François Coty

François-Marie-Joseph Spoturno (Ajaccio, May 3, 1874 – Louveciennes, July 25, 1934), better known as François Coty, was a French businessman, perfumer, and politician, mayor of Ajaccio. He is considered the father of modern perfumery. The company he founded in 1904 is now known as Coty Inc., headquartered in the Coty Building in New York.

During World War I, he became one of the richest men in France. In 1922, he acquired control of the newspaper Le Figaro. To counter the rise of socialism and communism in France, he founded two other newspapers in 1928. In later years, his fortune diminished significantly.

Biography

Born on May 3, 1874, in Ajaccio, Corsica, with the name François-Marie-Joseph Sportuno. His mother, Marie Coti, died when he was only four years old; his father passed away three years later. He was raised by his grandmother in Marseille. There, he met Emmanuel Arène, a writer and future senator, who offered him a job in Paris as a secretary. He moved to Paris in 1900, coinciding with the Paris Universal Exposition of 1900.

One of François' first jobs in Paris was at a pharmacy, where he learned the basics of cologne making. He decided to continue his studies in the city of Grasse, then the world's center for perfume production. After a year, he returned to Paris where he opened his first laboratory in the apartment he shared with his wife. He adopted his mother's surname Coti and transformed it into Coty. In 1904, La Rose Jacqueminot, his first perfume, became a success. He also introduced small sample versions of the perfume. Other fragrances followed, including L'Ambre Antique (1905) presented in a bottle by René Lalique, and Chypre, which inspired an entire family of chypre fragrances (1917), and L'Aimant (1927).

On the outskirts of Paris, Coty created an industrial complex called La Cité des Parfums, where thousands of people worked to produce all the elements necessary for his products. Quality was essential. Coty was ahead of his time, as most of his workforce was female, and he provided childcare services for employees' children.

His flagship store was located in Place Vendôme, Paris, and soon other stores opened in major cities: New York in 1905, followed by London, Brussels, Dublin, Milan, Montreal, Munich, Sydney, Johannesburg, Mexico City, and Buenos Aires.

In 1922, he acquired the newspaper Le Figaro. He was elected mayor of his hometown in 1931. Coty, who had financed far-right movements and organizations such as Le Faisceau, Action Française, and Croix-de-feu, founded French Solidarity in the spring of 1933.

By the end of 1933, financial difficulties forced him to sell Le Figaro and, shortly before his death, also L'Ami du Peuple. He passed away on July 25, 1934, in Louveciennes.

External links

• Coty on Cosmetics and Skin