Meet Françoise Bettencourt Meyers, the world's richest woman, who's worth $87 billion

Polly Thompson,Taylor Nicole RogersSep 16, 2023, 18:08 IST

Françoise Bettencourt-Meyers.Martin Bureau/AFP/Getty Images

Françoise Bettencourt Meyers inherited a one-third stake in L'Oreal from her mother.
She had a fraught relationship with her mother, even filing a criminal complaint against her.

Françoise Bettencourt Meyers, the 70-year-old granddaughter of L'Oreal founder Eugène Schueller, is the richest woman in the world, according to Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

Bettencourt Meyers is worth almost $88 billion, mostly due to her stake in L'Oreal. She's in 13th position on the Bloomberg list and has become $16 billion better off this year.

Here's a look at her life and wealth.

Françoise Bettencourt Meyers, 70, is the granddaughter of L'Oreal founder Eugène Schueller.

Pierre Vauthey/Getty Images

Bettencourt Meyers had a fraught relationship with her mother.

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As an adult, Bettencourt Meyers chose to focus on her career as an author.

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Bettencourt Meyers also sits on L'Oreal's board and chairs the family's holding company.

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Her relationship with her mother came to a tipping point when Bettencourt Meyers initiated a decade-long family feud over her inheritance.

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The pair weren't on speaking terms after Bettencourt Meyers filed the criminal complaint in 2009.

Liliane Bettencourt and Françoise Bettencourt-Meyers.Thibault Camus/AP

The lawsuit also drudged up long-forgotten family secrets, including speculation that Bettencourt Meyer's father Andre and her grandfather were Nazi sympathizers.

Andre Bettencourt and Françoise Bettencourt-Meyers in 1988.James Andanson/Getty Images

Even though she was on the winning side of the lawsuit, Bettencourt Meyers was later investigated for allegations of bribing a witness.

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Bettencourt Meyers inherited tens of billions of dollars when her mother died in 2017, and valuable assets like this mansion in the suburbs of Paris ...

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... and this mansion overlooking France's Brittany coast.

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Bettencourt Meyers lived in this nearby home.

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Bettencourt Meyers lived there with her husband Jean-Pierre Meyers.

Jean-Victor Meyers, Nicolas Meyers, Francoise Bettencourt Meyers and her husband Jean-Pierre Meyers in 2019.Bertrand Rindoff Petroff/Getty Images for Fondation L'Oreal

In the years since the controversy involving her family, Bettencourt Meyers' fortune has grown exponentially.

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Bettencourt Meyers has dedicated some of her billions to philanthropy.

Françoise Bettencourt-Meyers.Martin Bureau/AFP/Getty Images

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Meet Françoise Bettencourt Meyers, the world's richest woman, who's worth $87 billion

Françoise Bettencourt Meyers, 70, is the granddaughter of L'Oreal founder Eugène Schueller.

Bettencourt Meyers had a fraught relationship with her mother.

As an adult, Bettencourt Meyers chose to focus on her career as an author.

Bettencourt Meyers also sits on L'Oreal's board and chairs the family's holding company.

Her relationship with her mother came to a tipping point when Bettencourt Meyers initiated a decade-long family feud over her inheritance.

The pair weren't on speaking terms after Bettencourt Meyers filed the criminal complaint in 2009.

The lawsuit also drudged up long-forgotten family secrets, including speculation that Bettencourt Meyer's father Andre and her grandfather were Nazi sympathizers.

Even though she was on the winning side of the lawsuit, Bettencourt Meyers was later investigated for allegations of bribing a witness.

Bettencourt Meyers inherited tens of billions of dollars when her mother died in 2017, and valuable assets like this mansion in the suburbs of Paris ...

... and this mansion overlooking France's Brittany coast.

Bettencourt Meyers lived in this nearby home.

Bettencourt Meyers lived there with her husband Jean-Pierre Meyers.

In the years since the controversy involving her family, Bettencourt Meyers' fortune has grown exponentially.

Bettencourt Meyers has dedicated some of her billions to philanthropy.