For well over a hundred years, the iconic French luxury brand, L'Oréal has devoted its energy and ingenuity to the relentless pursuit of beauty, elegance and panache. In the course of an eventful history and dynamic evolution, it has chosen to offer its vast expertise and experience in the service of women (and even men) the world over who wish to look, and feel beautiful. In the process, L'Oréall has not only catered to an infinite diversity of beauty desires, but also set the pace for others to follow in terms of social impact, corporate governance and ethical behaviour.
From when it introduced its very first product, a hair dye, in 1909, to its vast range of products and services today, L'Oréal has been a leader in the global beauty industry - a position it has commanded virtually unchallenged for decades. The company's commitment to beauty, and its unrelenting pursuit of excellence, is based on its belief that beauty (or the quest thereof) is a uniting factor amongst members of the human family, whatever their background, and that it is a fundamental human need that goes beyond mere physical appearance, but goes deep into a whole range of human aspirations: to have a sense of belonging, and to have a sense of self-realization, and self-confidence.
That fundamental belief, along with a consuming passion for innovation, an obsession with superior quality, and respect for diversity, has enabled L'Oréal to conceive and build an infinite diversity of beauty products and services - and to become the No.1 cosmetics group in the world, with a portfolio of 36 brands (and counting), an active business and commercial presence in 150 countries on all continents, and powered by a workforce of 88,000 employees - all amounting to a global annual revenue profile of about thirty billion euros.
It is a platform any model, brand ambassador or influencer (whether aspiring or already established) would covet; no wonder that many of the world's most beautiful and glamorous women feel privileged to be associated with the L'Oréal brand - and to showcase its products on runways, photo studios and venues across the globe.
One of those venues is the Paris Fashion Week, where this last Monday, Nigeria's Temi Otedola, actress, model, blogger and fashion influencer, took the fashion world by storm as she made her runway debut for L'Oréal. Better known in her native Nigeria as the daughter of one of Nigeria's wealthiest men, the business mogul, Femi Otedola, Temi was participating in the Le Défilé L'Oréal Paris - (also known as the 'Walk Your Worth' Spring-Summer 2025 Show), in her prestigious and historic role as the first-ever African Digital Ambassador for the brand. Recall that in June 2024, L'Oréal Paris had - in a typically adventurous gesture - announced Temi's appointment to the afore-mentioned position for its L'Oréal Paris makeup brand, with a mandate to showcase the unique chocolate beauty of an African woman on the global stage.
The Paris Fashion Week is a series of designer presentations held twice each year in the French capital. As an official partner of the Week, L'Oréal brings people together in celebration of women's empowerment, inclusion, and sisterhood, as it welcomes the brand's family of ambassadors, fashion designers and beauty experts in a showcase for extraordinary femininity that champions the democratization of fashion, beauty, and self-worth.
In taking to the L'Oréal runway for the first time, Temi joined an impressive array of international celebrities such as Eva Longoria, Aishwarya Rai, Cara Delevingne, Andie MacDowell, Kendall Jenner, Viola Davis, Heidi Klum, and Alia Bhatt, to name a few. In her reaction to her debut on Instagram, Temi posted a now-viral video clip of her confident stride down the catwalk. It was tagged, 'EMPOWERED' "Still can't believe I walked the #lorealparis Défilé Show," she wrote, adding that walking alongside so many iconic women who had inspired her in the past was a dream come true.
Indeed, the last three months or so have been a rollercoaster ride for the billionaire heiress, whose campaigns for L'Oreal have showcased her distinctive style as she celebrates the diverse beauty of Africa, and Nigeria in particular. Her association with the French powerhouse is even more gratifying when you consider that, by her own admission, the L'Oréal Paris Makeup was one of the earliest beauty brands she was exposed to as a young girl. "The L'Oréal Paris woman is someone I deeply resonate with," she says. "(She is) confident, unapologetic, and always striving to make a difference in the world. I'm so excited to begin this beautiful journey with a brand that truly inspires me."
By common consensus, Temi Otedola's unique style, confidence, and passion for beauty is the perfect embodiment of the L'Oréal Paris ethos of what it calls 'empowered beauty' - two words that stress the universality of beauty (however defined) and the urgent imperative of women's empowerment in a world in which feminist values and equal rights are gradually taking centre stage as a panacea to some of the social ills that, in the view of many, have been brought upon us the excesses of patriarchy in society. L'Oréal's slogan, "Because I'm Worth It," encapsulates this spirit. Coined back in 1971, it still holds true today, as it continues to honour the female experience, as well as the extraordinary women who sacrifice so much to serve their families and communities,"
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Closer to home, above all, the brand's push for greater diversity, and Temi's association with it, stands as yet another reminder - for those who still need reminding - of the innate ability of the typical Nigerian, who is creative, sophisticated, fearless and hardworking, to excel in the local and international arenas, and indeed to be capable of whatever he or she sets their minds to. Temi's act on her runway debut - when she paused on the catwalk to swipe a touch of lipstick on her lips - has since gone viral because it speaks volumes: it says: 'I am confident. I am powerful because I am beautiful. I am ENOUGH.
And yes, it also says, 'I am worth it.'
And Temi Otedola is indeed worth every aspect of her moment in the global spotlight.
- Keem Abdul, publisher and writer, hails from Lagos. He can be reached via +2348038795377 or Akeemabdul2023@gmail.com
