Francoise Bettencourt Meyers, the granddaughter of the founder of L'Oreal, is the richest woman in the world

She donate $226 million to repair Notre Dame Cathedral in April 2019 fire

Francoise Bettencourt Meyers, the granddaughter of the founder of L'Oreal, is the richest woman in the world - with a net worth of $74.8 billion - according to business publication Forbes' 2022 list of richest individuals.

She has served on L'Oreal board since 1997 and is chairwoman of the family holding company. She became France's reigning L'Oreal heiress in 2017 when her mother Liliane Bettencourt, then the world's richest woman, died at age 94. 

Together, L'Oreal and Bettencourt Meyers family agreed to donate $226 million to repaire Notre Dame Cathedral following the April 2019 fire. 

Bettencourt Meyers and her family own around 33% of L'Oreal stock. She also serves as the president of her family's philanthropic foundation, which encourages French progress in the sciences and arts. 

Unlike a typical heiress, she has focused her attention on her career as an author and a member of L'Oreal board of directors. Representatives of L'Oreal and Bettencourt Meyers did not respond to Business Insider's request for comment on her career, personal relationships, or net worth. 

The Bettencourts were well known in French society for their glamorous and exclusive parties. 

Meyer's net worth rose marginally over the past 12 months - up from $73.6 billion in 2021 - and has increased significantly from 2020 - it was $48.9 billion two years ago. 

Meyers, 68, leads an impressive list of the top 10 wealthiest woman in the world, including Amazon founder Jeff Bezos' ex - wife Mackenzie Scott $43.6 billion, Austrailian mining baroness Gina Rinehart $30.2 billion, and Fidelity Investments CEO Abigail Johnson $21.2 billion. 

India finds mention just outside the top 10, with the Jindal Group's Savitri Jindal valued at $17.7 billion and Falguni Nagar, the CEO of fashion and retail gaints Nykaa, valued at $4.5 billion.