L'Oreal beats sales forecasts as growth picks up in third quarter

Sales growth at Maybelline maker L'Oreal was faster than expected in the third quarter, as momentum remained strong in across Asia, its number one market, despite turmoil in Hong Kong.

Luxury goods companies and retailers have felt the pinch following months of street protests in Hong Kong which put off visitors and forced shops to temporarily shut their doors, though some are making up for lost business in mainland China.
L'Oreal, which has done well in recent years thanks in large part to its high-end cosmetics brands like Lancome, said on Tuesday that third quarter sales were up 11% to 7.18 billion euros (£6.20 billion).

On a like-for-like basis, which strips out currency swings and acquisitions, revenues rose 7.8%, largely surpassing the 6.3% increase expected by analysts and accelerating from the 6.8% growth notched up a quarter earlier.