Francoise Bettencourt Net Worth: Houses & Charity
World’s richest woman and the French billionaire heiress Francoise Bettencourt enjoys a jaw-dropping net worth of 86.0 billion USD.
She is Liliane Bettencourt’s only daughter and heir.
Francoise Bettencourt Meyers, 71, is L’Oreal founder Eugene Schueller’s granddaughter.
Schueller was a pharmacist who, in 1908, developed a new hair dye process that he named L’Oreal.
He became enormously wealthy as a result of the product.
L’Oreal is known for cosmetics such as mascara, lip gloss, foundation, nail polish, lipstick, face powder, eyeshadow, primer, blusher, and concealer, as well as hair, skin, and body care.
Similarly, Liliane Bettencourt, Bettencourt Meyers’s mother, inherited Schueller’s entire fortune in 1957 and rose to prominence as a socialite.
Whereas Andre Bettencourt Meyers, her father, was a French politician who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Besides, Francoise has been a member of the L’Oreal board of directors since 1997 and is also the chairwoman of the family holding business.
Bettencourt Meyers’ mother died in September 2017 with a net worth of $39.5 billion, placing her among the world’s top 20 wealthiest persons.
After inheriting her mother’s fortune, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, she is currently the world’s richest woman as of December, 2024, with a net worth of $86.0 billion.
Quick Facts
Let us have a look at some of her details in brief.
Full Name | Francoise Bettencourt Meyers |
Known as | Francoise Bettencourt |
Known for | The richest woman in the world |
Date of birth | July 10, 1953 |
Place of birth | Neuilly-sur-Seine, France |
Age | 71 Years Old |
Marital Status | Married |
Spouse | Jean-Pierre Meyers |
Children | 2 |
Father’s name | Andre Bettencourt |
Mother’s name | Liliane Bettencourt |
Siblings | No |
Gender | Female |
Zodiac Sign | Cancer |
Education | Degree in international Jewish Christian relations, genealogy in Greek mythology |
Hair color | Black |
Eye color | Dark Brown |
Height | N\A |
Weight | N\A |
Religion | Catholic |
Nationality | French |
Ethnicity | German, Jewish |
Profession | Businessperson & Writer |
Net worth | $86.0 billion |
Genre | Spiritual |
Years Active | 1997-present |
Social media | |
Last Update | December, 2024 |
Francoise Bettencourt Net Worth & Income
Despite the male domination, some women have managed to amass their own money while inheriting some from their families.
Bettencourt Meyers and her family still own one-third of the Loreal corporation.
Despite the incident of her suing her mother’s friend, Bettencourt Meyers’s net worth has skyrocketed.
According to Bloomberg, Bettencourt Meyers is worth $86.0 billion, up from $56.9 billion a year ago.
The French cosmetics powerhouse also controls the Lancome and Garnier brands and generated $32 billion in revenue last year.
Last year, Bettencourt Meyers wasn’t the only French billionaire who saw his fortune rise.
In the first half of 2019, the personal wealth of French billionaires grew at a rate more than double that of American and Chinese billionaires.
Not only she serves as chairwoman of L’Oreal, but also she makes her riches from writings.
To summarise, from 2017 till the present, Francoise Bettencourt Meyers has been the wealthiest lady in the world!
Net Worth of Francoise Bettencourt in Different Currencies
Mentioned below is her net worth calculated in different currencies.
Currency | Net Worth |
Euro | € 72,453,710,000 |
Pound Sterling | £ 62,092,650,000 |
Australian Dollar | A$ 115,141,014,000 |
Canadian Dollar | C$ 107,251,890,000 |
Indian Rupee | ₹ 6,410,225,000,000 |
BitCoin | ฿ 2,505,550 |
Francoise Bettencourt Lifestyle & Vacations
Lifestyle
Francoise Bettencourt Meyers may be the world’s wealthiest woman, but she has had a difficult journey.
In fact, Bettencourt Meyers and her mother had a tense relationship.
Besides, In French society, the Bettencourt’s were famed for their lavish and private parties.
Despite being born into a world of wealth, Bettencourt Meyers preferred playing the piano and writing to extravagant parties.
Unsurprisingly, Bettencourt Meyers was never a part of her socialite parent’s dazzling lifestyle.
