The Commerce Commission has received an application from Coty Inc. seeking clearance to acquire a significant part of the global hair care, colouring and styling, colour cosmetics and fragrance businesses of the Procter and Gamble Company.

Coty is a global manufacturer of fragrances, colour cosmetics and skin and body care products. Coty’s products are marketed under brands including adidas, Calvin Klein, Davidoff, Playboy, Astor, Rimmel and Lancaster. Procter and Gamble is a global manufacturer of consumer goods and its operations are structured into four main business units: fabric and home care; beauty; baby, feminine and family care; and health and grooming.

The businesses being acquired by Coty from Procter and Gamble are the fragrances business marketed under the brands Alexander McQueen, Bruno Banani, Dolce&Gabbana, Escada, Gabriela Sabatini, Gucci, Hugo Boss, James Bond 007, Lacoste, Mexx and Stella McCartney; the colour cosmetic business with the brands Cover Girl and Max Factor; and the professional hair colouring, styling, care (shampoo, conditioner) and perming businesses as well as parts of its retail hair colouring and styling business.

A public version of Coty’s clearance application will be available shortly on the Commission’s Clearances Register.

Background

When considering a proposed merger, the Commission must determine whether the competition that would be lost with the merger would be substantial.

We will give clearance to a proposed merger only if we are satisfied that the merger is unlikely to have the effect of substantially lessening competition in a market.

A fact sheet explaining how the Commission assesses a merger application is available on the clearances page.