20th century
The company's origins date back to 1914 when Antonio Puig Castelló founded the company. Initially the company took the name of its founder, being called Antonio Puig SA. From the beginning, the company oriented its business towards the cosmetic and fragrance sectors.[7]
In 1922, the company marketed Milady, the first lipstick made in Spain.[8]
In the 1940s the company started marketing the fragrance Agua Lavanda Puig,[9] which became one of the flagship products of the company.[10] During those same years, the founder Antonio Puig decided to move the factory and offices to a building located in Travessera de Gràcia street, in the Gràcia district in Barcelona, where the headquarters of the company remain until 2014.[11]
In the following years, the four sons of the founder joined the company. Although the transition took place gradually, Antonio Puig eventually delegated its decision-making to his sons: Antonio and Mariano (died 2021[12]) would focus on the perfume area, Jose Maria on the diversification department, and Enrique on the institutional relationships.[8]
The international expansion of the company began in 1959 with the building of a new factory in the industrial estate Besòs, in Barcelona, and also with the creation of the first branch office outside Spain, in the United States. The US branch office was boosted by a letter written by a Spanish student in the University of Iowa, who lamented the impossibility of buying Agua Lavanda Puig in the US, as it was confirmed years later by company sources.[13]
In 1968, Puig opened a branch office in Paris, at the same time that the company incorporated the Spanish designer brand Rabanne. In 1969, as a result of this collaboration the fragrance Calandre began to be marketed.[14] In 1976, the company built a perfumery factory in Chartres, France.[15] In 1987 Puig acquired Paco Rabanne's Fashion House.[16]
One of the key milestones in the international expansion was the agreement reached in the 1980s with the Venezuelan designer Carolina Herrera in New York City to create and market all her fragrances. Years later, in 1995, Carolina Herrera fashion business area also joined Puig.
In 1997, Puig reached an agreement with Antonio Banderas for the creation and subsequent commercialization of the brand Antonio Banderas Fragrances. The following year the company acquired the brand Nina Ricci, keeping up with the policy of acquiring prestigious brands.[8] In 1999 the Puig family refounded the company, renaming it "Puig Beauty & Fashion Group", but maintaining the same structure and the three business lines: fashion, fragrances, and cosmetics.
Puig acquired Spanish companies Perfumes Gal and Myrurgia,company that belonged to Monegal, Ramon Monegal's company.[17][18] Also as the result of these procurements the brands Adolfo Dominguez, Massimo Dutti, and Heno de Pravia, among others, were assimilated into Puig.[8][19]
2020s
In 2020, Puig acquired a majority stake in the British brand Charlotte Tilbury.[36]
In 2022, the group acquired a majority stake in the Swedish luxury perfume brand Byredo, as well as in Kama Ayurveda and Loto del Sur.[37][38]
In January 2024, the group acquired the brand Dr. Barbara Sturm to expand its presence in the skincare market.[39] In March 2024 Dries Van Noten announced his retirement, stepping down from his namesake label.[40]
In April 2024, Puig announced plans for an initial public offering (IPO) to raise more than €2.5 billion.[1]
