Brands
Alia Bhatt announced as L’Oréal Paris’ global brand ambassador
Mumbai: L’Oréal Paris has announced Alia Bhatt as the new global brand ambassador. She joins the brand’s diverse roster of spokespersons like Viola Davis, Jane Fonda, Eva Longoria, Kendall Jenner, Elle Fanning, Camila Cabello, and many others. The actress, producer and entrepreneur will star in the French beauty brand’s campaigns starting from September 2024.
Alia embodies the core values of L’Oréal Paris, representing inclusivity and empowerment, sharing the transformative power of self-belief with women all over the world.
“At L’Oréal Paris, we are honoured to welcome Indian actress Alia Bhatt to the family. I admire how Alia uses her global platform and role as a producer to push for inclusivity in the film industry and to shed light on Indian cinema worldwide. Her commitment to care for people and planet makes her the perfect ambassador for female talent, entrepreneurship, and for the endless possibilities L’Oréal Paris seeks to open up by uplifting women’s worth,” said L’Oréal Paris global president Delphine Viguier-Hovasse.
“I am thrilled to join the L’Oréal Paris family and stand alongside a community of strong, powerful women. As someone who has always been deeply interested in all things skin, I admire L’Oréal Paris for its pioneering innovations and commitment to excellence in the beauty industry. The brand’s celebration of women’s empowerment resonates deeply with me, as it strives to ensure every woman feels valued and empowered. I am excited to collaborate with L’Oréal Paris to make a positive impact in the beauty industry and champion inclusivity for women,” said Alia Bhatt.
Brands
UK’s OnlyFans seeks US investor at $3bn valuation after owner’s death
The adult video platform is seeking stability after the death of its billionaire owner
LONDON: OnlyFans is looking for a new partner. The London-based adult video platform is in advanced talks to sell a minority stake of less than 20 per cent to Architect Capital, a San Francisco-based investment firm, in a deal that would value the business at more than $3bn (£2.2bn).
The move is driven by an urgent need for stability. Leonid Radvinsky, the Ukrainian-American billionaire who owned OnlyFans, died of cancer last month at the age of 43, leaving the future of one of Britain’s most profitable privately held businesses suddenly uncertain.
The choice of Architect Capital is not arbitrary. The firm has deep expertise in financial services, which aligns neatly with OnlyFans’ ambitions to offer banking products to its creators, many of whom have long struggled to access basic financial services because of the nature of their work.
The numbers behind OnlyFans are, by any measure, staggering. The platform posted revenues of $1.4bn in the year to 30th November 2024, with a pre-tax profit of $684m, up four per cent on the prior year. Payments to creators totalled $7.2bn over the same period, a rise of nearly ten per cent. Radvinsky personally collected $701m in dividends from the business in 2024 alone, on top of more than $1bn in such payments he had already received. The platform, run through its parent company Felix International, hosts 4.6m creator accounts, with performers keeping 80 per cent of subscription proceeds and the platform pocketing the remaining 20 per cent. It has 377m fan accounts in total.
The current minority stake talks represent a notable scaling back of ambitions. In January, OnlyFans was reported to be in discussions with Architect about selling a majority stake of 60 per cent. Before that, the company had explored a sale to a consortium led by Forest Road Company, a Los Angeles-based investment firm. Neither deal materialised.
OnlyFans has built an enormously lucrative business on content that mainstream finance has long refused to touch. Now, with its owner gone and a $3bn valuation on the table, it is looking for the kind of respectable institutional backing that might finally persuade the banks to take its calls.
