{"id":70246,"date":"2026-05-21T17:24:27","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T21:24:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/beauty-giants-estee-lauder-and-puig-call-off-40-billion-merger-talks\/"},"modified":"2026-05-21T17:24:27","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T21:24:27","slug":"beauty-giants-estee-lauder-and-puig-call-off-40-billion-merger-talks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/beauty-giants-estee-lauder-and-puig-call-off-40-billion-merger-talks\/","title":{"rendered":"Beauty Giants Estee Lauder and Puig Call Off $40 Billion Merger Talks"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Two major beauty companies have walked away from merger discussions that would have created one of the world’s largest luxury cosmetics empires. American beauty giant Estee Lauder and Spain’s Puig announced Thursday they have called off talks about joining forces.<\/p>

The potential deal, first revealed in March, would have formed a $40 billion premium beauty conglomerate combining prestigious brands including Tom Ford, Carolina Herrera, Rabanne, Jean Paul Gaultier and Clinique.<\/p>

These negotiations came several months after France’s L’Oreal secured a $4.7 billion agreement to purchase the beauty division from Gucci-owner Kering, as companies pursue expansion opportunities while facing slower demand following years of post-pandemic growth.<\/p>

Wall Street responded positively to the news, with Estee Lauder’s stock price jumping approximately 12% in after-hours trading Thursday.<\/p>

The American company stated it remains committed to implementing its Beauty Reimagined strategy, a recovery initiative led by CEO Stephane de La Faverie designed to reverse three consecutive years of declining sales and shrinking market position.<\/p>

“We have one of the most powerful portfolios of prestige beauty brands in the world… and we believe we are uniquely positioned to drive sustainable long-term growth globally,” he said in a statement.<\/p>

Estee Lauder’s brand collection features Bobbi Brown cosmetics, La Mer skincare products, and fragrance lines Le Labo, Jo Malone and Kilian Paris.<\/p>

RBC Capital Markets analyst Nik Modi expressed relief about the terminated discussions. “We are relieved to hear that the talks… have been terminated,” Modi commented, noting that integration challenges from such a combination would have created prolonged uncertainty for investors.<\/p>

Earlier this month, Estee Lauder increased its yearly earnings projection and announced plans to eliminate up to 3,000 additional positions worldwide as part of an expanded restructuring effort, while Puig disclosed weaker sales performance for the first quarter in late April.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

American cosmetics company Estee Lauder and Spanish beauty firm Puig announced Thursday they have ended discussions about a potential merger. The proposed deal would have created a $40 billion luxury beauty conglomerate to compete with industry leader L’Oreal.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":70245,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[834],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-70246","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1779398667456.jpg?fit=450%2C300&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pbtNqq-ih0","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":48394,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/beauty-giants-estee-lauder-and-puig-set-to-meet-for-potential-mega-merger-talks\/","url_meta":{"origin":70246,"position":0},"title":"Beauty Giants Estee Lauder and Puig Set to Meet for Potential Mega-Merger Talks","author":"Admin","date":"April 7, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The founding families behind cosmetics powerhouse Estee Lauder and Spanish beauty company Puig are scheduled to meet in New York this week to discuss a potential business merger. The deal could create the world's largest premium beauty company, combining iconic brands like Tom Ford, Carolina Herrera, and Clinique under one\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Business"","block_context":{"text":"Business","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/business\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/news-1775571697592.jpg?fit=450%2C279&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":41687,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/beauty-giant-estee-lauder-in-merger-talks-with-spanish-company-puig\/","url_meta":{"origin":70246,"position":1},"title":"Beauty Giant Estee Lauder in Merger Talks with Spanish Company Puig","author":"Admin","date":"March 24, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Cosmetics powerhouse Estee Lauder has acknowledged ongoing discussions about a potential merger with Spanish beauty company Puig. The deal would bring together popular brands like MAC, Clinique, and Jean Paul Gaultier under one corporate umbrella, potentially creating a $40 billion beauty empire.","rel":"","context":"In "Business"","block_context":{"text":"Business","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/business\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1774355840809.jpg?fit=1000%2C614&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1774355840809.jpg?fit=1000%2C614&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1774355840809.jpg?fit=1000%2C614&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1774355840809.jpg?fit=1000%2C614&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":70716,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/40b-beauty-deal-collapses-after-heated-phone-call-between-executives\/","url_meta":{"origin":70246,"position":2},"title":"$40B Beauty Deal Collapses After Heated Phone Call Between Executives","author":"Admin","date":"May 22, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"A massive $40 billion merger between U.S. cosmetics giant Est\u00e9e Lauder and Spanish perfume company Puig collapsed Thursday after months of negotiations. The deal fell apart due to leaked information, family disagreements, and demands from beauty brand founder Charlotte Tilbury regarding her ownership stake.","rel":"","context":"In "Business"","block_context":{"text":"Business","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/business\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1779474229361.jpg?fit=450%2C338&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":41600,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/beauty-giant-merger-could-create-40-billion-company\/","url_meta":{"origin":70246,"position":3},"title":"Beauty Giant Merger Could Create $40 Billion Company","author":"Admin","date":"March 24, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Spanish beauty company Puig saw its stock price soar 16% following news of potential merger discussions with cosmetics giant Estee Lauder. The proposed deal would combine major beauty brands like Tom Ford, Carolina Herrera, and Clinique under one corporate umbrella.","rel":"","context":"In "Business"","block_context":{"text":"Business","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/business\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/news-1774344237041.jpg?fit=450%2C283&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":75387,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/estee-lauder-ceo-says-company-open-to-future-deals-after-puig-talks-fall-through\/","url_meta":{"origin":70246,"position":4},"title":"Estee Lauder CEO Says Company Open to Future Deals After Puig Talks Fall Through","author":"Admin","date":"June 2, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Cosmetics giant Estee Lauder's potential merger with Jean Paul Gaultier-owner Puig collapsed due to pricing disagreements. The company's CEO says they remain interested in acquisitions if the financial terms make sense.","rel":"","context":"In "Business"","block_context":{"text":"Business","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/business\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/news-1780392274415.jpg?fit=450%2C338&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":70616,"url":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/cosmetics-giant-estee-lauder-calls-off-merger-discussions-with-spanish-company-puig\/","url_meta":{"origin":70246,"position":5},"title":"Cosmetics Giant Estee Lauder Calls Off Merger Discussions with Spanish Company Puig","author":"Admin","date":"May 22, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Beauty industry powerhouse Estee Lauder has terminated acquisition talks with Spanish fragrance company Puig that would have combined major brands like MAC and Clinique under one corporate umbrella. The New York-based cosmetics company's CEO expressed confidence in remaining independent despite recent workforce reduction plans.","rel":"","context":"In "Business"","block_context":{"text":"Business","link":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/category\/business\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1779460754534.jpg?fit=1000%2C602&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1779460754534.jpg?fit=1000%2C602&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1779460754534.jpg?fit=1000%2C602&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/news-1779460754534.jpg?fit=1000%2C602&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70246","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=70246"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70246\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/70245"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=70246"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=70246"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tvdelmarva.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=70246"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}