Françoise Bettencourt Meyers

She was the first woman in history to reach a net worth of $100 billion.

Françoise is the only child of Liliane Bettencourt, heiress to the L’Oréal empire.

But while her parents threw lavish parties, Françoise stayed home, played piano, and wrote books on Greek mythology and the Bible.

Her mother started handing out hundreds of millions in art, cash, and insurance policies to a photographer named François-Marie Banier.

Françoise sued him in 2007 for “abus de faiblesse” (abuse of weakness), accusing him of exploiting her mother’s declining mental state to enrich himself.

Banier had received over €1.3 billion in gifts.

A Picasso here. A luxury apartment there.

He even hinted she should adopt him to secure a future inheritance.

The case went nuclear.

Secret tapes leaked.

Politicians were implicated.

Françoise’s mother called her “cold” and said, “I don’t see my daughter anymore and I don’t wish to.”

In 2015, Banier was convicted and sentenced to 2.5 years in prison.

In 2016, the case settled privately.

And in 2017, Liliane died.

Françoise inherited billions… but also control.

She became vice-chair of L’Oréal and chaired the family holding company, Téthys Invest, which owns 35% of L’Oréal.

She kept control in the family: her husband runs Téthys.

Her two sons sit on the board.

And in 2025, her son Jean-Victor took her seat as she stepped down after 28 years.

Under her watch, L’Oréal bought brands like IT Cosmetics and Stylenanda.

Meanwhile, she kept publishing.

She led major philanthropic work through the Bettencourt Schueller Foundation, one of the best-funded in Europe.

She pledged $226 million to rebuild Notre-Dame.

And she backed hearing research, launching a foundation with her husband to fight deafness.

In 2023, she became the first woman in history to hit a $100 billion net worth.

By 2025, she’s still worth over $80B.