L'Oreal reacts after fans flag 'living legend' Aishwarya's absence from Cannes ad

L'Oreal Paris called Aishwarya Rai "a living legend" in its Instagram comments after fans questioned why she was missing from the brand's latest Cannes Film Festival promotional posters at Le Martinez Hotel. The actor, one of the brand's longest-serving ambassadors, did not appear on a set of giant banners featuring six L'Oreal ambassadors, including Alia Bhatt, and her absence quickly became a major talking point online.

As reactions grew on Instagram and other social media platforms, fans asked why Aishwarya had been left out of the campaign visuals despite representing the beauty brand at Cannes for more than two decades. Responding to the comments, L'Oreal Paris also reassured fans, saying, "Year after year, Cannes after Cannes, she never misses."

Fans question the posters

For many fans, Aishwarya and Cannes have become closely linked over the years. So when L'Oreal Paris shared photos of its Cannes setup on Instagram with the caption, "Consider this L'Oreal Paris's official check-in, Le Martinez is officially home for the Festival," people immediately began asking where she was.

Several comments on the post questioned why the former Miss World was not included in the promotional material despite her long association with the brand. One user wrote, "Waiting for Cannes Queen Aishwarya," while another said, "Cannes is known for Aishwarya."

Another fan wrote, "It's too much! This time, L'Oreal is going overboard. The poster doesn't feature a legend like Aishwarya, who made the L'Oreal brand popular across the entire Asian continent, but instead highlights some actresses who are just two days old!"

The discussion soon spread across social media, with many fans saying her absence was surprising given her long-standing association with both the brand and the festival.

L’Oreal replies to fans

Amid the growing reaction, one fan directly tagged L'Oreal Paris and wrote, "We don't know loreal without Aishwarya. Still can't forget Aish saying, "because, Im worth it" Need her back !!!"

The brand's official Instagram account replied, "A living legend, and she knows exactly what to do with that." In another response, it added, "Year after year, Cannes after Cannes, she never misses."

A long-standing Cannes presence

Aishwarya first attended the Cannes Film Festival in 2002 alongside Shah Rukh Khan and filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali for the premiere of their film Devdas. The following year, she made her debut at Cannes as a L'Oreal ambassador.

Since 2003, she has appeared on the Cannes red carpet almost every year and has remained one of the most recognised Indian faces at the festival. Over the years, her Cannes appearances have regularly gone viral online, from dramatic gowns and sarees to bold beauty looks. Her presence at the festival has also helped strengthen L'Oreal Paris' visibility among Indian and Asian audiences.

That long history is what made her absence from L'Oreal Paris' latest Cannes posters stand out so quickly, prompting fans to question the decision and leading the brand to respond by calling her "a living legend" and saying that, year after year, she "never misses" Cannes.