Françoise Bettencourt Meyers

Françoise Bettencourt Meyers
Born	(1953-07-10) July 10, 1953
Occupation(s)	Businesswoman, philanthropist, author
Known for	Heiress of L'Oréal fortune
Notable work	The Greek Gods. Genealogy; A Look at the Bible (5 volumes)

Françoise Bettencourt Meyers (born 10 July 1953) is a prominent French businesswoman, philanthropist, author, and billionaire heiress. As of July 2025, she ranks as the second wealthiest woman globally, with an estimated net worth of US$88.2 billion, largely attributed to her holdings in L'Oréal. She is the sole offspring of Liliane Bettencourt and the granddaughter of Eugène Schueller, the original founder of L'Oréal. After her mother passed away in 2017, her fortune increased threefold, driven by investments managed through the family’s holding company Téthys Invest and L'Oréal’s robust market performance.

Personal life

Bettencourt Meyers was brought up in the Catholic faith and has written multiple commentaries on the Bible. She wed Jean-Pierre Meyers, a corporate executive, converted to Judaism, and they raised their two sons practicing the Jewish religion. Their marriage drew public interest due to her grandfather’s contentious past linked to collaboration with the Nazi regime. The family continues to hold a 33% ownership share in L'Oréal.

In 2008, she pursued legal proceedings against François-Marie Banier concerning financial transactions involving her mother and sought to have her mother legally declared mentally incapacitated, which culminated in the widely publicized Woerth–Bettencourt affair. This conflict was resolved through an out-of-court settlement in 2010.

At the time of her mother’s death in 2017, her net worth was estimated at around $39.5 billion. Following the Notre-Dame Cathedral fire, Bettencourt Meyers and L'Oréal pledged $226 million for its restoration efforts.

Bibliography

• The Greek Gods. Genealogy (Les Dieux grecs. Généalogies), Paris, éd.
• A Look at the Bible (Regard sur la Bible), 5 volumes, with an introduction by Alain Decaux, published November 2008; recipient of the prix des Lauriers Verts (category « Spirituality ») in 2009:
  • Biblical words and expressions
  • Connections between Judaism and Catholicism from one Testament to another
  • Genealogical charts of Adam Eve and the Tribes of Israel
  • Biblical references to animals, plants, measurements, currency, and numbers
  • Genealogy section

See also

• List of female billionaires