Beauty’s Highest-paid CEOs
As the market bounced back in 2021, so, for the most part, did beauty leaders’ salaries. In 2020, many took voluntary pay cuts out of solidarity, but 2021 saw their incomes return to more normal levels.
Coty’s Sue Nabi was beauty’s highest paid CEO by far, largely thanks to her stock-based compensation (which was awarded as part of her onetime sign-on package). The market rewarded her turnaround efforts at the beauty group, sending Coty’s share price soaring and earning her a massive $283.8 million in the year to June 30, 2021.
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Second on the list, The Estée Lauder Cos.’ Fabrizio Freda saw his paycheck jump a massive 258 percent in the 12 months to June last year, the biggest gain. Most other increases were more modest.
Only five of beauty’s leaders took pay cuts, including Johnson & Johnson’s Alex Gorsky — who has regularly topped WWD’s list of beauty leaders’ salaries — although he was one of the exceptions in 2020, when he earned 16.5 percent more than in 2019.
Management changes for several of the players on the list meant that comparable information was not available. The information on this list was compiled using publicly available information from corporate filings for beauty’s leading players.
1
Sue Nabi
Coty Inc.
Total: $283,791,455
Change versus prior year: N/A
Fiscal year ended: June 30, 2021
Net sales: $4.63 billion, -2%
Base salary: $3,549,000
Stock and option awards: $280,200,000
Bonus and incentive pay: $0
Other compensation: $42,455
2
Fabrizio Freda
The Estée Lauder Cos., also president
Total: $65,996,984
Change versus prior year: +258%
Fiscal year ended: June 30, 2021
Net sales: $16.22 billion, +13%
Base salary: $1,666,667
Stock and option awards: $55,644,760
Bonus and incentive pay: $7,963,766
Other compensation: $721,792
3
Rosalind Brewer
Total: $28,333,498
Change versus prior year: N/A
Fiscal year ended: Aug. 31, 2021
Net sales: $132.51 billion, +8.6%
Base salary: $695,652
Stock and option awards: $20,200,048
Bonus and incentive pay: $6,904,875
Other compensation: $532,923
4
Alex Gorsky
Johnson & Johnson (also chairman)
Total: $26,741,959
Change versus prior year: -9.6%
Fiscal year ended: Dec. 31, 2021
Net sales: $93.76 billion, +13.5%
Base salary: $1,650,000
Stock and option awards: $19,859,172
Bonus and incentive pay: $4,955,716
Other compensation: $277,071
5
David Taylor
Procter & Gamble Co. (also chairman and president)
Total: $23,900,381
Change versus prior year: +4.3%
Fiscal year ended: June 30, 2021
Net sales: $76.1 billion, +7.2%
Base salary: $1,783,333
Stock and option awards: $15,283,808
Bonus and incentive pay: $6,570,000
Other compensation: $263,240
6
Andrew M. Meslow
Bath & Body Works
Total: $17,668,627
Change versus prior year: -4.5%
Fiscal year ended: Jan. 29, 2022
Net sales: $7.88 billion, +22.5%
Base salary: $1,335,577
Stock and option awards: $7,348,518
Bonus and incentive pay: $8,625,208
Other compensation: $359,324
7
Noel Wallace
Colgate-Palmolive Co. (also chairman and president)
Total: $15,458,151
Change versus prior year: +7.6%
Fiscal year ended: Dec. 31, 2021
Net sales: $17.4 billion, +6%
Base salary: $1,337,500
Stock and option awards: $10,903,528
Bonus and incentive pay: $2,642,702
Other compensation: $574,421
8
Martin Waters
Victoria’s Secret & Co.