Vacations
The Meyers family and their son Jean-Victor Meyers spent their holidays in Megeve slopes in the French Alps.
Sometimes they also visit the family country home of Arcouest in Brittany.
Her mother, Liliane, enjoyed vacationing in places such as Seychelles, Agadir, and Barbuda.
Hence, we can assume that as their only daughter, she must have joined those trips with her mother.
Francoise Bettencourt: Houses, Cars
Houses
She inherited tens of billions of dollars and significant assets such as the Parisian mansion in the suburbs of Paris.
The property is in Neuilly-sur-Seine, a posh neighborhood west of Paris.
In France, Neuilly-sur-Seine is known as a “power suburb, a place not only of wealth but also of influence.”
Secondly, the vacation home of Bettencourt’s is in Arcouest headland, Britanny, western France.
Bettencourt used to live in this mansion as a child.
The Brittany estate has 25 rooms, as well as a tennis court and a swimming pool.
Furthermore, Bettencourt Meyers home in Neuilly-sur-Seine where she lived in July 2010.
In fact, in 2010, French police raided this residence as part of their investigation into the Bettencourt case.
Cars
Unlike her mother, who liked Black Mercedes, it seems she is not really fond of them.
She prefers to spend her money on her piano rather than on exotic cars; thus, there is no information on her vehicles.
Francoise Bettencourt Investments, Endorsements & Book Publications
Investments
Bettencourt Meyers has also invested in her family’s philanthropic foundation, which promotes scientific and artistic growth in France.
In addition, every year, the organization awards cash grants to promising young scientists.
Besides, it has a 250 million euro annual budget, with 55 percent going to research and educational programs, 33 percent to humanities and social sciences, and 12 percent to culture and the arts.
As of now, the foundation’s assets total almost $700 million.
Endorsements
The chairwoman of L’Oreal doesn’t need any endorsements as she herself is the owner of the biggest cosmetic company in the world.
Book Publications
She was raised as a strict Catholic and has published various Bible readings as well as books on Jewish-Christian ties.
The heiress has also written books on a variety of subjects, including Greek mythology.
Meyers is the author of The Greek Gods and A Look at the Bible, among other works.
Charity
Bettencourt Meyers did not keep all of the money for herself.
In fact, she and L’Oreal gave $226 million to renovate Notre-Dame de Paris after a fire seriously damaged the church.
She is also the president of The Bettencourt Schueller Foundation, a non-profit organization she co-founded in the 1980s.
Career
Unlike most billionaire heiresses, Bettencourt Meyers has focused her efforts on her work as an author and member of L’Oreal’s board of directors.
Her husband Jean-Pierre Meyers is the CEO of Tethys SAS, a French spirits producer.
In addition, he serves on the boards of Nestle and L’Oreal.
Similarly, Nestle is the company’s second-largest shareholder, with a 23.29 percent interest.
Furthermore, the couple has two grown children, Jean-Victor and Nicolas.
In 2012, Jean-Victor too joined the L’Oreal board of directors alongside Bettencourt Meyers.
Besides that, she has established herself way too much that she doesn’t need to bother with anything.
Likewise, the $86.0 billion net wealth of Francoise Bettencourt Meyers could currently buy 49.2 million troy ounces of gold or 1.15 billion barrels of crude oil.
Overall, women are competing with men in the economic sector to build a fortune and a reputation for themselves, and they are leaving no stone unturned.
Also, you might be interested in reading about Elon Musk and his net worth.
Some Interesting Facts about her
- Bettencourt Meyers’ mother-daughter connection worsened when she was a teenager.
- She filed a criminal complaint against the elder Bettencourt’s closest friend, alleging that he tried to defraud the elderly heiress of her inheritance.
- She’s indeed a big introvert who will do anything to avoid being in the spotlight.
FAQs
How did Francoise Bettencourt get rich?
Bettencourt Meyer’s income is mostly derived from her ownership of L’Oreal, the world’s largest cosmetics firm indeed. According to a Sept. 21, 2017, corporate announcement, she acquired the ownership when her mother, Liliane, died at the age of 94.
How is François pronounced?
François is pronounced as “Fransswah,” whereas Francois is pronounced as “Frankwah.”