Who was the first woman to appear on Forbes’ annual billionaire list?

Liliane Bettencourt was the first woman to appear on Forbes’ annual billionaire list.

Bettencourt appeared on Forbes’ inaugural global billionaire list in 1987. She was the heiress to the L’Oréal fortune and held wealth through her family’s ownership of shares in the French cosmetics company.

L’Oréal had been founded by Eugène Schueller, Bettencourt’s father, in 1909. The company grew from a hair-dye business into one of the world’s largest beauty groups, with brands spanning cosmetics, skincare, hair care, and fragrance.

Bettencourt’s entry is sometimes confused with later rankings that ask for the richest woman, the richest self-made woman, or the first woman to become a billionaire through entrepreneurship. Those are different distinctions. Her significance here is specifically her appearance on Forbes’ first global annual billionaire ranking.