Coty Inc.

Consumer Goods / Beauty & CosmeticsFounded 1904- HQ today: New York City, United States

Founders

Who Founded Coty?

François Coty · Founded 1904 · HQ today: New York City, United States

Who founded Coty?

Coty was founded by François Coty in 1904 in Paris, France. It is now led by Markus Strobel.

Founders: François Coty
Founded: 1904
Headquarters: New York City, United States
Number of founders: 1
Current CEO: Markus Strobel (since 2026)

Where was Coty founded?: Coty was founded in Paris, France in 1904. wikidata.org
When was Coty founded?: Coty was founded in 1904.
Who started Coty?: Coty was founded by François Coty.
How old is Coty?: Coty is 122 years old as of 2026.

Founding Story

François Coty, born François Spoturno in Corsica in 1874, studied fragrance in Grasse before launching his first perfume, La Rose Jacqueminot, in Paris in 1904. Company lore says he broke a bottle on a counter at the Grands Magasins du Louvre after buyers turned him down, and shoppers drawn by the scent asked to buy it. He later worked with glass artist René Lalique on bottles and created Chypre (1917), which gave its name to a fragrance family, turning perfume into a packaged product for a broad middle-class market.

François Coty

Co-founder 1904

Background

Corsican-born perfumer who trained in Grasse, the center of French perfumery, before founding his Paris fragrance house in 1904.

Role at Coty Inc.

François Coty (1874-1934), born Joseph Marie François Spoturno in Ajaccio, Corsica, founded Coty in Paris in 1904. After training in Grasse, he launched La Rose Jacqueminot, then built a business around combining natural essences with newer synthetic materials, pricing fragrance for a wider middle-class audience, and treating the bottle as part of the product. He commissioned bottles from René Lalique, created Chypre in 1917 and L'Aimant in 1927, and expanded into cosmetics, including Air Spun face powder. Coty became one of France's richest men in the 1920s, though his later life was marked by political and financial turmoil. François Coty was born in 1874.

Coty Inc.: CEO & Leadership History

Full timeline →

Markus Strobel

Executive Chairman and Interim Chief Executive Officer

2026 – Present

Took over on January 1, 2026, after Sue Nabi's exit and Peter Harf's retirement as chairman. Launched the Coty.Curated framework, directed the Wella stake proceeds toward debt reduction and agreed the early Gucci Beauty exit with Kering.

Soraya Benchikh

Chief Financial Officer

2026 – Present

As CFO, she executes the financial strategy required to heavily expand Coty's prestige fragrance portfolio (like Gucci and Burberry) while managing the declining mass-market cosmetics division.

Sue Nabi

Chief Executive Officer

2020 – 2025

As CEO, she completely stabilized the company following years of chaotic leadership changes, driving six consecutive quarters of massive revenue growth in the prestige division.

Camillo Pane

Chief Executive Officer

2015 – 2019

He resigned as CEO in 2018 for 'family reasons' after failing to stabilize the mass beauty division (CoverGirl, Max Factor), leaving the company in severe financial distress.

Peter Harf

Chairman

1992 – 2025

As Chairman (and Managing Partner at JAB Holding, Coty's majority owner), he personally intervened multiple times as interim CEO to fire underperforming executives and restructure the debt.

Keep researching Coty

Who Founded Coty? FAQ

Who was François Coty and when did he create his first famous perfume?

François Coty (born Joseph Marie François Spoturno in 1874 in Corsica) founded Coty in 1904 in Paris. In 1904, he created his first masterpiece fragrance, 'La Rose Jacqueminot'. Legend holds that when a Parisian department store refused to stock it, Coty smashed a bottle on the sales counter; captivated customers demanded to buy it immediately, launching his perfume empire.

How did François Coty collaborate with glass artist René Lalique?

In 1908, François Coty partnered with master French glassmaker and jeweler René Lalique to design gorgeous, artistic glass bottles for Coty perfumes. This transformed the beauty industry by turning perfume packaging into coveted luxury art pieces.

What historic fragrance created by François Coty in 1917 defined an entire fragrance family?

In 1917, François Coty created 'Chypre', a landmark fragrance blending bergamot, oakmoss, patchouli, and labdanum. Chypre became so well-known that it gave its name to an entire classic fragrance olfactory family that remains fundamental in perfumery today.

Did François Coty create Air Spun face powder?

Yes. Coty's Air Spun face powder, known for its orange-and-white puff box, dates to the 1930s and is still sold today.

Where was François Coty's historic 'Cité des Parfums' manufacturing complex located?

In the early 1900s, François Coty built 'La Cité des Parfums' in Suresnes near Paris, a state-of-the-art industrial complex employing thousands of workers that integrated glassworks, box-making, printing, and flower oil extraction under one roof.

How did American soldiers returning from World War I popularize Coty perfumes in the US?

During World War I, American soldiers stationed in France bought Coty perfumes in Paris as luxury gifts for their sweethearts and mothers. The overwhelming demand led Coty to establish operations in New York City in the 1920s, rapidly conquering the American beauty market.

What was François Coty's core business philosophy regarding luxury accessible to all?

François Coty famously proclaimed: 'Give a woman the best product to be made, market it in the perfect flask, beautiful in its simplicity yet impeccable in its taste, ask a reasonable price for it, and you will see a business arise such as the world has never seen.'

How is François Coty remembered today?

François Coty is widely credited with helping create the modern perfume business by combining synthetic materials, designer bottles and broader pricing, and the company still uses his name more than 120 years later.

Who owns Coty?

While it is a public company, Coty is heavily controlled by JAB Holding Company (the investment arm of the secretive German Reimann family), which holds massive voting power and historically drove Coty's highly aggressive acquisition strategy.

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