L’Oréal’s third-quarter sales rose 11.9% on a reported basis to €11.5614 billion, according to its 22 October 2026 update. Growth was 7.2% on a like-for-like basis, which compares a consistent group of businesses at unchanged exchange rates. The distinction matters because the headline reported increase includes effects that the comparable measure removes.
The report covers sales through 30 September 2026. It also confirms completion of the acquisition of a majority stake in India’s Innovist. That completed transaction should not be confused with the separate partnerships and memoranda mentioned elsewhere in the release.
Quarterly growth and nine-month totals
| Measure | Third quarter 2026 | First nine months 2026 | Official source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sales | €11.5614 billion | €35.3376 billion | Group sales table |
| Reported growth | 11.9% | 7.7% | Group sales table |
| Like-for-like growth | 7.2% | 6.9% | Comparable-growth table |
| Adjusted like-for-like growth | 7.7% | 6.9% | Table and adjustment footnote |
What the adjusted growth figure means
L’Oréal’s adjusted comparable figure addresses the timing effects of its IT transformation in the current and prior comparison periods. It is an adjustment to sales growth—not adjusted profit or earnings per share. Readers should therefore avoid using the 7.7% adjusted quarterly figure interchangeably with either the 7.2% comparable figure or the 11.9% reported increase.
For the nine-month period, the company reports a positive 2.0% effect from changes in consolidation scope and a negative 1.2% currency effect. Those are nine-month figures; they should not be presented as the third-quarter sales bridge. The reported sales totals also do not establish a quarterly profit figure, which this sales release does not disclose.
Innovist deal: completion confirmed, price not disclosed here
The issuer lists the closing of its majority-stake acquisition in Innovist among developments since its previous publication. The reviewed sales release does not state the stake percentage, transaction price or a quantified contribution to the quarter’s sales. This report does not infer those details or attribute a specific amount of revenue to the purchase.
The same release discusses a BOLD–Nykaa partnership and a memorandum with Cosmax. Neither is evidence that the associated future investments or commercial outcomes have already occurred. They are not treated as additional completed acquisitions in this report.
What readers can take from the update
The useful comparison is between clearly identified periods and sales bases: one quarter versus nine months, reported versus comparable growth, and a completed acquisition versus future plans. Management expresses confidence in annual sales and profit growth, but that remains an outlook rather than a completed full-year result.
For context on another consumer-products company’s sales and earnings distinction, see CapKet’s P&G coverage.
Official sources and checks
Official current release and Companion issuer record. Both are issuer publications, not independent corroboration. Checked source observations: 2026-10-23T05:01:13.731Z; 2026-10-23T05:01:15.411Z. AI-assisted primary-document review; no independent human editorial approval or investment advice is claimed.
Recorded source observation: . This is a source-check timestamp, not a market quote or a new article update.