The Top 100 Beauty Money Makers of 2008

by BellaSugarUK 1

I'm sure you haven't been holding your breath for this release, but if the business side of beauty has always been as intriguing to you as it has to me, I think you'll find the statistics of the top 100 beauty company earners of 2008 quite interesting. The glosses, fragrances and pick-me-up eye shadows that we buy to make ourselves look and feel better add up to some serious poundage and have made brands a full fledged fortune. In '08 alone, the cosmetics industry have scrounged together a whopping $168.21 Billion (that's roughly £105 Billion).

The U.S. ranks the highest with 33 companies on the list, followed by France with 13, Japan with 11, Italy with 10, Germany with eight, and seven in the UK. Other countries include South Korea, Switzerland, Brazil, Russia, Belgium, China, Finland, Latvia, Peru, Spain and Sweden. The sales calculated are from fragrance, skincare, sun care products, makeup, haircare, deodorant, anti-cellulite and shaving products only.

You can see the full top 100 list here, but for a detailed look at each of the top five biggest earners, read more.

• L'Oreal Group: They celebrated their 100th anniversary in June and raked in over $25.81 Billion this past fiscal year. The L'Oreal Group includes brands such as: L’Oréal Paris, Garnier, Maybelline, Kérastase, Redken, Lancôme, Biotherm, Kiehl’s, Shu Uemura, Giorgio Armani Beauté, YSL Beauté, Ralph Lauren Fragrances, Vichy, La Roche-Posay, Skinceuticals, The Body Shop and more.
• Procter and Gamble had a year of $19.8 Billion in revenue. You probably even use some of their products as they represent big brands like: Pantene, Head & Shoulders, Clairol, Herbal Essences, Nice ’n Easy, Wella, Sebastian Professional, Nioxin, Vidal Sassoon, Frédéric Fekkai, CoverGirl, Max, Hugo Boss, Old Spice, Lacoste, Valentino, Gucci, Escada, Puma, Anna Sui, Ghost, Dunhill, Dolce & Gabbana, Christina Aguilera, Replay, Rochas, Olay, SK-II, Noxema, DDF, The Art of Shaving, Zirh and Secret.
• Unilever: This London company made $15.5 Billion in 2008 and is the parent company for Axe/Lynx, Impulse, Rexona/Sure, Degree, Dove, Lux, Pond’s, Suave, Sunsilk/Seda/Sedal/Hazeline, Clear and Vaseline.
• Believe it or not, but The Estee Lauder Companies took a hit this year. However, they still managed to conjure up in $7.85 Billion in sales. You're all familiar with some of their brands like: Estée Lauder, Jo Malone, Aramis, Clinique, Prescriptives, Lab Series, Origins, MAC Cosmetics, Bobbi Brown, Tommy Hilfiger, Kiton, La Mer, Donna Karan, Aveda, Bumble and bumble, Darphin, Michael Kors, Sean John, Missoni, Tom Ford Beauty, Mustang, Coach, Ojon and Good Skin.
• Avon Products earned over $7.6 Billion in 2008 as an umbrella company for their brands: Avon Color, Anew, Skin-So-Soft, Advanced Techniques Hair Care, Avon Naturals, Avon Wellness, Mark, Derek Jeter, Patrick Dempsey, Emanuel Ungaro, Christian Lacroix and Marimekko.