Françoise Bettencourt Meyers Biography & Net Worth

Françoise Bettencourt Meyers Biography & Net Worth

Françoise Bettencourt Meyers is the current richest woman in the world (according to Forbes magazine) She is a notable French author, and sits on the board of the personal care company L’Oréal S.A. As the only child of Liliane Bettencourt who was the majority shareholder of L’Oreal, Françoise Bettencourt Meyers inherited her mother’s riches upon her death in 2017. She is also the president of her family’s organization, Bettencourt Schueller Foundation, which currently has over $700 million in assets.

Bettencourt is listed as one of the richest people alive. Even though she is mainly known as the heiress of the largest cosmetic company in the world, Bettencourt also has an active academic career. She is a prominent author and has written several books on Greek mythology as well as on Jewish-Christian relations.

Early Life: Childhood & Education

Françoise Bettencourt Meyers was born in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France on 10 July 1953. She is the only daughter of French politician André Bettencourt and the multi-billionaire businesswoman Liliane Bettencourt.

Professional Life: Heiress & Writer

As already mentioned above, Bettencourt is the only daughter of the late multi-billionaire Liliane Bettencourt, who was the majority shareholder of the world’s leading cosmetic company L’Oréal. After the death of Liliane on 21 September 2017, Bettencourt inherited her mother’s estate. At the time of her death, Liliane had a net worth of $44.3 billion and was listed as the 14th richest person in the world. Upon inheriting her mother’s fortunes, Bettencourt became the richest woman alive as well as one of the top twenty richest persons in the world.

Asides from being known as an heiress, Bettencourt is accomplished in her own rights as an author and is famed for her spiritual side. She has published works on Greek mythology as well as Jewish-Christian relations. She has written several books on Catholicism and Judaism, the family tree of Adam and Eve, and the Tribes of Israel.

Controversies & Scandals

In 2008, Bettencourt’s family got entwined in an ugly controversy. She sued French photographer François-Marie Banier for conning her mother and taking cash from her. According to her claims, Liliane Bettencourt was in a weak psychological condition and François-Marie had exploited her mental vulnerability to fool her into giving him cash and gifts worth nearly a billion dollars. Among other items, the gifts included numerous life insurance policies. Liliane Bettencourt considered François-Marie to be a good friend and was disappointed that Bettencourt sued him. As a result, the relationship between the daughter and her mother soured. After long-drawn court proceedings, Bettencourt settled out of court with both François-Marie and her mother.

Personal Life: Family, Husband, Children

Bettencourt is married to Jean-Pierre Meyers, a man who is known to be the grandson of a rabbi who died in the Auschwitz concentration camp. She and her husband are the parents of two children; who they have raised in the Jewish tradition. One of her children, Nicolas Meyers, is a member of the board of L’Oréal.

Philanthropy

Aside from her position at L’Oreal, Bettencourt also serves as the president of her family’s philanthropic organization, Bettencourt Schueller Foundation, which mostly focuses on enterprises in science and art within France. In 2019, her family and L’Oreal reached an agreement to donate $226 million towards the restoration of Notre Dame Cathedral following the disastrous fire of that year.

Francoise Bettencourt Meyers Net Worth: Salary, Income Sources, Real Estate

The world’s richest woman, billionaire Francoise Bettencourt Meyers is, as at the time of this writing, estimated to be worth $87.8 billion after posting a wealth gain of $12 billion in the last 10 months! She inherited a valuable position from her late billionaire mother and now controls about 33 percent of the L’Oréal company, known to be the world’s biggest cosmetics manufacturer. The French woman is also the chairperson of the holding firm that controls the family’s stake, which was awarded to her mother until her passing a few years ago.

The L’Oréal company is known for offering numerous cosmetic products that include, primer, blusher, nail polish, lipstick, foundation, eyeshadow, lip gloss, face powder, concealer, and mascara, as well as, skin, hair, and body care products. The French-based cosmetic giant that also owns both the Lancome and Garnier brands realized nearly $32 billion in revenue last year.

It is said that Francoise Bettencourt Meyers’s net worth of $87.8 Billion can presently pay for 1.15 billion barrels of crude oil or 49.2 million troy ounces of gold. The 68-year-old billionaire presently holds an estimated $5.7 billion in cash.

When her mother, Liliane Bettencourt, passed away, Françoise Bettencourt-Meyers inherited several real estate assets. These included the mansion where Liliane passed away, located in the wealthy district of Neuilly-sur-Seine in Paris. Bettencourt also inherited another mansion near the Brittany coast, and this was where she spent a significant amount of her childhood, as per various claims. In addition, the businesswoman and author has owned her own property in Paris for several years, and it was examined by French police in connection to the Woerth-Bettencourt scandal back in 2010.