It was during the tail-end of her time as a New York University Stern School of Business student that a future at L’Oréal came into focus for Amy Whang.
“L’Oréal was one of a few companies that were recruiting on my campus and, for me, it was like a dream come true,” recalled Whang, adding that the incident “combined one of my personal passions — makeup and beauty — with something I could make into a professional career.”
Today, Whang is president of Maybelline New York, Garnier and Essie, three of L’Oréal’s powerhouse makeup, hair and nail brands. But before taking up this post in 2022, her experience at the conglomerate — which ranks as the biggest beauty company in the world, growing its total sales 5.6 percent in 2024 — ran the gamut.
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“Very early on in my career, I started to see what different brands brought to the total L’Oréal portfolio, and how they each operated,” said Whang, who started as an e-commerce marketer at Kiehl’s and then embarked on stints at Shu Uemura, Lancôme, It Cosmetics and more before taking to her current, cross-brand helm. “Even today, I get to spend my days pivoting from one subject to the next, and that’s what keeps it interesting.”
Indeed, Whang, who is a first-generation Taiwanese-American, wields different strategies for success at each brand.
For one, striking a chord with makeup shoppers at Maybelline means “trying to hit the right trend, or trying to bring something that reinvents, surprises and delights consumers,” said Whang, referencing the 100-plus-year-old brand’s 2025 launches, which include gripping and blurring primers, longwear lip tints and more, as “some of the best innovations we’ve seen in years.”
Garnier, meanwhile, is doubling down on the Hispanic consumer, an effort that entails “hyper-targeting, tapping the right talent to partner with, and creating Spanglish product and campaign assets — which is how this new generation speaks to each other,” Whang said. And at Essie, innovating within the brand’s core polish and at-home nail care categories has been a key to continued success. “We don’t play in press-ons and accessories at Essie; for us, it’s about creatively taking our expertise in nail color and artistry to tap into what consumers are looking for.”
The through-line across each, however, is a mission-driven approach to impact.
“A real focus of ours is this consumer mentality around brands that have a cause, have something to stand behind,” said Whang, adding that Garnier continues to focus on sustainability, most recently partnering with the National Park Foundation to support conservation efforts; Maybelline, meanwhile, continues to build out its “Brave Together” initiative offering resources for people struggling with mental health.
“It’s not just about beauty — it’s about what we as brands with power and scale can do to support people beyond just the products that we provide.”
This aim to uplift is reflected in the way Whang maneuvers within her organization, as well.
“I’m very much someone who believes that the relationships — internally and externally — are what drive collaboration, are what drive business, and keep successful teams moving forward,” she said.