French businesswoman and L'Oréal heiress Françoise Bettencourt Meyers is the first woman ever to amass a US$100 billion (NZ$158 billion) fortune, according to a new ranking of the world's wealthiest people.
Bettencourt Meyers, 70, is the 12th richest person in the world according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
The ranking notes her wealth has ballooned by almost US$29 billion (NZ$46 billion) in the last year.
The Guardian reports that she is famously reclusive, adding Bettencourt Meyers' mother was the world's wealthiest woman up until her death in 2017. Bettencourt Meyers' grandfather, Eugène Schueller, founded the cosmetics company in 1909.
L'Oréal is currently valued at €241 billion (NZ$421 billion) on the Paris stock exchange.
Bettencourt Meyers and her family are the largest shareholders with a 35% stake.
US businessman Elon Musk remains positioned as the world's richest person, according to the index.
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