Heidi Norton
Yves Saint Laurent, also known as YSL, is a French luxury fashion house founded in 1961 by Yves Saint Laurent and his partner, Pierre Bergé. The company specializes in haute couture, ready-to-wear, leather accessories, and footwear. In 1993, the company was acquired by Sanofi, a pharmaceutical company. In 1999, Kering purchased YSL. In 2008, the European Commission approved the purchase of YSL Beaute by L'Oreal, and today, L'Oreal owns the YSL cosmetics line, including its fragrances.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Current owner of YSL Beauty | L'Oréal |
| Previous owner of YSL Beauty | PPR's Gucci Group luxury division |
| Year of acquisition of YSL Beauty by L'Oréal | 2008 |
| Enterprise value of YSL Beauty | 1.15 billion euros ($1.78 billion) |
| Year YSL fragrances were launched | 1971 |
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What You'll Learn
YSL Beauty is owned by L'Oréal
YSL Beauty, the cosmetics line of the Yves Saint Laurent (YSL) fashion house, is owned by L'Oréal. The YSL fashion house was founded in 1961 by Yves Saint Laurent and his partner, Pierre Bergé. The company specializes in haute couture, ready-to-wear, leather accessories, and footwear.
In 1993, the Groupe Yves Saint Laurent joined Sanofi, with Sanofi owning 100% of Yves Saint Laurent Perfumes and Yves Saint Laurent Couture remaining under the management of Pierre Bergé and Yves Saint Laurent. However, in 1999, Kering purchased YSL. In 2008, L'Oréal, the world's biggest beauty group, received European Commission clearance to buy the YSL Beaute cosmetics firm from French retailer PPR for 1.15 billion euros ($1.78 billion). The Commission concluded that the combination of Yves Saint Laurent Beauté and L'Oréal's brands would not give rise to competition concerns. PPR retained ownership of the Yves Saint Laurent brand, but their perfumes and cosmetics would be made by L'Oréal under a long-term license.
YSL Beauty embodies the brand's bold and liberated spirit, with each creation driven by boldness, youth, and the avant-garde. The brand's fragrances, such as the iconic Opium, have been known to delight and shock at the same time, reflecting the values of the Yves Saint Laurent House: comfort, sophistication, modernity, and audacity. YSL Beauty continues to forge the beauty of tomorrow by pushing boundaries and creating daring, unapologetic beauty that empowers individuals to express themselves freely.
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YSL fragrances are inspired by Morocco
Yves Saint Laurent, also known as YSL, is a French luxury fashion house founded in 1961 by Yves Saint Laurent and his partner, Pierre Bergé. The brand's cosmetics line, YSL Beauty, is owned by L'Oréal. YSL Beauty includes fragrances, makeup, and skincare products.
In 1966, Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé visited Morocco for the first time and fell in love with Marrakech. They usually travelled there a few times each year and eventually bought a villa and gardens, which became a major source of inspiration for his work as a designer.
The Villa Oasis, located in the Ourika Valley in the foothills of the Atlas Mountains, inspired the fragrance "Atlas Garden." This scent combines two facets of orange blossom with notes of honeyed Deglet Nour date, almonds, tonka bean absolute, and ambrox to evoke the dream-like feel of wandering through a Moroccan palm grove.
In addition to drawing inspiration from Morocco's natural beauty, Yves Saint Laurent was also influenced by the country's residents, light, and culture. He incorporated the region's particular light and the colors it revealed into his collections, which were subsequently dominated by color.
Through its fragrances, YSL Beauty aims to continue the legacy of Yves Saint Laurent by weaving sustainability and Moroccan inspiration into the creation of its products.
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YSL's first fragrance for men was Pour Homme
Yves Saint Laurent, also known as YSL, is a French luxury fashion house founded in 1961 by Yves Saint Laurent and his partner, Pierre Bergé. The company specialises in haute couture, ready-to-wear, leather accessories, and footwear. Its cosmetics line, YSL Beauty, is owned by L'Oréal.
YSL is known for its fragrances, with its first fragrance for men, Pour Homme, being launched in 1971. The fragrance was promoted with a nude photo of Yves Saint Laurent, reflecting the values of the brand: comfort and sophistication coupled with modernity and audacity.
The YSL Y fragrance collection for men includes a range of scents, from woody fragrances to fruity apple top notes. The collection invites men to reinvent what it means to be masculine in a world where fashion and attitudes are ever-changing. The Y fragrance collection is described as clean, crisp, and sophisticated, with each fragrance daring to be different.
Y Le Parfum, a fragrance from the Y collection, is described as a fresh yet woody scent for the free-spirited man. It features notes of apple, sage, and vetiver, as well as black cedar to add depth to the wood character. The YSL Y collection also includes an eau de toilette and an eau de parfum. The eau de toilette is ideal for everyday wear and is said to have 12 hours of intensity with just one spray. The eau de parfum, on the other hand, is a more intense and long-lasting option, with a vibrant, aromatic, and woody scent.
