In response to the devastating destruction of Notre Dame, two of the world’s largest beauty conglomerates have pledged to help rebuild the historic cathedral.
In a statement, it was revealed that French billionaire businessman Bernard Arnault’s family and his LVMH luxury goods group will donate 200 million euros (roughly AUD$300 million) to the fund dedicated to the reconstruction of this iconic landmark.
“The Arnault family and the LVMH group would like to show their solidarity at this time of national tragedy, and are joining up to help rebuild this extraordinary cathedral, which is a symbol of France, of its heritage and of French unity,” said the statement.
On the LVMH official website it says, “In the meantime, the LVMH Group puts at the disposal of the State and the relevant authorities all its teams – including creative, architectural and financial specialists – to help with the long work of reconstruction and fundraising, which is already in progress.”
If you aren’t familiar with LVMH (which stands for Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy), the company controls around 60 of the world’s biggest and most prestigious retailers, including cosmetic brands Benefit Cosmetics, Christian Dior Beauty, Fendi Perfumes, Guerlain, Marc Jacobs Beauty and cosmetics retailers such as Sephora.
But they’re not the only French beauty brand getting behind their country.
The L’Oréal group, along with the support of the Bettencourt Meyers family (L’Oréal’s founders), have also revealed they will be participating in the “renaissance” of the Notre Dame cathedral, announcing a joint donation of 100 million euros.
“The L’Oréal group will also associate its 86,000 employees who have expressed their profound emotion and wish to contribute to the collective effort for the reconstruction of this iconic monument which inspires men and women around the world.”
Similarly to LVMH, L’Oréal is actually the mother company of a whole heap of popular beauty brands including YSL, Garnier, Giorgio Armani and Urban Decay.
This article originally appeared on Beauty Crew.