Top 10 Beauty Brands in France

Many of the brands in L2’s Digital IQ Index®: France Beauty declined in performance this year, revealing a widespread struggle to keep up with the rapidly evolving digital landscape. Six brands dropped from Average to Challenged amid efforts to combat gray market vendors on Amazon.fr, although a few brands leapt in the other direction thanks to savvy e-tailer investments.

1. Lancôme
Digital IQ: 145

The Genius brand seems to have cracked the social code in France, creating engaged and localized communities and recording triumphs across platforms. For example, the brand garners twice as many Facebook interactions as the average brand. Lancôme also makes excellent investments in mobile advertising and on local e-tailers, such as its embedded Lisa Eldridge tutorials.

2. Benefit Cosmetics
Digital IQ: 141

Benefit boasts a similarly strong social media presence with localized accounts. The brand also enhances product pages with features including cross selling and UGC, and its optimized, responsive website creates a seamless experience for users on various devices.

2. L’Oréal Paris
Digital IQ: 141

The success of “L’Or Box” makes clear that mass brands can participate in the subscription box trend. The brand also reveals its e-commerce sophistication by offering DTC and third-party handoffs from product pages. Moreover, its large video library features trending content such as vlogger makeup application and brand tutorials.

4. Clarins 
Digital IQ: 138

Clarins records stellar performance on mobile organic search. Additionally, its "Try Me" service allows users to add product samples to their cart directly from product pages – increasing the chances that they will try and therefore buy the product.

4. L’Occitane en Provence 
Digital IQ: 138

L’Occitane recorded strong performance in web advertising, driven by a targeted advertising strategy. The brand also continues to further omnichannel initiatives such as its sophisticated store locator.

6. KIKO Milano 
Digital IQ: 135

The Gifted brand boasts the highest organic visibility of any Index brand for top colour cosmetics terms on Google.fr. Furthermore, its savvy use of UGC helps drive customers to purchase products.

7. Guerlain 
Digital IQ: 133

Guerlain not only maintains high visibility on select e-tailers like Galeries Lafayette, but also manages to exercise strict control of product inventory on Amazon – despite the fact that no official brand SKUs are available on the platform.

8. The Body Shop
Digital IQ: 130

The Body Shop is one of just a handful of brands using diagnostic tools to drive fragrance sales. Moreover, the brand’s rich digital marketing strategy ensures high organic and paid visibility for relevant skincare and cosmetics terms.

9. Yves Rocher 
Digital IQ: 129

With the highest organic and paid search visibility across both branded and category-specific search terms, Yves Rocher is a leader in the category. The Gifted brand also creates a rich experience for desktop users, offering a rewards program and fragrance filters.

10. NUXE
Digital IQ: 128

As mobile investments progress, many brands that last year lacked mobile-optimized sites have surpassed the former leaders. NUXE already had a strong mobile site, but the brand moved up four spots this year by offering a best-in-class mobile search experience exemplified by features such as key site links and click-to-call functionality.