Middle East
What do Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Mean at L’Oréal?
Our interview with Margaret Johnston-Clarke, Global Chief DE&I Officer
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion fuel the innovation, inspiration, and ambition that help us to create the beauty that moves the world.
Margaret Johnston-Clarke, Global Chief DE&I Officer, shares her perspective on how we contribute to a society where everyone can live safely, peacefully and equally.
1. What is the difference between Equality and Equity?
When we talk about Equity, it’s not because Equality isn’t important. Equality is about equal sharing - giving the same thing to each person, regardless of their needs or circumstances. Sometimes this makes sense, but often the reality is more complicated.
Equity acknowledges that advantages and barriers exist in society and that, as a result, we don’t all start from the same place. It requires an understanding of deeper structural issues, in order to work to address imbalances.
2. Why is it important to include each of the three terms:
“Diversity, Equity and Inclusion” at L’Oréal?
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion are sometimes combined and simply referred to as “Diversity”. With the support of our L’Oréal leadership, for us, it was important to specifically call out “Inclusion” and “Equity” as well.
We stand for fair treatment, access, advancement, and opportunities for all - for our team members, consumers, partners, and people in the communities where we operate. We need to take into account not only the diversity of our various stakeholders but also how we make sure they are truly included and the fact that they don’t all come from the same places or circumstances.
A practical example of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in our daily lives:3. Can you share example(s) of how we promote Equity inside L’Oréal?
We work in many concrete ways to promote Equity inside L’Oréal. One key element is education: we have trained more than 65000 employees on DE&I since 2007. We have a diverse learning offer, both in terms of format (in class, e-learning, webinars) and subject matter, from unconscious bias and microaggressions to inclusion of LGBTQIA+ colleagues.
DE&I topics move and change fast, so we need a continuous evolution in mindset to embrace new ways of thinking, working, and creating. We work to empower everyone at L’Oréal to be regularly upskilled and reskilled on these topics.
We also promote Equity through awareness-raising campaigns around topics like sexism at work or helping employees feel comfortable disclosing a disability.
4. Can you share example(s) of how we promote Equity outside of L’Oréal?
Outside L’Oréal, a part of how we work to promote Equity is through advocacy and collaboration. We are conscious of the power of beauty and attentive to our impact as a global beauty leader and as the world’s third-largest advertiser.
Beauty can be a source of self-confidence, empowerment and self-expression, and DE&I is integral to that. We work collectively with other teams to embed this vision throughout our business, from product development to supply chain to advertising campaigns.
We also work with external partners and coalitions like One in Three Women, Valuable 500, and TENT partnership for refugees, to join forces around our shared commitments in addition to sharing resources and best practices.
5. What can each of us do, day to day in our concrete actions, to promote Equity?
One important way is to pay attention to how we use language and imagery, whether in an official capacity or a casual email. The words we use and the pictures we share carry a lot of power and meaning. Of course, language evolves all the time and meanings are different across cultures.
We are continually learning on this matter, but the fact of being mindful is essential.
