean-Paul Agon as Chief Executive Officer, bringing strategic continuity while accelerating digital commerce and sustainability investment.

23. 2023L'Oreal

    Aesop Acquisition $2.5 Billion

    L'Oréal completes the acquisition of Aesop, the Australian premium natural beauty brand, from Natura &Co for $2.525 billion the company's largest acquisition in over a decade and a strategic entry into the premium wellness and natural beauty segment.

24. 2024General Motors

    Cruise Robotaxi Program Ended

    Following the October 2023 Cruise pedestrian incident and a long operational pause, GM announced in December 2024 that it would stop funding Cruise's robotaxi business and fold the unit's technology work into GM.

25. 2025General Motors

    EV Capacity Cut and $7.6 Billion in EV Charges

    After the U.S. federal EV tax credit expired on September 30, 2025, GM cut EV production capacity and recorded about $7.6 billion of EV-related charges for the year.

26. 2025L'Oreal

    FY2025 Sales Reach 44.052 Billion

    LOral reported 44.052 billion in FY2025 sales, 4.0% like-for-like growth, 8.892 billion in operating profit, 6.127 billion in net profit after non-controlling interests, and more than 95,000 employees.

27. 2026General Motors

    Guidance Raised as North America Margins Recover

    GM reported Q2 2026 revenue of $48.0 billion and EBIT-adjusted of $3.9 billion, with North America margins back in its 8-10% target range, and raised full-year 2026 EBIT-adjusted guidance to $14.0-16.0 billion.

28. 2026L'Oreal

    Kering Beauté Acquisition Completed

    L'Oréal closed the ~$4.52 billion (€4 billion) purchase of Kering Beauté, including Creed, with 50-year licences for Bottega Veneta, Balenciaga and, from July 2027, Gucci.

29. 2026L'Oreal

    Record First-Half Margin

    H1 2026 sales reached ~$26.9 billion (€23.77 billion), up 6.8% like-for-like, with a record 21.3% operating margin.

Acquisitions

Questions about General Motors vs L'Oreal