Asia is driving huge growth for cosmetics giant L’Oreal, despite a slowdown in Hong Kong.  

At the end of September, L’Oréal posted growth of 4.4 per cent on a like-for-like basis – and 21.9 per cent based on reported figures as the company expands its retail network and wholesale operations in the region.  

Kiehl’s, Yves Saint Laurent and Giorgio Armani contributed to dynamic growth of the L’Oreal Luxe division, despite the context of slower third-quarter growth in Hong Kong and Travel Retail Asia.

The Consumer Products Division is performing well in India, Australia and Thailand. In China, growth at L’Oreal Paris is accelerating, while Magic is undergoing a transitional period. The Active Cosmetics Division is growing strongly, thanks to the success of La Roche-Posay, L’Oreal reported in its quarterly filing.

Jean-Paul Agon, chairman and CEO, said at the end of September, the group’s reported growth is strong, at 13.2 per cent, still supported by a positive currency effect.

“Despite a global context that is still volatile, we are confident for the year end. The beauty market remains dynamic. In each Division, our brands are pushing forward with successes such as Maybelline and NYX in the Consumer Products Division, Yves Saint Laurent, Kiehl’s and Urban Decay at L’Oréal Luxe, Redken in the Professional Products Division and La Roche-Posay at Active Cosmetics,” he said.

“Finally, the acceleration of our digital transformation is making us stronger, in particular with the rapid increase (40 per cent) of our eCommerce sales which should significantly exceed 1 billion euros this year.

“We are confirming our ambition to outperform once again the beauty market in 2015 and to achieve significant growth in both sales and profits.”