The company started as Laboratoires Garnier in 1904 by French creatorAlfred Amour Garnier, through the launch of his first patented plant-based hair lotion, La Lotion Garnier. In the 1930s, Garnier was an early producer of sun-care items and the first to make a permanent home hair color in 1960. It was acquired by L'Oréal in the 1970s.
Over the decades Garnier expanded from hair color and hair care into skincare since acquisition in 1970. It began with branding their image as healthy beauty expert, by providing nature-based solutions to combat pollution, acne, UV and fatigue. Incorporating natural ingredients– fruits, seeds, buds and flowers, are regarded by Garnier as having "highly beneficial" skincare and haircare properties. Now, Garnier is sold in numerous countries worldwide, with specific product lines targeted for different skin types and cultures. A popular line, Fructis, started in 1996, is the Garner line of hair care and styling products. Garnier's hair color line, Nutrisse, was released in 2002. Amidst five divisions, Garnier currently have a variety of product lines such as:
Fructis
Whole Blends
Pure Active
Nutrisse
Olia
Color Sensation
SkinActive
Original remedies
Hair Food
In 2011, Garnier partnered with TerraCycle to promote upcycling of product containers and the introduction of biodegradable products. Later in 2019, they partnered with an environmental group called GoodPlanet Foundation to create a new line of organic, natural cosmetics Garnier Bio/Bio Garnier. In 2019, Garnier launched their virtual shade selector tool which allows customers to try on Garnier's range of permanent hair color options before making a purchase. The technology can be used either online or in stores selling the brand's products. The technology has been trialed by Walmart and Walgreens.
Garnier hair care and skin care products is regarded in several countries as one of the most trusted brands particularly in Asia, China & India. Garnier is ranked worldwide #7 most valuable beauty brands for Brand Strength Index, according to Brand Finance. Individual country data on Gartner, a member-based business intelligence firm that benchmarks the digital performance of brands per nation, Garnier is #3 fast-moving consumer goods in UK while FMCG ranked #10 in Germany. It ranked Top #21-29 for personal care in the United States in 2018 and 2019. For Asia rankings, Brand Trust Report 2012, Garnier was ranked 73rd among India's most trusted brands and subsequently, according to the Brand Trust Report 2013, Garnier was ranked 47th among India's most trusted brands. In 2014 however, Garnier was ranked 83rd among India's most trusted brands according to the Brand Trust Report 2014, a study conducted by Trust Research Advisory, a brand analytics company.
Product rankings
Several products of Garnier have been featured on Good Housekeeping and won categorical awards on Allure's Best of Beauty.
