L'Oreal staff witness to firm's huge growth

Those who have worked for beauty giant L'Oreal have not only witnessed the company's growth in China in the past two decades, but more importantly the development of the Chinese cosmetics and skincare industry as a whole.

Ma Xiaoyu, currently general manager of Lancome at L'Oreal China, joined L'Oreal in 1997. In the past 20 years, she has witnessed each of the three development stages of the high-end cosmetics business in China.

The period between 1996 and 2004 saw brands battling for fame, according to Ma. At that time, high-end cosmetics were hardly heard of and prices were higher. But, China's economy was developing in leaps and bounds, which provided enough room for Lancome to begin to grow.