L'Oreal CEO Nicolas Hieronimus revealed on Thursday that the growing use of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs is affecting beauty and skincare consumption, particularly impacting skin care consumption. According to reports from BBC, Hieronimus described GLP-1 use as "a very important phenomenon for us" during an investor call following the company's quarterly results declaration for the period ended September 30. The phenomenon has created a significant market opportunity, with Pfizer estimating the obesity drug market could reach $150 billion in annual sales by 2030, helping create a potentially lucrative opportunity for skincare and medical aesthetics companies. Hieronimus noted that the beauty market was proving resilient in a challenging global context, while the rise in GLP-1 use was "having an impact on beauty consumption and skin care consumption in particular."
L'Oreal is actively developing products to address skin changes associated with rapid weight loss, with Delphine Viguier-Hovasse, the company's chief innovation and prospective officer, confirming that the company is testing products on GLP-1 users in separate studies. As reported by Reuters, this group of consumers is becoming increasingly important and represents a significant number of people worldwide. The company has products in SkinCeuticals and Kiehl's that are specifically designed to work alongside GLP-1 drugs and address their side effects, such as skin sagging and other related issues. Revenue from these clinical treatments is projected to grow from about $700 million to $2 billion over the next five years, according to 2025 estimates by Boston Consulting Group. L'Oreal has also moved further into the clinical aesthetic space, increasing its stake in dermatology firm Galderma to 20% last December, with both companies testing products on GLP-1 users worried about loose skin in separate clinical trials.
L'Oreal joins other beauty companies exploring treatments for consumers concerned about facial sagging and loss of facial volume following rapid weight loss. According to Reuters, Swiss skincare company Galderma and Brazilian cosmetics group Natura are also studying products for this market. The changes are commonly described as "Ozempic face," a term associated with the use of weight-loss drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy, manufactured by Novo Nordisk, and Zepbound, made by Eli Lilly. In the United States, 53% of aesthetics clinics anticipate an influx of new patients due to prescription weight-loss medications, according to a 2024 report by research firm Medical Insight. Galderma owns popular aesthetic products including Sculptra, an injectable aimed at stimulating collagen production, and Restylane, which is an injectable dermal filler. Last year the aesthetic firm released a report into the rise of GLP-1 use and related concerns about changes in facial appearance, with their own survey showing that the majority of obesity treatment users experienced changes in their facial appearance after using the drug.
On Thursday, L'Oreal reported strong financial results with sales of €11.56 billion in the third quarter of 2026, up 7.7% on a reported basis. As reported by Business Standard, like-for-like sales grew 7.2% during the quarter. For the first nine months of 2026, sales rose 7.7% to €35.34 billion, while like-for-like growth stood at 6.9%. The company reported growth across all four divisions during the first nine months, with Dermatological Beauty recording like-for-like growth of 11.6%, followed by Professional Products at 12.4%, L'Oréal Luxe at 5.7%, and Consumer Products at 4.2%. The beauty giant, which owns other popular brands including Maybelline and La Roche-Posay, announced these results above analyst expectations.
The spread of obesity treatments is changing consumption patterns in the existing cosmetics market and creating new skin care demands. According to BBC, L'Oreal is expanding its business beyond general cosmetics to the medical beauty sector linked to dermatological procedures. The company's brands SkinCeuticals and Kiehl's have developed products that can manage skin changes occurring during the weight loss process, such as skin sagging caused by obesity treatment use. Galderma is also paying attention to changes in the skin care market due to the spread of obesity treatments, with both companies conducting clinical trials to verify the effectiveness of their products for consumers concerned about sagging skin after using obesity drugs. However, experts caution that additional clinical verification is needed to determine what extent related cosmetics can improve skin sagging caused by weight loss.
