The 7 Major Companies That Produce All Your Favorite Beauty Brands

L'Oréal was founded as a small company by chemist Eugene Schueller in Paris in 1909 and has since claimed the throne as the No. 1 cosmetic group in the world (sold in over 130 countries). The megabrand owns more than 30 cosmetic, hair, and skincare brands and reportedly raked in over $27 billion last year.

Brands Include: L'Oréal Paris, Lancome Paris, Garnier, Giorgio Armani, Kiehl's, YSL, Clarisonic, Urban Decay, Skinceuticals, Maybelline New York, Essie, Carol's Daughter, NYX Professional Makeup, Krastase, Redken, Matrix, and Pureology

Coty Inc. was founded in Paris in 1904 by Francois Coty in an attempt to revolutionize fragrance and make it more accessible to the general public. As of today, Coty Inc. is home to over 77 perfume, skincare, hair, and cosmetic brands sold in more than 130 countries, with an estimated $4 billion in 2016 beauty sales.

Brands Include: Wella Professionals, OPI, GHD, Clairol Professional, Sebastian Professional, Calvin Klein, Chloé, Philosophy, Stella McCartney, Escada, CoverGirl, Rimmel London, Max Factor, Sally Hansen, and Clairol

Unilever goes back to the 1800s with its roots planted by William Lever, Jurgens, and Van den Bergh. Currently, the umbrella brand owns over 400 brands worldwide (67 of them in the personal care category), with an estimated 2.5 billion people using Unilever products on any given day and a profit of more than $22 billion in beauty sales last year.

Brands Include: Dove, Caress, Clear, Lever 2000, Noxzema, Nexxus, Simple, Pond's, Suave, TIGI, and Vaseline

In 1872, Arinobu Fukuhara established Japan's first Western-style pharmacy in Ginza, Tokyo. In 1916, Shiseido broke away with an independent cosmetics shop and the rest is history. Today, Shiseido owns approximately 96 companies (about 30 of them beauty), with major offices around the world, and it made an estimated $6 billion in beauty sales last year.

Brands Include: Shiseido, bareMinerals, Avne, Nars, Laura Mercier, ReVive, and Benefique

Estée Lauder started her company in 1946 with four brands and a catchy claim (that everyone can be beautiful). Today, Estée Lauder Companies Inc. is comprised of over 25 brands sold in over 150 countries, earning an estimated $11 billion last year.

Brands Include: Estée Lauder, Clinique, MAC, Origins, La Mer, Bobbi Brown, Michael Kors, Aveda, Bumble and Bumble, Too Faced, Becca, and GlamGlow

Johnson & Johnson started out as a line of surgical dressings by Robert Wood Johnson and brothers James Wood Johnson and Edward Mead Johnson back in the late 1880s. Today, the corporation (well-known for introducing the world to Band-Aids) owns over 250 pharmaceutical and consumer brands sold in over 175 countries, and it reportedly made over $7 billion in 2016 beauty sales.

Brands Include: Band-Aid, Aveeno, Bengay, Clean & Clear, Carefree, Johnson's Baby, Lubriderm, Neosporin, Neutrogena, RoC, and Visine

Procter & Gamble, commonly referred to as P&G, was formed in 1837 by William Procter and James Gamble, and it has been a huge player in the beauty industry ever since. Now, P&G owns 12 core beauty brands (along with other brands) and racked up an estimated $9 billion in revenue in 2016.

Brands Include: Aussie, Head & Shoulders, Herbal Essences, Olay, Pantene, Old Spice, Secret, SK-II, and Vidal Sassoon