How L’Oréal built a scalable model for global DE&I impact

As the world leader in beauty, L’Oréal employs 87,000 people across 150 countries. While many local DE&I initiatives existed, they were often fragmented, lacked visibility, and risked being overlooked.

The Group’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Division wanted to recognize these efforts, celebrate employees’ contributions, and create a culture where best practices could be shared and amplified.

Inspired by the success of the Beauty Fast Forward Awards, L’Oréal’s DE&I Division partnered with Yumana to create the Beauty of Inclusion Awards.

Ambition:

• Identify & showcase the most impactful DE&I initiatives across countries.
• Celebrate achievements and foster pride among employees.
• Create inspiration for teams worldwide to amplify DE&I impact.
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Yumana provided the digital backbone and methodology to run the Awards seamlessly at a global scale. The platform enabled a structured process: from local project calls to regional and global juries, culminating in an international celebration.

Since its launch in 2021, the Beauty of Inclusion Awards have become a cornerstone of L’Oréal’s DE&I culture, proving that recognition can be a powerful driver of engagement.

Among these initiatives, one stands out as a symbol of how innovation and inclusion can come together.

In France, a team turned technology into a force for inclusion by developing an AI algorithm capable of scanning global patent databases for diversity and accessibility-focused innovations. By surfacing overlooked insights, this tool now equips L’Oréal’s Research & Innovation teams to design products that better reflect the richness of human diversity.

What began as a bold local idea is becoming a global enabler, proving that even the most cutting-edge technology can carry inclusion at its core.

Beyond numbers, the Awards created measurable cultural impact: employees reported greater pride in belonging to L’Oréal, stronger visibility for their contributions, and renewed motivation to act on DE&I locally.

Together with L’Oréal’s DE&I team, Yumana designed the Beauty of Inclusion Awards as an inspiring, must-attend program. The process unfolds in five clear steps to ensure fairness, visibility, and lasting impact.

1. Call for Projects – Each country launched a national phase to identify local DE&I initiatives.
2. Local Selection – National juries reviewed submissions and selected winners.
3. Regional Rounds – The best projects advanced to regional juries.
4. Global Finals – An international jury crowned 4 global winners, representing L’Oréal’s four DE&I pillars:
   • Socio-economic & multicultural diversity
   • Physical, mental & social well-being
   • Gender & LGBTQIA+ inclusion
   • Age & generations

1. Celebration – Winners were honored at a global ceremony, reinforcing pride and visibility.

Most importantly, the model is scalable and transferable. What started as a Group-wide competition at L’Oréal demonstrates how any global organization can transform fragmented local initiatives into a cohesive, international movement for inclusion.