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April 19 (Reuters) - European stocks dropped on Friday

to their lowest levels in more than one month after a ramp-up in

Middle East conflict spooked investors across the globe, while

shares of L'Oreal rose as the French cosmetic giant trounced

estimates for quarterly sales.

The continent-wide STOXX 600 was down 0.6%, as of

0714 GMT, and has lost 1.6% so far this week. The benchmark

index was on track for its biggest weekly drop since last

October, if losses hold.

Indexes across major European economies such as Germany

, France, Italy and Spain

dropped between 0.6% and 0.9%.

Escalating tensions between Israel and Iran kept investors

on edge on concerns that a spike in commodity prices could fuel

inflation and push back a highly anticipated June interest rate

cut by the European Central Bank.

Offsetting the glum mood, shares in L'Oreal rose

5.1% after the beauty company posted a nearly 10% rise in

first-quarter sales on a like-for-like basis.

The broader personal & household goods sector gained

0.4%.

Shares of Sodexo rose 3.6% after the food caterer

forecast its 2024 organic revenue growth at the top of its 6%-8%

range and also posted half-year sales broadly in line with

estimates.