Don Algodón began in 1980, when Pepe Barroso opened a shop on Madrid’s Calle Claudio Coello under the Don Algodón name. It developed as a youth-fashion business before extending into fragrances, while its distribution agreement with Cortefiel ran from 1986 to 2002. Following a 2003 ownership change, designer Juan Duyos was placed in charge of the design team. In 2005, the founder’s company sold the Don Algodón trademarks to BCBG Max Azria Group Europe Holding through its Spanish subsidiary Princesa 59, excluding the cosmetics and perfumery class. On 30 March 2016, BCBG Max Azria sold the trademarks it held to Secretos Textil, again excluding cosmetics and perfumery. Don Algodón’s fragrance line launched in 1986 and quickly reached number one in sales rankings. Its fragrance direction is built around fresh scents for women and men, described as classics carried across generations; the category later expanded with Don Algodón Ambients in 2017 and Don Algodón Baby in 2021.
