IBM vs L'Oreal: Revenue, Profit and Business Model
IBM reported $67.5B of revenue in FY2025 and $10.6B of net income. L'Oreal reported ~$49.8B of revenue in FY2025 and ~$6.9B of net income.
Latest financial snapshot
Financial summary
IBM
IBM's reported revenue fell from about $80 billion in 2016-2018 to $57.4 billion in 2021, mostly because the Kyndryl spin-off and earlier divestitures removed low-margin services. Since then the slimmer company has grown each year: $60.5 billion in 2022, $61.9 billion in 2023, $62.8 billion in 2024, and $67.5 billion in 2025 (up 7.6%). FY2025 net income from continuing operations was $10.6 billion and free cash flow was $14.7 billion. In Q2 2026, revenue rose 1% to $17.16 billion: software grew 5% to $7.76 billion, consulting was flat at $5.33 billion, and infrastructure fell 7% to $3.84 billion as IBM Z sales lapped the z17 launch. Some large software deals slipped out of the quarter, so IBM cut its 2026 constant-currency revenue growth forecast to 4-5% while keeping its target of about $1 billion more free cash flow than in 2025.
L'Oreal
L'Oréal's 2025 sales reached ~$49.8 billion (€44.05 billion), up 4.0% like-for-like and 1.3% as reported because of currency headwinds. Gross profit was ~$37 billion (€32.74 billion) (74.3% of sales), operating profit ~$10 billion (€8.89 billion) (20.2%) and net profit after non-controlling interests ~$6.93 billion (€6.13 billion). Net cash flow rose 7.8% to ~$8.14 billion (€7.2 billion). Growth sped up in 2026: first-quarter sales were ~$13.7 billion (€12.15 billion) (+7.6% like-for-like), and first-half sales were ~$26.9 billion (€23.77 billion), up 6.8% like-for-like and 5.8% reported. First-half operating profit rose 6.8% to ~$5.72 billion (€5.06 billion), a record 21.3% margin, and net profit excluding non-recurring items rose 4.7% to ~$4.47 billion (€3.96 billion). On 28 September 2026 L'Oréal's market value was about $232 billion (€205 billion), with the share near €380.
Revenue and profit by year
IBM
| Year | Revenue | Net income | Margin | Growth | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | $67.5B | $10.6B | 15.7% | +7.6% | Source |
| FY2024 | $62.8B | $6B | 9.6% | +1.4% | Source |
| FY2023 | $61.9B | $7.5B | 12.1% | +2.2% | Source |
| FY2022 | $60.5B | $1.6B | 2.7% | +5.5% | Source |
| FY2021 | $57.4B | $5.7B | 10.0% | +3.9% | Source |
| FY2020 | $55.2B | $5.6B | 10.1% | -4.4% | Source |
| FY2019 | $57.7B | $9.4B | 16.3% | -27.5% | Source |
| FY2018 | $79.6B | $8.7B | 11.0% | +0.6% | Source |
| FY2017 | $79.1B | $5.8B | 7.3% | -1.0% | Source |
| FY2016 | $79.9B | $11.9B | 14.9% | — | Source |
L'Oreal
| Year | Revenue | Net income | Margin | Growth | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | ~$49.8B | ~$6.9B | 13.9% | +1.3% | Source |
| FY2024 | ~$49.1B | ~$7.2B | 14.7% | +5.6% | Source |
| FY2023 | ~$46.5B | ~$7B | 15.0% | +7.6% | Source |
| FY2022 | ~$43.2B | ~$6.4B | 14.9% | +18.5% | Source |
| FY2021 | ~$36.5B | ~$5.2B | 14.2% | — | Source |
Where the revenue comes from
IBM
- Software~44%
Red Hat, automation, data and AI, transaction processing, security, and related software services.
- Consulting~31%
Technology consulting, business transformation, hybrid cloud implementation, and AI-enabled workflows.
- Infrastructure~23%
IBM Z, distributed infrastructure, storage, infrastructure software, maintenance, and related services.
- Financing~1%
Client financing and used equipment sales supporting enterprise technology deployments.
L'Oreal
- Consumer Products36.5%
~$18.2 billion (€16.09 billion) of 2025 sales. Mass-market brands L'Oréal Paris, Maybelline New York, Garnier, NYX Professional Makeup and Essie, sold through supermarkets, drugstores, mass retailers and e-commerce.
- L'Oréal Luxe35.4%
~$17.6 billion (€15.60 billion) of 2025 sales. Prestige brands including Lancôme, YSL Beauty, Giorgio Armani Beauty, Kiehl's, Aesop, Prada and Valentino, sold through department stores, Sephora-type specialists, travel retail and boutiques. Creed and the Kering licences joined from April 2026.
