Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's Absence At L'Oreal Paris Cannes Campaign Raises Eyebrows

The L'Oreal Paris Cannes campaign has drawn criticism for not featuring Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, a long-time brand ambassador, while highlighting other Indian and international stars and confirming India’s representation in 2026.

The latest Cannes Film Festival campaign from L'Oreal Paris has set off debate among fans, after a promotional video released on May 10 did not feature Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. The omission of the 52-year-old actor, long linked with the brand at Cannes, led to questions on Instagram and X, including, "Where is Aishwarya?"

The video on the official L'Oreal Paris Instagram account showed huge posters being rolled out on a Cannes hotel facade, with Alia Bhatt, Viola Davis, Eva Longoria and Helen Mirren among those highlighted. The caption read, "And action! The most iconic facade in Cannes is getting its festival look (sic)." Commenters quickly criticised Aishwarya's absence from the visuals.

L'Oreal Paris Cannes campaign and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan presence

Many users argued that Aishwarya, a long-time face of L'Oreal Paris at Cannes, should have appeared beside the other celebrities in the campaign. Several posts stressed that Aishwarya has come to symbolise the brand's Cannes presence for Indian audiences, and said leaving out such a familiar figure felt disrespectful to long-time followers.

Aishwarya became a global brand ambassador for L'Oreal in 2003, joining actors including Andie MacDowell, Eva Longoria and Penelope Cruz. Since then, Aishwarya has walked the Cannes red carpet more than 20 times under the brand banner. This history has helped make Aishwarya one of L'Oreal Paris's most recognisable faces at the festival.

L'Oreal Paris Cannes campaign with Alia Bhatt and India presence

Amid the backlash, L'Oreal Paris stated that all three Indian ambassadors, Aishwarya, Alia Bhatt and Aditi Rao Hydari, are scheduled to represent India at Cannes 2026. The company position has not eased all concerns, with many social media users saying the latest promotional push still sidelined Aishwarya's role despite those assurances.

The new L'Oreal Paris Cannes campaign gave strong focus to Alia, who appears prominently in the video. Alia is returning to the festival as a Global Ambassador for L'Oreal Paris for the second successive year, after first attending Cannes in that role during the 2025 edition of the film festival.