One of the highlights of the site is the Job Seeker’s section, which doesn’t just stop at posting current opportunities within L’Oréal worldwide, but also goes to great lengths to provide prospective applicants with a wealth of information on company culture. It even comes complete with delicately shot video testimonials of current employees, whose lyrical waxings of L’Oréal’s career paths are sure to inspire a steady flow of inbound talent.

At the sharp end, the opulence of L’Oréal’s brand portfolio comes across strongly and without being overpowering and brash, and links blue-chip names such as Cacharel, Garnier, Lancôme and Maybelline with a lavish sense of luxury that is unmistakably associated with premium priced products. Great care has also been taken to retain the individual characteristics of each brand’s personality, so rather than trying to crowd everything into a tight little corner, L’Oréal passively encourages visitors to move directly to the website of the brand that they are interested in by providing limited information through the homepage.

Despite the undoubted strengths of Loreal.com, however, there is still some room for improvement. For example, there is no search engine at the main point of entry, and some cause-related marketing material wouldn’t go amiss, either. This last point is exacerbated by the understated and hard to find “philanthropy” section, and the heavily featured online documentation of a La Roche-Posay-sponsored expedition in Siberia—a ridiculously self-indulgent stab at evangelizing a brand by sponsoring a little-known Frenchman’s trek across the frozen north, whilst he seeks to preserve his Gallic good looks by smothering himself in pricy nutrients. One wonders if he ate more than cake on the way.

That said, the negatives of L’Oréal online are few and far between. Perhaps the last word should be left to Napoleon Bonaparte, who once said, “My business is to succeed, and I am good at it.” Given L’Oréal’s penchant for producing sustainable growth, few would argue that the words of the 19^th century emperor have fallen on deaf ears.