Sign in with Google Innovation has long been in L’Oréal’s DNA, from the products it creates to the campaigns that bring its products to life. For the brand, innovation is more than keeping pace with change. It’s about building meaningful connections while driving measurable growth. That same spirit has always fueled the company’s growth strategy. The marketing team has consistently been quick to embrace new Search tools, including broad match and Performance Max, and they were ready to take on their next big challenge.
With a bold goal to grow its global consumer base from 1.25 billion to 2 billion by 2030, L’Oréal saw Search not just as a trusted performance channel but as a critical growth engine. Achieving this ambition would take more than business as usual, with competition intensifying across the beauty landscape and shopping journeys becoming more fluid across the 4S behaviors: streaming, scrolling, searching, and shopping.
To advance its Search marketing strategy, L’Oréal put AI Max for Search campaigns to the test, enabling the brand to adapt even quicker to changing behaviors, uncover new opportunities, and deliver the most relevant ads to stay ahead.
Ensuring full coverage: AI Max in Search campaigns
With a solid foundation in value-based bidding and broad match campaigns, L’Oréal was well positioned to put Google’s latest AI capabilities to the test. In partnership with Publicis Groupe, the brand implemented AI Max across its hair care and skin care campaigns to see just how far its ads could scale. AI Max enabled smarter search-term matching to capture emerging queries, customized ad text for improved relevance, and final URL expansion to refine the shopper journey.
AI Max propelled us into new markets, reaching untapped audiences with lower costs, higher conversions, and more relevant ad experiences.
Together, these features allowed the campaigns to flex in real time, helping L’Oréal keep pace with what beauty shoppers were searching for and turning intent signals into product recommendations they were most likely to love.
A flawless finish that delivered results
The payoff was clear and immediate. L’Oréal surfaced new, high-intent queries, like “best cream for facial dark spots,” and was able to capture audiences it hadn’t reached before.
As Nicolás Moya Engber, CMO of L’Oréal Groupe Chile, explained, “AI Max propelled us into new markets, reaching untapped audiences with lower costs, higher conversions, and more relevant ad experiences that significantly boosted engagement.”
That impact showed in the results. Click-through rates lifted by 67% across campaigns compared with other match types. Cost-per-conversion fell by 31%, driving sharper efficiency alongside stronger reach. Glycolic products saw double the conversions, while serums achieved a 70% increase. Overall, the campaign added a performance glow, with a 27% lift in conversion value and a 20% boost in return on ad spend.
Four takeaways for marketers
Inspired by L’Oréal’s success? Here are four principles to apply to your own Search campaigns.
- Stay curious, keep innovating. L’Oréal’s test-and-learn culture gave the team the confidence to scale fast. Building on its previous success with broad match and Performance Max, the brand was well positioned to put AI Max to the test.
- Put AI to work. Whether you’re leading like L’Oréal or just starting your AI journey, there’s never been a better time to let AI do the groundwork. With the right foundation, AI-powered tools can take your marketing even further, unlocking new demand and opportunities for growth.
- Match the speed of intent. Beauty shoppers move quickly and so must you. From discovering trends while scrolling to researching products to spotting the next must-try from their favorite creators. Smarter search matching and adaptive creative ensured L’Oréal’s ads kept pace with these behaviors.
- Scale without overspending. L’Oréal’s results proved growth doesn’t have to come at a higher cost. The brand reached more people, drove stronger engagement, and still reduced cost per conversion.
By introducing AI Max in Search campaigns, L’Oréal is rising to the challenge, moving beyond incremental gains to build a strategy to meet its 2030 goal. From piloting AI Max in Chile to scaling worldwide, L’Oréal shows that when innovation meets AI, it can pave the path to the most ambitious milestones.
