L'Oreal's first-quarter sales rose 6.7%, it said on Wednesday, as strong demand for premium hair products and perfume, particularly in North America and emerging markets, more than offset weakness in the Middle East. The Paris-based maker of Kerastase shampoo and YSL Libre perfume said total sales for the three months to end-March came to 12.2 billion euros ($14.32 billion), up 6.7% from 11.7 billion euros on a like-for-like basis after slightly adjusting down last year's comparable figures. The rise also included a 3.4% boost from overstocking ahead of an ongoing overhaul of the group's IT system.
