L'Oréal'—An OverviewCompany HistoryL'Oréal was created in 1909 after Eugène Schueller, a Parisian chemist, invented the first artificial hair dye. The name comes from the company's first hair color, Auréole, the French word for "aura of light." Schueller quickly diversified the company by incorporating soaps and shampoos and soon began advertising on radio. As demand for L'Oréal products grew, President François Dalle brought the company into the international consumer products market. In 1963, the company went public. In the following years it expanded dramatically. L'Oréal's first major change occurred with the acquisition of Lancôme, a high-end French cosmetics line, followed by the company's entry into the pharmaceutical industry in 1973. It subsequently sold most of its stake in pharmaceutical group, but maintained a 19.5% share. This was the beginning of a period of positive growth for L'Oréal: its motto at the time was “savoir saisir ce qui Begin” (seize new opportunities). L'Oréal began to expand further globally and over the next 20 years added companies in Romania, Slovenia, China, Japan, Canada and the United States. During this period, the company invested in numerous product launches that strengthened the brand image. In early 2000, L'Oréal acquired the cosmetics company Kiehl's, a multicultural beauty product maker called Carson, and the salon product maker Matrix Essentials. These acquisitions were followed by the introduction of the Fructis line in the United States, a major expansion into the domestic shampoo and conditioner market. In an effort to continue positioning the company as a high-end brand, L'Oréal began marketing its Lancôme products to a market of younger women (L'Oréal). According to Hoovers' analysis... half of the paper. .....Oréal: Strategic initiatives. (2010). A source. Retrieved October 30, 2010, from http://businessbrowser.onesource.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/Web/Reports/ReportMain.aspx?KeyID=88661&Process=CP&CIK=&Report=STRATOur Company: History of L'Oréal. Retrieved (2010, July 16) from http://www.loreal.com/_en/_ww/HTML/our-company/history-of-l-oreal.aspx Collaboration with L'Oréal. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.loreal.com/_en/_ww/lorealpartners/corporate.aspxPorter, Michael E., Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analyzing Industries and Competitors (1980). University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Academy for Entrepreneurial Leadership Reference for Historical Research on Entrepreneurship.Richardson, Arna. (2010). Production of cosmetic and beauty products. Ibisworld. Retrieved (2010, August 5) from http://www.ibisworld.com.lp.hscl.ufl.edu/industryus/default.aspx?indi