Overall rank by patents
#213
Across all tracked assignees
USPTO 2015–2025 USPTO PatentsView Foreign Corporation
L'oreal
USPTO PatentsView assignee record - 1,890 granted patents across 144 technology areas, active 2015–2025. Filing-trend and competitive-moat analysis cross-referenced to USPTO Patent Public Search. Primary class: A61K (PREPARATIONS FOR MEDICAL, DENTAL OR TOILETRY PURPOSES).
1,890
Total patents granted
144
CPC technology areas
16.7
Avg claims per patent
+66%
5-year filing velocity
The verdict
L'oreal holds 1,890 US patents across 144 technology areas, rank #213 of 50,000 tracked assignees.
- #213
- of 50,000 US assignees by volume
- Top 1%
- by Innovation Score (67.9/100)
- 16.7
- avg claims per patent
- +66%
- filing velocity, last 5 yrs
Portfolio overview
L'oreal has been granted 1,890 US utility patents between 2015 and 2025, placing L'oreal at rank #213 across all assignees tracked by PlainPatent. This portfolio spans 144 distinct Cooperative Patent Classification (CPC) subclasses, averaging 16.7 claims per patent with primary concentration in A61K (PREPARATIONS FOR MEDICAL, DENTAL OR TOILETRY PURPOSES). As a Foreign Corporation, L'oreal is one of the broader-portfolio assignees in the PatentsView dataset. By volume, L'oreal sits between Mazda Motor Corporation (1,922 patents, rank #209) and Compagnie Generale DES Etablissements Michelin (1,844 patents, rank #217) - the closest US assignees by grant volume. The composite Innovation Score of 67.9/100 blends portfolio volume, filing velocity, technology breadth, and claim depth into a single comparable measure drawn directly from USPTO PatentsView records.
Filing cadence tells the strategic story. Between 2020 and 2025 the company received 1,180 grants, compared with 710 in the 2015–2019 window, a +66% shift in five-year velocity. An acceleration of this magnitude signals aggressive R&D investment and expanding technical ambition. The Foreign Corporation classification further shapes interpretation, since corporate, government, and individual filers pursue patents for materially different reasons.
Claim depth and technology breadth together indicate competitive posture. L'oreal's 16.7 average claims per patent sits within the typical range for solid legal coverage without excessive prosecution cost, while a diversified footprint across 100+ CPC subclasses spreads risk across many technology fronts. Combined with portfolio volume, these signals let analysts, investors, and licensing professionals benchmark L'oreal against peers pursuing similar technology classes.
Who files at L'oreal's volume?
Granted US patents 2015–2025 versus its nearest-ranked assignees by volume, this company marked ◀
- Mazda Motor
MAZDA MOTOR CORPORATION
1,922 patents
- Sonos
SONOS, INC.
1,911 patents
- Waymo
Waymo LLC
1,901 patents
- Bridgestone
BRIDGESTONE CORPORATION
1,895 patents
- L'oreal ◀
L'Oreal
1,890 patents
- Tsinghua Universi…
TSINGHUA UNIVERSITY
1,881 patents
- Microsoft
Microsoft Corporation
1,880 patents
- Splunk
Splunk Inc.
1,859 patents
- Compagnie General…
COMPAGNIE GENERALE DES ETABLISSEMENTS MICHELIN
1,844 patents
What this shows L'oreal holds 1,890 patents at rank #213, shown against the 8 assignees closest to it in grant volume rather than the industry's largest filers.
Companies ranked near L'oreal
By rank, the assignees closest to #213 in granted patent volume.
- Mazda Motor Corporation #209 · 1,922 patents
- Sonos, Inc. #210 · 1,911 patents
- Waymo Llc #211 · 1,901 patents
- Bridgestone Corporation #212 · 1,895 patents
- Tsinghua University #214 · 1,881 patents
- Microsoft Corporation #215 · 1,880 patents
- Splunk Inc. #216 · 1,859 patents
- Compagnie Generale DES Etablissements Michelin #217 · 1,844 patents
Leaders in A61K (Preparations FOR Medical)
Other assignees with the most granted patents in L'oreal's primary technology class.
- The Regents Of The University Of California 1,779 in class
- Novartis Ag 988 in class
- The Procter & Gamble Company 985 in class
- The Board Of Regents Of The University Of Texas System 950 in class
- The United States Of America, As Represented By The Secretary, Department Of Health And Human Services 813 in class
- The Trustees Of The University Of Pennsylvania 768 in class
- Merck Sharp & Dohme Llc 760 in class
- The Board Of Trustees Of The Leland Stanford Junior University 701 in class
L'oreal's Innovation Score vs. every tracked assignee
Composite of portfolio volume, filing velocity, technology breadth, and claim depth (0–100)
68 Top 1% higher than 99% of 50,000 US assignees
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US assignees. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source USPTO PatentsView, PlainPatent Innovation Score · 2015–2025
Grants by year
Teal-shaded recent years (2020–present) versus the 2015–2019 baseline. Full figures in the table below.
View data table
| Year | Patents Granted | Share of Period |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 137 | 7.2% |
| 2016 | 114 | 6.0% |
| 2017 | 144 | 7.6% |
| 2018 | 163 | 8.6% |
| 2019 | 152 | 8.0% |
| 2020 | 209 | 11.1% |
| 2021 | 227 | 12.0% |
| 2022 | 229 | 12.1% |
| 2023 | 175 | 9.3% |
| 2024 | 197 | 10.4% |
| 2025 | 143 | 7.6% |
Patent Moat Analysis
Portfolio Volume Strong
Tech Breadth Diversified
Claim Depth Standard
Velocity Accelerating
Frequently Asked Questions
How many patents does L'oreal hold?
L'oreal holds 1,890 US granted patents filed between 2015 and 2025, spanning 144 technology areas.
What is L'oreal's Innovation Score?
L'oreal has an Innovation Score of 67.9 out of 100. This composite metric weighs portfolio volume (40%), filing velocity (20%), technology breadth (25%), and claim depth (15%).
What technology areas does L'oreal focus on?
L'oreal's top technology area is A61K (PREPARATIONS FOR MEDICAL, DENTAL OR TOILETRY PURPOSES) with 1,250 patents. The company has filed patents in 144 CPC subclasses total.
Is L'oreal's patent filing rate increasing or decreasing?
L'oreal's recent filing velocity is +66% compared to the prior five-year period. This indicates accelerating innovation.
What does claim depth mean for L'oreal's patents?
L'oreal's patents average 16.7 claims each. This falls within the standard range, providing solid legal coverage.
How is the L'oreal patent data sourced?
All patent data comes from USPTO PatentsView, a public research dataset maintained by the United States Patent and Trademark Office covering US granted utility patents from 2015 to 2025.
How to use this portfolio
L'oreal's 1,890 grants land it in the top 1% by Innovation Score, but volume alone doesn't tell you where the strength sits.
- Read that count against the largest US assignees before treating it as dominance - L'oreal ranks #213 of 50,000. Top 50 holders
- Most of this portfolio concentrates in A61K - see who else leads that technology area. A61K leaders
- Check what the four-part Innovation Score actually rewards before comparing it to another company. How the score works
Patent counts and the Innovation Score measure patenting activity, not commercial success or the legal strength of any patent. Many patents are filed defensively. Verify the status of an individual patent against official USPTO records.
Every figure on PlainPatent is rendered directly from USPTO source data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page draws directly on USPTO source data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 2026.