Who was the richest woman on Forbes’ 2023 World’s Billionaires list?

Françoise Bettencourt Meyers was the richest woman on Forbes’ 2023 World’s Billionaires list.

The French businesswoman and her family owned the largest individual stake in L’Oréal, the cosmetics company founded by her grandfather, Eugène Schueller. Forbes estimated her fortune at about $80.5 billion in 2023.

Bettencourt Meyers has served on L’Oréal’s board and chairs the family’s philanthropic foundation. Her wealth is mainly connected to L’Oréal shares, rather than to a company she founded personally.

A common mix-up is confusing the richest woman overall with the richest self-made woman. Forbes uses different rankings for those categories, and their leaders can differ. Forbes’ annual billionaire list measures estimated net worth, not cash held in a bank account.