Coty was founded in Paris in 1904 as a fragrance house by Joseph Marie François Spoturno, who adopted the name François Coty. Its early identity combined natural and synthetic materials while seeking to make prestige fragrance accessible beyond an elite clientele. François Coty made presentation central to the brand, beginning a collaboration with René Lalique on fragrance bottles in 1908 and using art-oriented packaging in its marketing. After his death in 1934, Coty’s family maintained control and remained on its board until the 1960s. The company was acquired by Joh. A. Benckiser GmbH in 1992, and on October 3, 2016, completed its merger with Procter & Gamble’s specialty beauty business, adding major fragrance and broader beauty assets. Coty’s historical fragrance influence is especially associated with Chypre, whose 1917 launch gave its name to the chypre fragrance family; La Rose Jacqueminot, launched in 1904, also became a bestseller. In 2024, Coty launched Infiniment Coty Paris as a fragrance expression connecting its historical identity with a technology-led future of perfumery.
