11. Coty
New York, NY
www.coty.com

Beauty Sales: $4.1 billion (reported for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2011)

Coty’s new management: Michele Scannavini (L), chief executive officer; and Jean Mortier, president, Coty Prestige.

Key Personnel: Bart Becht, chairman; Michele Scannavini, chief executive officer; Jules Kaufmann, senior vice president, general counsel; Geraud-Marie Lacassagne, senior vice president, human resources; Ralph Macchio, senior vice president and chief scientific officer; Sergio Pedreiro, chief financial officer; Jean Mortier, president, Coty Prestige; Renato Semerari, president, Coty Beauty.

Major Products: Fragrances, skin care and color cosmetics marketed in prestige and beauty divisions under names including: Adidas, Astor, Balenciaga, Beyoncé, Bottega Veneta, Calvin Klein, Celine Dion, Cerruti, Chloé, Chopard, CK One Color, David Beckham, Davidoff, Elite Models, Esprit, Faith Hill, Guess, Gwen Stefani, Halle Berry, Heidi Klum, Jennifer Lopez, Jil Sander, Joop!, Jovan, Karl Lagerfeld, Kate Moss, Kylie Minogue, Lady Gaga, Lancaster, Madonna, Manhattan, Marc Jacobs, Miss Sporty, Nautica, Nikos, NYC New York Color, Nicole by OPI, OPI, Philosophy, Pierre Cardin, Playboy, Rimmel, Roberto Cavalli, Sally Hansen, Sarah Jessica Parker, Stetson, Tim McGraw, Vera Wang, Vivienne Westwood.

The bottle for Truth or Dare by Madonna Naked keeps the same silhouete as the original, but has been stripped naked to expose an amber-colored juice.

New Products: Madonna’s Truth or Dare fragrance, Truth or Dare by Madonna Naked, Lady Gaga Fame Eau de Parfum, Glowing by Jennifer Lopez, OPI Germany nail lacquer, Rimmel Scandaleyes Mascara, Calvin Klein Color Cosmetics, Philosopy Living Grace, Just Cavalli fragrance, Dot Marc Jacobs, Play It Rock fragrance, Closer by Halle Berry fragrance.

Comments: Perhaps no beauty company has been in the news this year quite as much as Coty. And not just for three of its top blockbuster fragrance launches: Madonna’s Truth or Dare, Lady Gaga’s Fame and JLo’s Glowing. Earlier this year, Coty made a play for an instant entry into global beauty markets with an unsolicited 10 billion bid to acquire Avon. When the direct seller turned down the offer, Coty raised the ante—but to no avail. Then, after 10 years of leading a successful growth pattern, Bernd Beetz stepped aside (he will remain a board member and shareholder), turning the fragrance and beauty giant’s control over to Michele Scannavini, who became the new chief executive officer of Coty Inc. Then Plan B took over the headlines with Coty’s announcement that it would be pursuing an IPO. Next came an announcement that the IPO path in which Coty had planned to raise $700 million for investors through an initial public offering this month, had been put on hold until next year. Most recently, Jean Mortier was named global president of Coty Prestige. While Coty hones its plans and puts its power players in place, one thing is sure: The privately owned company is intent on becoming a worldwide powerhouse.

Once referred to as the world’s largest fragrance company, Coty has also clearly diversified—though it still holds the fragrance title as well. The most recent figure available for global corporate net sales—$4.1 billion (reported for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2011)—is characterized by a product category split of 57% Fragrance, 28% Color Cosmetics and 15% Body Care.

By region, the highest revenues are attributed to EMEA (52%), followed by Americas (37%) and Asia Pacific (11%).

Bent on expansion with or without its plans for Avon, Coty established some global footholds during the year.

In April, the company opened a new corporate flagship office facility in Geneva, meant to complement headquarters activities in New York and Paris. It includes a state-of-the-art R&D group linked to a Fragrance Center of Excellence, global and regional commercial teams for Coty Beauty and Coty Prestige divisions, procurement and supply chain operations, and a regional Northern European finance center.

To boost its position in Asia, and expand its cosmetics and skincare business globally, Coty announced a partnership with Korea’s leading cosmetic company, LG Household & Health Care, creating Coty Korea, a joint venture established to expand the presence of both companies in the Korean cosmetics market.

This fall, Coty Korea will rely on its popular 2010 brand acquisition Philosophy to get things going in the Korean marketplace, before introducing other brands there.

While we wait in anticipation of Coty’s next corporate announcement, the company continues to roll out its signature celebrity and designer fragrances. Following on the heels of Madonna’s Truth or Dare, were launches from JLo—in the first light-up fragrance bottle (see Beauty Packaging’s July/August 2012 issue for details), Vera Wang, Marc Jacobs and the long–awaited launch of Fame from Lady Gaga. This month we’ll see Closer by Halle Berry. Georgia May Jagger will be the face of the new Just Cavalli fragrance for women, set for release in February 2013. Jagger is the daughter of Rolling Stones lead singer, Mick Jagger, and supermodel Jerry Hall.