He was a son of Count Guillaume d'Ornano, a co-founder of Lancôme in 1935 (which was acquired by L'Oreal in 1964).

He was a founder of the perfume houses of Jean d'Albret and, with his brother Hubert, Orlane.

[2] Count d'Ornano began his political career as mayor of Deauville in 1962.

He served as president of the General Councils of both Calvados and Basse-Normandie before going on to represent the fourth district of Calvados in the Parliament of France; in that body he sat first as an Independent Republican and later with the Union for French Democracy.

[2] Count d'Ornano died on 8 March 1991 in Garches after he was struck by a car near his home in the Paris suburb of Saint-Cloud.