21世纪经济报道·2025-12-10 12:19Core Views - The article discusses the contrasting strategies of two major beauty groups, L'Oréal and Unilever, highlighting L'Oréal's aggressive acquisition approach and Unilever's focus on divesting non-core assets [2][8]. Group 1: L'Oréal's Acquisition Strategy - L'Oréal announced the acquisition of an additional 10% stake in Galderma, increasing its ownership from 10% to 20%, with plans to explore further scientific research collaborations [1][6]. - The acquisition is part of L'Oréal's ambition to penetrate the rapidly growing medical aesthetics market, alongside its investments in high-end and clean beauty segments [6][8]. - In October, L'Oréal made a significant investment of €4 billion to acquire beauty licenses from Kering Group, indicating a strong recovery in its performance, particularly in the North Asia region [6][7]. Group 2: Unilever's Divestment Strategy - Unilever is undergoing a restructuring process, focusing on core businesses by divesting over 20 non-core beauty and personal care brands, including the planned spin-off of its ice cream business [1][7]. - The CEO of Unilever emphasized that the spin-off aims to create a more streamlined company focused on higher profit margins in beauty and personal care sectors [7][8]. - Unilever's recent quarterly results showed improvement in sales growth after excluding the ice cream business, indicating a positive trend in its core operations [7][8]. Group 3: Industry Trends and Brand Matrix - The contrasting strategies of L'Oréal and Unilever reflect a broader industry trend where companies are either expanding their brand portfolios or optimizing them by shedding non-core assets [8][9]. - The ideal brand matrix should exhibit strategic synergy, growth gradient, and profit orientation, allowing companies to withstand market fluctuations [10]. - Other beauty brands, including Estée Lauder, are also reviewing their brand portfolios, indicating a shift towards optimizing brand performance and profitability [9].