The Richest Women in the World

2. Liliane Bettencourt

Age: 89
Country: France
Net worth: $23.5 billion
Notable company: L’Oreal
Currently: Principal shareholder, L’Oreal

Liliane Bettencourt is the richest woman in Europe, second richest women in the world and second richest person in France (behind Bernard Arnault). She is the only child of Eugene Schueller, founder of the cosmetic giant, L’Oreal. Liliane, who had a close bond with her father, joined his company at the age of 15 as an apprentice, mixing cosmetics and labeling bottles of shampoo. In 1950, she married French politician André Bettencourt and in 1957, she inherited the L'Oréal fortune when her father died. She has always been in news ranging from a high-level French political scandal regarding tax evasion to a sensational family scandal involving a long political battle with her only daughter and heir, Francoise Bettencourt-Meyer.