What it does: L'Oréal Philippines offers 10 fragrance, hair, makeup, and skincare brands.
Best known for: Being part of the world’s largest beauty and cosmetics group
Staff stats: More than 170 employees
Financials: €27.99 billion in global sales for 2020
The good bits: L'Oréal Philippines pays competitive salaries for entry-level programs. For instance, management trainees may earn at least Php29,000 per month.
The not-so-good bits: Based on insiders’ experience, heavy workloads tend to be the biggest disruptor of work-life balance at L'Oréal Philippines.
French cosmetics group L'Oréal established its presence in the Philippines in 1989 under a distributor. More than 30 years later, L'Oréal Philippines has expanded with 10 fragrance, hair, makeup, and skincare brands.
The company takes pride in being proactive against testing its products on animals. In fact, L'Oréal Philippines has taken care of animal welfare since 1989 even before EU regulations guided the industry.
By pioneering the ‘human reconstructed skin’ technology, the company determines the safety of its products without testing them on animals.
L'Oréal Philippines further advocates for animal welfare by making its reconstructed human skin available to other companies, governments, and organizations The company employs more than 170 talents at its headquarters in Ortigas Center, Pasig City.
Heavy workloads might be the biggest challenge for young new hires at L'Oréal Philippines. Insiders said that many employees struggle to achieve a desirable work-life balance for this reason.
The demanding workplace also tends to be an easy trigger for burnout among employees. L'Oréal Philippines somehow heard the pleas of its overworked talents. The company rolled out several initiatives to strike a healthier work-life balance.
The Freedom Friday incentive is an example. It allows employees to leave early on a Friday once every month.
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the company also provided its talents with a work-from-home arrangement (ie WorkFlex). Some employees also said that they enjoy flexible work hours.
These measures helped L'Oréal Philippines to become one of the Top 100 Graduate Employers in the country. For 2021, the company landed on the 66th spot in the coveted list.
L'Oréal Philippines’ direct and indirect competitors include Colourette Cosmetics, Ever Bilena Cosmetics, LVMH Philippines, and Unilever Philippines.
In 2009, the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines dismissed L'Oréal Philippines’ legal complaint against Ever Bilena Cosmetics. The case involved unfair competition because of alleged similarities among lipstick products:
Aside from reconstructed human skin, L'Oréal Philippines also uses ‘expert toxicology systems, imaging techniques, and molecular modelling’ for testing products.
In 2018, the company recorded zero landfill waste based on what it can control in terms of waste management. Employees are also encouraged to participate in volunteer work for six days per year.
Other corporate social responsibility projects include training programs for underprivileged women. L'Oréal Philippines has partnered with the Philippine Business for Social Progress to train them in hairdressing. Most trainees land a job at one of the company’s partners salons.
Fresh grads and students should prepare for tiring yet fulfilling days if they successfully join L'Oréal Philippines. While work-life balance has been an issue for many employees, the company has taken progressive steps toward better solutions.
More importantly, selected candidates for internship and MT programs will enjoy above-average compensation for their hard work. L'Oréal Philippines particularly offers a rewarding experience for competent and excellent performers.
L'Oréal Philippines does at least two interview rounds for internship applications. Most applicants meet an HR representative before attending an interview with the hiring manager. The common internship questions include:
The interviewers may also ask these questions to applicants of entry-level roles and prospective management trainees (MTs). Fresh grads should take note of the usual recruitment schedule for the MT program at L'Oréal Philippines:
While the MT Program recruitment process takes several months, the timeline may be shorter for other roles. For instance, L'Oréal Philippines extended a job offer after a few days to selected candidates for digital roles.
Previous interns at L'Oréal Philippines said that they earned between Php10,000 and Php11,000 per month. Management trainees may earn at least Php29,000 per month based on insiders’ salaries.
The company’s employment benefits include:
Some employees also said that they get discounts on certain products and reimbursements for purchases (eg medicine). L'Oréal Philippines said that it’s also improving the retirement-plan benefit for employees.
The MT Program at L'Oréal Philippines lasts for 18 months. Successful candidates should expect a variety of assignments during the program. MTs acquire real-world exposure to the company’s multibillion-euro beauty business.
Aside from internships, students can take part in the Brandstorm innovation competition. L'Oréal Philippines allows students from any background to showcase their innovative skills. Participants take on real-life business problems and solve them by choosing global strategies.
Insiders, however, said that students from the Philippines’ Big 4 universities have a better chance of joining the company.