As Puig goes public and publishes its second book, Chairman and CEO Marc Puig reflects on legacy, risk, and why the Spanish family business is still just getting started
By Kenneth Richard
Marc Puig doesn’t often step into the spotlight—but when he does, it’s with purpose.
At a recent event in Madrid celebrating the publication of Puig: Home of Creativity, the Chairman and CEO of Puig took the stage to do something unexpected: explain himself. Or rather, explain the quiet, culture-driven company his family has helmed for over a century—now newly public, newly transparent, and newly ambitious.
For decades, Puig operated like a backstage architect, building bold brands like Rabanne, Jean Paul Gaultier, Carolina Herrera, Dries Van Noten, and most recently, Byredo and Charlotte Tilbury—while keeping the name Puig relatively muted. Even its pronunciation (“pooch,” as Marc gently reminded the audience) was a mystery to some. But with a new book, a recent IPO, and a growing appetite for public dialogue, the House of Puig is stepping into the light.
There’s a certain behavior in our company we want to protect—and that we believe in. That’s why we say ‘home.’
The Rizzoli-published book traces Puig’s evolution from a Barcelona-born fragrance company founded in 1914 to a global beauty and fashion powerhouse. But more than a retrospective, it reads like a manifesto—a document of values, vision, and creative belief systems.
“It’s a tribute,” Marc said, “to the people and passion that fuel our Love Brands.” A phrase like Love Brands might sound boardroom-tested elsewhere, but at Puig it lands differently. There’s no doubt the sentiment is lived.
The book opens in Barcelona, a city that Marc described as balancing “reason and passion”—a duality that mirrors Puig’s own makeup. The company has long favored thoughtful expansion, bold aesthetics, and founder-led partnerships over flashy takeovers. When asked about their unique portfolio of risk-taking brands—like Rabanne with its cauliflower-scented perfumes, or Carolina Herrera’s wildly successful stiletto-shaped fragrance bottle—Marc replied with a knowing smile: “The biggest risk is taking no risk.”
We tried to play it safe once, Puig admitted. “It didn’t work. That’s when we realized that creativity and boldness were not luxuries—they were necessities.”
From the outside, Puig may look like a classic Mediterranean luxury house with roots in fashion and fragrance. But under Marc’s leadership, it has quietly become a magnet for modern founders. The reason? Puig doesn’t simply acquire companies; it amplifies their spirit.
We believe only brands with a real story to tell can pass the test of time. You need something that lasts beyond trends.
In recent years, Puig has expanded into skincare, makeup, and niche beauty through acquisitions like Kama Ayurveda and Loto del Sur—brands rooted in botanical richness and regional pride. These moves might seem eclectic, but Marc insists they’re all part of the same ethos: creative integrity and cultural relevance.
“The plurality is our identity,” Marc noted. “We don’t impose a central aesthetic—we let brands be themselves. We just give them a home.”
Maybe that’s what defines us most. The ability to live with many different personalities—something not every company can handle.
But this isn’t just a story of artistic license. Behind Puig’s warm, inclusive philosophy is a shrewd business structure. With their recent IPO, the family didn’t cash out. Instead, they retained majority voting power while opening shares to the public—a strategy designed to ensure long-term creative thinking while installing checks and balances for future generations.
Every generation needs the right leadership,” Marc said. “Going public was our way of protecting that vision—for the next 100 years.
The story of Puig is also, unavoidably, a story of family. Marc Puig—engineer, Harvard MBA, grandson of founder Antonio Puig—represents the third generation to lead the company. But with succession looming, the family has chosen to shift its role to governance rather than day-to-day control, ensuring continuity without calcification.
We don’t want to be the kind of family business that slowly loses its way,” Marc explained. “That’s why we set up a structure to protect against ourselves.”
The book, as with the company, exudes a uniquely Spanish charm: layered, stylish, grounded in heritage, and open to the world. As the event wrapped, Marc reflected on the paradox of legacy—that to preserve it, you sometimes have to rewrite the script.
Only by embracing change can you stay true to who you are.
It’s a philosophy echoed not just in Puig’s book, but in its trajectory. From Barcelona to Byredo, from stiletto bottles to cauliflower perfumes, from understated to unapologetic—Puig’s home of creativity is expanding. And thanks to Marc Puig, it has never looked more alive.