Coty has appointed Kara Langan as general manager of its U.S. Consumer Beauty business as it restores marketing support behind CoverGirl and Sally Hansen and rebalances spending across creators and traditional advertising.
Langan starts October 13, following the arrival of Vanessa Kidd as executive vice president of Lifestyle Scenting Global Brands and New Product Development. Together, the appointments support a broader effort to revive Coty’s mass-market makeup and fragrance businesses.
In an interview with Glossy, Gordon von Bretten, Coty’s president of Consumer Beauty, described a business that had swung between marketing approaches while leaving some established brands short of support.
“Sally Hansen had pretty much gone dark because there was no money to support it, and we found the money to support it,” he said.
Von Bretten said the nail brand has returned to growth, following renewed investment, against a broadly flat category. He did not provide a growth rate or specify the reporting period.
The U.S. accounts for approximately half of Consumer Beauty’s business, according to von Bretten. Langan’s appointment reflects his ambition to give the market broader management oversight.
“We deliberately chose somebody who has more of a general management track record rather than a pure sales pedigree,” he said.
Langan most recently served as chief marketing officer of face and skin care at Evermark. Her experience also includes senior roles at Johnson & Johnson Consumer, Elizabeth Arden and Revlon. She will report to Amaury Devallois, executive vice president of UUCAN, with a dotted-line reporting relationship to von Bretten.
The appointments come as Coty weighs the future of parts of its Consumer Beauty portfolio. Divisional sales declined 7% on a like-for-like basis in fiscal 2026, and the company expects final portfolio decisions from its strategic review by the end of 2026. Von Bretten declined to discuss potential ownership changes, saying the leadership structure was designed to grow both makeup and fragrance.
Marketing is one immediate priority. Von Bretten said Coty continued investing heavily in television advertising while competitors were building influence through creators, then overcorrected toward what the company calls advocacy.
“We forgot that if we want to appeal to Gen X and millennials, they still watch TV,” he said.
As Glossy reported in May, Coty has been repositioning CoverGirl around Gen X shoppers after an unsuccessful effort to make it a Gen Z brand. Von Bretten said the company is now working to better integrate public relations, creator activity and traditional media. It is also creating a senior advocacy position, with Langan expected to contribute her marketing experience.
Support for existing products is part of that approach. Von Bretten said CoverGirl’s Simply Ageless and Lash Blast franchises have returned to growth and are gaining share following renewed spending, although he did not provide figures.
Sally Hansen’s recovery will also depend on product development. Over the next two years, Coty plans introductions across bottled nail products, nail care and press-on nails.
Kidd’s appointment supports a parallel effort in mass fragrance. Von Bretten said Coty’s Adidas business has not matched the sportswear brand’s broader expansion, leaving room for growth, particularly in the U.S. More fragrance and body-care products are planned over the next two years.
Coty is also building owned fragrance brands alongside its licensed portfolio and revamping Vera Wang fragrances.
Von Bretten said he visited Coty’s top 15 retail partners after taking the role to present plans for its makeup and fragrance brands. Retailers, he said, want CoverGirl and Sally Hansen to provide stronger competition among established beauty suppliers. Delivering that will require sustained investment.
“There’s a need to activate these brands,” he said. “But when you do, consumers will follow.”