- Dermatological Beauty16.4%
~$8.14 billion (€7.20 billion) of 2025 sales. CeraVe, La Roche-Posay, Vichy and SkinCeuticals, sold mainly through pharmacies, health channels and online with dermatologist recommendation.
- Professional Products11.7%
~$5.83 billion (€5.16 billion) of 2025 sales. Salon brands Kérastase, L'Oréal Professionnel, Redken and Matrix, sold to hair salons and through their online channels.
Business model and strategy
IBM
How it makes money
IBM makes money from four segments. Software ($29.96 billion in FY2025, about 44% of revenue) includes Red Hat Enterprise Linux and OpenShift, HashiCorp Terraform and Vault, Confluent data streaming (from March 2026), watsonx AI, automation, security, and mainframe transaction-processing software, sold mostly as subscriptions and recurring licenses.
Growth strategy
IBM does not try to beat AWS, Microsoft Azure, or Google Cloud at selling public cloud capacity. It sells the software layer that runs across all of them and across on-premises data centers.
Competitive advantage
IBM's main advantage is how deeply it is built into the core systems of large regulated organizations. Banks, card networks, insurers, and governments run high-volume transaction processing on IBM Z, and moving those workloads is slow, risky, and expensive.
L'Oreal
How it makes money
L'Oréal makes money by developing, manufacturing and marketing beauty products that it sells to retailers, pharmacies, salons, travel retail and directly online.
Growth strategy
L'Oréal grows through innovation, acquisitions, licences and new markets. Recent deals include Aesop (2023, about $2.5 billion), a roughly 20% stake in Galderma, and Kering Beauté (2026, ~$4.52 billion (€4 billion)), which brought Creed plus 50-year licences for Bottega Veneta, Balenciaga and Gucci.
Competitive advantage
L'Oréal's edge comes from three things competitors rarely combine: a portfolio covering mass, luxury, dermatological and salon beauty; a research organisation of roughly 4,000 people that files about 500 patents a year; and distribution in about 150 countries across every channel. Because beauty is its only business, capital and talent are not split with food or household goods, unlike Unilever or Procter & Gamble.
Questions about IBM vs L'Oreal
Which company has higher revenue — International Business Machines Corporation or L'Oréal SA?
International Business Machines Corporation reported $67.5B (FY2025), while L'Oréal SA reported ~$49.8B (FY2025). By last reported revenue, International Business Machines Corporation is the larger business, with L'Oréal SA reporting a smaller revenue base.
What is the market cap of International Business Machines Corporation vs L'Oréal SA?
International Business Machines Corporation's market capitalisation stands at $216.3B, while L'Oréal SA's is $204.9B. International Business Machines Corporation carries the higher market valuation, reflecting investors' expectations of its future earnings power relative to L'Oréal SA.
Which is more financially efficient — International Business Machines Corporation or L'Oréal SA?
International Business Machines Corporation generates $256k / employee in revenue per employee, while L'Oréal SA generates $524k / employee. L'Oréal SA shows higher revenue efficiency per headcount, though this reflects business model differences — capital-light software companies routinely outperform labour-intensive manufacturers on this metric.
How do International Business Machines Corporation and L'Oréal SA make money?
International Business Machines Corporation and L'Oréal SA generate revenue in fundamentally different ways. International Business Machines Corporation: IBM makes money from four segments. L'Oréal SA: L'Oréal makes money by developing, manufacturing and marketing beauty products that it sells to retailers, pharmacies, salons, travel retail and directly online.
Which company is valued higher relative to revenue — International Business Machines Corporation or L'Oréal SA?
On a price-to-sales (P/S) basis, International Business Machines Corporation trades at 3.2x P/S and L'Oréal SA at 4.1x P/S. L'Oréal SA commands a higher revenue multiple, typically indicating that investors expect faster growth or higher future margins compared to International Business Machines Corporation. A higher multiple is not inherently better — it may also signal that the stock is priced for perfection.
Is International Business Machines Corporation bigger than L'Oréal SA?
By last reported revenue, International Business Machines Corporation ($67.5B (FY2025)) is the larger company compared to L'Oréal SA (~$49.8B (FY2025)). Revenue scale is one dimension of size — market capitalisation, employee count, and geographic reach are also relevant depending on the context.
Figures come from each company's filings and the sources linked beside them. Amounts reported in another currency are shown in US dollars at an approximate rate and marked with ~. Back to the IBM vs L'Oreal overview