L’Oréal Elevates Ex-Innovation Head to Lancôme Leadership

L’Oréal has appointed Vania Lacascade, until now the group’s head of innovation, to head Lancôme. The executive took over the position in July, replacing Françoise Lehmann, and will be in charge of driving the growth of the French group’s luxury division’s flagship brand.

With more than 20 years of experience in the cosmetics industry, Lacascade has worked in the luxury, mass market and dermo-cosmetics categories, a rare career path that gives her a comprehensive vision of the business. With a PhD in Pharmacy and a degree from the Essec business school, she has developed her career at the intersection of science, strategy and marketing.

Her arrival as global brand president coincides with a time of strong competition in the luxury beauty market and the challenge of maintaining Lancôme’s relevance in the face of new players and independent brands. Lacascade aims to reinforce innovation and expand the weight of technology and personalization in the brand’s strategy.

Throughout her long career, the executive has held several key positions of responsibility in the industry. The first coincided with her move to China in 2012, when L’Oréal’s FMCG division was facing digital transformation and the rise of Asian beauty brands.

L’Oréal promotes Vania Lacascade to global president

Four years later, Lacascade joined Lancôme as head of the skin care category, a position in which she worked closely with the advanced research teams. In her most recent role, she has been in charge of L’Oréal’s global innovation strategy, in the R&D division for all the group’s brands.

Lacascade’s appointment aims to consolidate Lancôme’s position as a benchmark in innovation, combining science and technology. The executive believes that the future of beauty lies in personalization and data-driven solutions, and wants to expand the use of artificial intelligence and advanced diagnostics to tailor products and routines to each consumer.

With this new phase, L’Oréal seeks to consolidate the growth of its flagship in the luxury business and strengthen its position in the categories of skin care, fragrances and makeup, where competition with groups such as Estée Lauder, Shiseido or Puig is increasingly intense.

L’Oréal got off to a good start in 2025 by beating forecasts in the first quarter. The French cosmetics group posted sales of €11.73 billion in the period, up 4.4%, with growth in all its divisions and regions except North America, where sales fell by 1.4% in a context marked by new U.S. tariffs. Europe remained its largest market, with sales up 4.9%, while the luxury division led the advance with an increase of 7.3%.