World's richest woman is L'Oréal's Françoise Bettencourt Meyers

The L'Oréal heiress, Françoise Bettencourt Meyers, remains unrivalled as the richest woman in the world for the fourth year in a row.

"Her wealth increased by $19 billion over the last 12 months, bringing her net worth to $99.5 billion, which is the largest gain of any woman on the list," writes Forbes.

Right behind her are Alice Walton, Julia Koch and MacKenzie Scott.

Meyers generated most of her wealth through a 35% stake in the French cosmetics giant founded by her grandfather, Eugene Schueller. Today she leads it with her husband, Jean-Pierre Meyers, and their two sons.

1. She likes the quiet life

Françoise, 70, is the granddaughter of L'Oreal founder, Eugene Schueller (middle) [Getty] Pierre Vauthey/Sygma/Sygma via Getty Images

She appeared on the richest list for the first time in 2018, when her fortune was estimated at $42.2 billion. She has doubled her fortune over the past six years, but despite her enormous wealth, the cosmetics mogul shies away from the spotlight.

She chose a quieter life than her parents, who were known for organising extravagant parties. Françoise prefers the company of pianos, and she has two: a Steinway and a Yamaha, which take pride of place in her elegant two-story apartment in the wealthy Parisian district of Neuilly-sur-Seine.

She began playing as a child, taking lessons from Yvonne Lefebure - a woman who counted composers Faure and Ravel among her friends - at the exclusive Marymount School, run by American nuns.

2. She doesn't like luxury

Francoise has never felt comfortable with her status as a girl from a wealthy home [Getty] Read more: Meet billionaire L'Oreal heiress Franoise Bettencourt Meyers, the richest woman in the world Business Insider USA

Raised a wealthy Catholic, she wrote and published two books - a five-volume study of the Bible and a genealogy of Greek gods. Her biography was covered by journalist, Tom Sancton. In The Bettencourt Affair: The World's Richest Woman and the Scandal That Rocked Paris, he stated that she "lives in her own cocoon" and has never felt comfortable with her status as a girl from a wealthy home. The words of her friend, Arielle Dombasle, were said to be confirmation, "Francoise does not like luxury. She likes her Labrador. She loves children and loves her husband."

The billionaire is also known for her charitable activities. In addition to managing a large company, she is the president of a philanthropic foundation that supports French ventures in the field of science and art. She promised to donate $219 million for the reconstruction of Notre Dame Cathedral in 2019.

3. She has her fair share of family drama

Françoise Bettencourt-Meyers (right) with her mother, Liliane Bettencourt (left), at Paris Fashion Week in 2012 [Getty] BusinessInsider

The 70-year-old clearly avoids publicity, but she had to face a media storm that broke out when her inheritance became the subject of a sensational trial in France. Bettencourt Meyers alleged that family friend François-Marie Banier manipulated her mother into depriving her of more than a billion dollars in art, cash and real estate. He was sentenced to three years in prison, although this was changed to a suspended sentence on appeal. The relationship between mother and daughter suffered the most. "She could have patiently waited for my death instead of doing everything in her power to hasten it," Liliane said in a television interview.