L’Oréal Paris appoints Harold James as its new Global Makeup Artist. The thirty-seven year-old French makeup artist has to his credit some striking looks flaunted by Angelina Jolie, Naomi Watts, and Eva Green. From his French origins to the global beauty industry, his journey is one of boldness, resilience, and authenticity, and he will now bring an edge to the world’s largest beauty brand.
L’Oréal Paris appoints Harold James as its new Global Makeup Artist.
“His vision of beauty goes far beyond makeup,” posted Delphine Viguier-Hovasse, Global Brand President L’Oréal Paris, on LinkedIn. “Through every brushstroke, Harold celebrates what makes each woman unique. His work amplifies individuality, embraces diversity, and empowers women to feel strong, confident, and unapologetically themselves. At L’Oréal Paris, we believe that every woman is worth it — and Harold embodies this belief with elegance, heart, and creativity.”
Harold James, who was born in French Guiana, is self taught: during his time as a political science student in Lyon, France, he assisted a makeup artist and discovered a passion for makeup. He travelled the world to learn beauty techniques and became recognised for his natural albeit glamorous makeup. He will be involved in the makeup direction of advertising campaigns; in fact, his first campaign for Infallible Skin Ink, will be unveiled in a few weeks. He will also work on product development and the first products under his stewardship will reach the shelves in a few years.
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This announcement comes less than a month before the Cannes Film Festival, a key moment for the brand, which has been the festival’s official partner for 28 years. James will also oversee the makeup of the L’Oréal Paris runway show during Paris Fashion Week in September. As a partner of Paris Fashion Week, Loreal Paris supports young designers on the calendar, providing beauty experts to do the hair and makeup of their models. It also features emerging designers’ creations to dress its ambassadors during its own show.
“One of the main reasons I appreciate the brand is that it goes beyond mere beauty,” says James. “It connects to women, cinema and fashion. I always need a theme to drive my work forward, and I accomplish that through makeup. Although I studied political science, makeup has allowed me to amplify voices.”
Loreal Group continues upward trajectory
Earlier this week, L’Oréal Group announced it had delivered a 4.4% increase in sales to €11.73 billion for the first quarter of 2025, supported by growth across all divisions—led by L’Oréal Luxe. Fragrances and haircare remained the fastest-growing categories. Sales in Europe, including the UK, rose 4.9%, against a strong prior-year comparison.
Commenting on the figures, Nicolas Hieronimus, CEO of L’Oréal, said: “In what has been a particularly challenging and volatile operating environment, L’Oréal has started the year with growth in line with our projections… Europe was, once again, our single largest growth contributor and emerging markets remained dynamic… I am confident that we will continue to outperform the global beauty market — which we expect to grow even amidst the current economic and geopolitical tensions — and to achieve another year of growth in sales and profit. We expect growth to accelerate progressively.”
For 115 years, L’Oréal has devoted itself to fulfilling the beauty aspirations of consumers. Its approach to beauty can be described as essential, inclusive, ethical, generous and committed to social and environmental sustainability. With its broad portfolio of thirty-seven International brands, ambitious sustainability commitments, a balanced geographical footprint and sales across all distribution networks, in 2024 the Group generated sales amounting to 43.48 billion euros. With 21 research centers across 13 countries around the world and a dedicated Research and Innovation team of over 4,000 scientists and 8,000 Digital talents, L’Oréal is also focused on inventing the future of beauty and becoming a Beauty Tech powerhouse.
Jasmeen Dugal is Associate Editor at FashionABC, contributing her insights on fashion, technology, and sustainability. She brings with herself more than two decades of editorial experience, working for national newspapers and luxury magazines in India.
Jasmeen Dugal has worked with exchange4media as a senior writer contributing articles on the country’s advertising and marketing movements, and then with Condenast India as Net Editor where she helmed Vogue India’s official website in terms of design, layout and daily content. Besides this, she is also an entrepreneur running her own luxury portal, Explosivefashion, which highlights the latest in luxury fashion and hospitality.
