COTY INC. TO ACQUIRE PHILOSOPHY, INC. – Yep! That’s right. I just received this press release. How exciting. Two great beauty brands are come together to create a stronghold as a pillar in the industry. I think this is a great move for Philosophy. When I heard the the founder Cristina Carlino speak at CEW about her experince in creating products for the ‘forgotten woman’ I knew exactly what she meant. These products have landed time and again on Oprah’s favorite things. This now, will become yours as well. Big congrats to Cristina for being a success story and for inspiring dreamers like me.

Beauty Giant Adds Premier Skincare and Cosmetics Products to Its Coty Prestige Division

NEW YORK, November 23, 2010 — Coty Inc., a leading global beauty company and philosophy, inc., a premier skincare and cosmetics company, today announced that Coty has agreed to acquire philosophy from The Carlyle Group, a global alternative asset manager.

The acquisition of philosophy will allow Coty to further strengthen and expand its Coty Prestige division, which will manage the philosophy portfolio. philosophy is a beauty brand focused on skin care, with an important presence in fragrance, bath and body and color cosmetics. Founded in 1996, philosophy has created a strong emotional connection with its consumer, thanks to the unique combination of brand approachability and product performance. The philosophy product line, which is sold in QVC, Sephora,

Ulta, Nordstrom and other premier retailers, is expected to generate sales of more than $200 million in 2010 and consistently earns top beauty industry awards.
“philosophy is one of the beauty industry’s most prestigious brands and a fantastic addition to the Coty family,” said Bernd Beetz, CEO, Coty Inc. “This acquisition will allow Coty to strengthen its presence in the skincare category, which is one of our key strategic objectives.”

“philosophy is a perfect fit with Coty. We have a common focus on innovation, passion for brand development and entrepreneurial culture,” said Michele Scannavini, President, Coty Prestige. “We believe the brand still has significant growth potential in the US and tremendous opportunities in the international markets.”

“philosophy’s success is driven by providing women with products that deliver results and inspiration. We thrive on innovation and are extremely excited to join Coty, a company that shares our passion for delighting consumers with superior products. We look forward to significant growth as part of the Coty global portfolio of brands,” said Ken Stevens, CEO, philosophy, inc. He added, “I am grateful for the wise counsel and confident support that Sandra Horbach and the Carlyle team always provided to me in the running of this business.”

“philosophy has achieved great success under our ownership thanks to the hard work of Ken Stevens, his management team and philosophy’s many devoted associates,” said Sandra Horbach, Managing Director of The Carlyle Group. “We recognize and thank philosophy founder Cristina Carlino for creating this unique brand and for her years of dedication to the company. Coty is an outstanding partner for philosophy, and we wish them continued success.”

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