RIYADH: L’Oreal, the world’s biggest cosmetics group, has pledged SR1.26 million ($340,000) to help a women’s domestic abuse support group expand its operations into Saudi Arabia.
The French beauty giant last year launched a $60 million endowment fund to support initiatives to help women around the world affected by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
As part of the L’Oreal Fund for Women, the pledge will be given to Shamsaha, a Bahrain-based nonprofit corporation dedicated to women’s empowerment, to help fund its two-year plan to expand into Saudi Arabia.
Shamsaha provides 24/7 crisis support for victims of abuse and domestic violence, and the funding from L’Oreal will be used to set up partnerships with key stakeholders in the Kingdom to offer Saudi women medical, therapeutic and legal support, as well as food, supplies and transportation.
“The pandemic’s lockdown measures created a very trying environment for everyone across the globe, but even more so for victims of domestic abuse. As a group that has been committed to empowering women, it was essential to take action to help the most vulnerable, particularly those affected by the COVID-19 pandemic,” Remi Chadapaux, managing director of L’Oreal Middle East, said in a statement.
L’Oreal, the owner of brands such as Maybelline, Lancome and Garnier, in February predicted there would be a rebound in makeup sales once the impact of the pandemic had declined and people begin to return to work.
This was evident in first-quarter sales, which rose 10.2 percent year-on-year to €7.6 billion ($9.1 billion), beating analysts’ expectations, mainly due to strong sales in China.