Total: $12,905,231
Change versus prior year: N/A
Fiscal year ended: Jan. 29, 2022
Net sales: $6.79 billion, +25%
Base salary: $1,250,000
Stock and option awards: $6,500,029
Bonus and incentive pay: $4,995,700
Other compensation: $159,502
9
Nicolas Hieronimus
L’Oréal (as of May 1, 2021)
Total: 8,654,780 euros ($10,238,155)
Change versus prior year: N/A
Fiscal year ended: Dec. 31, 2021
Net sales: 32.28 billion euros ($38.19 billion), +15.3%
Base salary: 1,333,333 euros ($1,577,263)
Stock and option awards: 5,768,780 euros ($6,824,167)
Bonus and incentive pay: 1,552,667 euros ($1,182,948)
Other compensation: N/A
10
Bernard Arnault
LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton (also chairman)
Total: 7,929,234 euros ($9,379,872)
Change versus prior year: +43.7%
Fiscal year ended: Dec. 31, 2021
Net sales: 64.22 billion euros ($75.97 billion), +43.8%
Base salary: 1,138,307 euros ($1,346,558)
Stock and option awards: 4,482,818 euros ($5,302,941)
Bonus and incentive pay: 2,200,000 euros ($2,602,486)
Other compensation: 108,109 euros ($127,887)
11
Carsten Knöbel
Henkel (also chairman)
Total: 7,553,797 euros ($8,935,749)
Change versus prior year: +58.9%
Fiscal year ended: Dec. 31, 2021
Net sales: 20.07 billion euros ($23.74 billion), +4.2%
Base salary: 1,200,000 euros ($1,419,538)
Stock and option awards: 2,371,839 euros ($2,805,762)
Bonus and incentive pay: 3,103,953 euros ($3,671,815)
Other compensation: 878,004 euros ($1,038,633)
12
Rod R Little
Edgewell Personal Care (also president)
Total: $8,104,026
Change versus prior year:+25.4%
Fiscal year ended: Sept. 30, 2021
Net sales: $2.09 billion, +7.1%
Base salary: $1,000,000
Stock and option awards: $5,720,490
Bonus and incentive pay: $1,264,080
Other compensation: $119,456
13
Linda Rendle
Clorox Co.
Total: $7,899,309
Change versus prior year: N/A
Fiscal year ended: June 30, 2021
Net sales: $7.34 billion, +9.2%
Base salary: $1,006,250
Stock and option awards: $4,999,933
Bonus and incentive pay: $1,526,965
Other compensation: $366,161
14
Vincent Warney
Beiersdorf (since May 1, 2021, also chairman)
Total: 6,850,000 euros ($6,344,709)
Change versus prior year: N/A
Fiscal year ended: Dec. 31, 2021
Net sales: 7.6 billion euros ($8.99 billion), +8.6%
Base salary: 841,000 euros ($994,859)
Stock and option awards: 5,000,000 euros ($5,914,740)
Bonus and incentive pay: 991,000 euros ($1,172,302)
Other compensation: 18,000 euros ($21,293)
15
Debra Perelman
Revlon Inc. (also president)
Total: $6,777,940
Change versus prior year: +4.9%
Fiscal year ended: Dec. 31, 2021
Net sales: $2.08 billion, +9.2%
Base salary: $1,158,942
Stock and option awards: $5,450,000
Bonus and incentive pay: $0
Other compensation: $168,998
16
Alan Jope
Unilever plc
Total: 4,890,000 euros ($5,784,616)
Change versus prior year: +41.9%
Fiscal year ended: Dec. 31, 2021
Net sales: 52.4 billion euros ($61.99 billion), +3.4%
Base salary: 1,534,000 euros ($1,814,642)
Stock and option awards: 1,416,000 euros ($1,675,054)
Bonus and incentive pay: 1,864,000 euros ($2,205,015)
Other compensation: 76,000 euros ($89,904)
17
Tarang Amin
E.l.f. Beauty (also chairman and president)
Total: $5,448,919
Change versus prior year: +248.8%
Fiscal year ended: March 31, 2021
Net sales: $318.1 million, +12%
Base salary: $475,000
Stock and option awards: $3,999,900
Bonus and incentive pay: $950,000
Other compensation: $24,019
18
Jérôme Lambert
Compagnie Financière Richemont
Total: 4,589,348 francs ($5,020,508)
Change versus prior year: -43%
Fiscal year ended: March 31, 2021
Net sales: 13.14 billion francs ($14.37 billion), -8%
Base salary: 1,595,573 francs ($1,745,474)
Stock and option awards: 1,192,393 francs ($1,304,416)