The YSL Y fragrances are versatile and can be worn for various occasions, from casual first dates to formal events. They are designed to be signature scents, capturing the bold and seductive spirit of the YSL brand.
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Rive Gauche was YSL's first fragrance for women
Rive Gauche, a women's perfume, was Yves Saint Laurent's first fragrance for women, launched in 1971. The fragrance was composed in 1969 by perfumers Jacques Polge and Michael Hy at Roure. It was reformulated by Daniela Andrier and Jacques Hy at Givaudan in 2003. Rive Gauche was created for the free-spirited woman who shopped at his new boutique. The perfume was named after Yves Saint Laurent's newly opened boutique in Saint-Germain-des-Prés, the first ready-to-wear store opened by a couturier.
Rive Gauche was the first fragrance to be launched packaged in a tin can. The all-aluminium silver and cobalt blue striped bottle was designed by Pierre Dinnand. Perfume critic Luca Turin considered Rive Gauche as the "best floral aldehydic of all time". It is a classic aldehyde with a floral heart and woody base notes. Rive Gauche's top notes are Aldehydes, Green Notes, Honeysuckle, Bergamot, Peach and Lemon; middle notes are Rose, Iris, Ylang-Ylang, Lily-of-the-Valley, Geranium, Jasmine, Magnolia and Gardenia; base notes are Oakmoss, Tahitian Vetiver, Musk, Sandalwood, Tonka Bean and Amber.
Rive Gauche is a unique fragrance that stays with the wearer all day. It has a heavy scent that some may find overwhelming. The fragrance is described as having a sharp and metallic scent that settles into a fresh powdery/citrus-y smell. Rive Gauche is a classic French fragrance that is not always available for purchase. The YSL brand was established in 1962 by designer Yves Saint Laurent and his partner, Pierre Bergé. The company specializes in haute couture, ready-to-wear, leather accessories, and footwear. Its cosmetics line, YSL Beauty, is owned by L'Oréal.
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YSL fragrances are part of the Gucci Group luxury division
YSL, or Yves Saint Laurent, is a French luxury fashion house founded in 1961 by Yves Saint Laurent and his partner, Pierre Bergé. The company specializes in haute couture, ready-to-wear, leather accessories, and footwear. In addition to its fashion offerings, YSL has also made a name for itself in the fragrance space, with iconic scents like Opium and Pour Homme.
The YSL brand has had a somewhat tumultuous ownership history. In 1993, the company, facing financial troubles, was sold to the pharmaceutical company Sanofi, with the Groupe Yves Saint Laurent being divided in two: Sanofi owning 100% of Yves Saint Laurent Perfumes, and Yves Saint Laurent Couture remaining under the management of Pierre Bergé and Yves Saint Laurent, despite Sanofi owning over half of its capital. This merger made Sanofi the third most powerful fragrance group worldwide, after L'Oréal and Estée Lauder.
However, YSL's association with Sanofi was short-lived. In 1999, Kering (then known as PPR) purchased YSL, hiring Tom Ford to design the ready-to-wear collection, while Yves Saint Laurent himself continued to design the haute couture collection. In 2002, after years of poor health, drug abuse, and criticisms of YSL designs, Saint Laurent closed the couture division of YSL.
In 2008, the European Commission approved the sale of YSL Beaute, the cosmetics arm of the brand, to L'Oréal, the world's biggest beauty group, for 1.15 billion euros. Following this acquisition, YSL fragrances and cosmetics became part of the Gucci Group luxury division, owned by Kering, while the parent company retained ownership of the Yves Saint Laurent brand, along with its Boucheron and Stella McCartney lines. This arrangement allowed Kering to leverage L'Oréal's expertise in the beauty and cosmetics space while still maintaining ownership of its luxury fashion brands.
Today, YSL fragrances continue to be a prominent player in the perfume industry, known for their bold and innovative scents that embody the fashion house's spirit of defiance and self-expression.
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Frequently asked questions
YSL fragrances are owned by L'Oréal.
L'Oréal bought YSL Beaute cosmetics from French retailer PPR in 2008 for 1.15 billion euros.
Before L'Oréal, YSL fragrances were owned by Sanofi, a pharmaceutical company. Sanofi purchased the Groupe Yves Saint Laurent in 1993.
YSL is a French luxury fashion house founded in 1961 by Yves Saint Laurent and his partner, Pierre Bergé. The company specializes in haute couture, ready-to-wear, leather accessories, and footwear. Its cosmetics line, YSL Beauty, is owned by L'Oréal.
