Coty Appoints Kara Langan General Manager US Consumer Beauty

Coty has appointed Kara Langan as general manager of its U.S. Consumer Beauty business, effective 13 October 2026. Based in New York, Langan will report directly to Amaury Devallois, executive vice president of UUCAN, with a dotted-line reporting relationship to Gordon von Bretten, President of Consumer Beauty at Coty.

Langan’s background and expertise

Kara Langan brings more than 20 years of experience leading consumer brands across fragrance, colour cosmetics, skin care, hair care and personal care. She most recently served as chief marketing officer of face and skin care at Evermark, where she led marketing for a portfolio of heritage beauty brands.

At Evermark, she accelerated the relevance of heritage brands with new generations via creator, influencer and social commerce strategies. Langan’s prior senior leadership roles include positions at Johnson & Johnson Consumer, where she served as Global President of the hair care business behind OGX, as well as at Elizabeth Arden and Revlon. In these roles, she helped drive brand transformation and growth across fragrance, skin care and make-up.

Strategic context at Coty

This appointment supports a broader effort to revive Coty’s mass-market makeup and fragrance businesses. It reflects von Bretten’s ambition to give the U.S. Market broader management oversight. The company deliberately chose Langan for her general management track record over a pure sales pedigree.

The leadership structure was designed to grow both makeup and fragrance. Marketing is an immediate priority for the division.

Broader business challenges and initiatives

Coty’s consumer beauty business, which includes brands such as Bourjois, CoverGirl, Max Factor and Rimmel, faces significant challenges. The U.S. Accounts for approximately half of Consumer Beauty’s business. Divisional sales declined 7% on a like-for-like basis in fiscal 2026, and the company reported a mixed trading quarter in Q4 2026, with revenue gains offset by pressure on underlying consumer beauty sales growth.

Coty is weighing the future of parts of its Consumer Beauty portfolio and expects final decisions from its strategic review by the end of 2026. Von Bretten declined to discuss potential ownership changes.

The company is working to better integrate public relations, creator activity and traditional media. It is creating a senior advocacy position, with Langan expected to contribute her marketing experience. A parallel effort in mass fragrance is also underway.

Coty has been repositioning CoverGirl around Gen X shoppers after an unsuccessful effort to make it a Gen Z brand. Retailers want CoverGirl and Sally Hansen to provide stronger competition among established beauty suppliers, which will require sustained investment. Von Bretten visited Coty’s top 15 retail partners after taking his role to present plans for its makeup and fragrance brands.

On advertising, Coty continued investing heavily in television while competitors built influence through creators, a move von Bretten defended by stating that Gen X and millennials still watch TV. The company acknowledges it overcorrected toward what it calls advocacy.

In fragrance, Coty is building owned brands alongside its licensed portfolio and is revamping Vera Wang fragrances. More fragrance and body-care products are planned over the next two years. The company’s Adidas fragrance business has not matched the sportswear brand’s broader expansion, leaving room for growth, particularly in the U.S.

Gordon von Bretten said: "Kara and Vanessa are proven leaders with outstanding track records of transforming brands, driving growth and building high-performing teams." He added that their appointments reflect the momentum being built across consumer beauty.

Coty expects final portfolio decisions from its strategic review by the end of 2026.