Bonus and incentive pay: 1,515,000 francs ($1,657,331)
Other compensation: 286,382 francs ($313,287)
19
Ryan S. Napierski
Total: $4,731,970
Change versus prior year: +31%
Fiscal year ended: Dec. 31, 2021
Net sales: $2.7 billion, +4%
Base salary: $800,960
Stock and option awards: $3,271,518
Bonus and incentive pay: $548,758
Other compensation: $110,734
20
Axel Dumas
Hermès International
Total: 3,182,697 euros ($3,764,965)
Change versus prior year: -6.4%
Fiscal year ended: Dec. 31, 2021
Net sales: 8.98 billion euros ($10.62 billion), +40.6%
Base salary: 1,623,378 euros ($1,920,372)
Stock and option awards: N/A
Bonus and incentive pay: 1,559,319 euros ($1,844,593)
Other compensation: N/A
21
Masahiko Uotani
Shiseido Co. (also president)
Total: 378,000,000 yen ($3,444,336)
Change versus prior year: +5.9%
Fiscal year ended: Dec. 31, 2021
Net sales: 1.04 trillion yen, +12.4%
Base salary: 169,000,000 yen ($1,539,928)
Stock and option awards: 45,000,000 yen ($410,040)
Bonus and incentive pay: 164,000,000 yen ($1,494,368)
Other compensation: N/A
22
Kazutoshi Kobayashi
Kosé Corp. (also president)
Total: 327,000,000 yen ($2,979,624)
Change versus prior year: -47.7%
Fiscal year ended: March 31, 2021
Net sales: 224.9 billion yen ($2.05 billion), +0.4%
Base salary: 210,000,000 yen ($1,913,520)
Stock and option awards: $0
Bonus and incentive pay: 107,000,000 yen ($974,984)
Other compensation: 9,000,000 yen ($82,008)
23
Jonathan Myers
PZ Cussons
Total: 1,517,508 pounds ($2,087,178)
Change versus prior year: N/A
Fiscal year ended: May 31, 2021
Net sales: 603.3 million pounds ($829.8 million), +2.7%
Base salary: 575,000 pounds ($790,854)
Stock and option awards: 0 pounds
Bonus and incentive pay: 862,500 pounds ($1,186,282)
Other compensation: 80,008 pounds ($110,042)
24
Saugata Gupta
Marico Ltd. (also managing director)
Total: 140,297,138 rupees ($1,896,256)
Change versus prior year: +2%
Fiscal year ended: March 31, 2021
Net sales: 63.37 billion rupees ($856.5 million), +8.3%
Base salary: 96,875,531 rupees ($1,309,370)
Stock and option awards: N/A
Bonus and incentive pay: 40,582,401 rupees ($548,512)
Other compensation: 2,839,206 rupees ($38,374)
25
Yoshihiro Hasebe
Kao Corp. (also president)
Total: 139,000,000 yen ($1,266,568)
Change versus prior year: N/A
Fiscal year ended: Dec. 31, 2021
Net sales: 1.42 trillion yen ($18.37 billion), +2.7%
Base salary: 82,000,000 yen ($747,184)
Stock and option awards: 35,000,000 yen ($318,920)
Bonus and incentive pay: 22,000,000 yen ($200,464)
Other compensation: 0 yen
26
Jean Madar
Interparfums Inc. (also chairman)
Total: $1,230,000
Change versus prior year: Flat
Fiscal year ended: Dec. 31, 2021
Net sales: $879.5 million, +63.2%
Base salary: $1,230,000
Stock and option awards: $0
Bonus and incentive pay: $0
Other compensation: $0
27
N.H. Bhansali
Emami Ltd. (also chief financial officer)
Total: 25,434,614 rupees ($343,774)
Change versus prior year: +4.1%
Fiscal year ended: March 31, 2021
Net sales: 25.82 billion rupees ($349 million), +8%
Base salary: N/A
Stock and option awards: N/A
Bonus and incentive pay: N/A
Other compensation: N/A
This list contains publicly available information for the publicly traded companies on the the WWD Beauty Inc Top 100 list of the world’s largest beauty manufacturers. Information unavailable for: Able C&C, Amorepacific, Bloomage Biotechnology Co., Fancl, Godrej Consumer Products Ltd., Guangdong Marubi Bio-technology Co., LG Household & Health Care, Lion Corp., Mandom Corp., Milbon Co. Ltd., Natura & Co., Noevir Holdings, L’Occitane Group, Olaplex, Pola Orbis, Proya Cosmetics Co. Ltd., Reckitt Benckiser, Revolution Beauty, Shanghai Jahwa United Co.
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