Coty declined to comment on the value of the account or to confirm which agencies have been invited to pitch. The move follows its decision in 1999 to appoint Leagas Delaney to handle the £5m launch of its Adidas-branded men's toiletries.
At the time analysts were predicting that Coty would launch an assault on mass market fragrances by acquiring and rolling out brands globally.
However, this did not materialise and following a TV and press campaign by Leagas Delaney, Coty resumed advertising in-house.
Coty has a licence to market Adidas products and has developed ten different ranges including Classic, Sport, Dynamic and Action. It also has a licence to sell Club Med branded goods and has just launched a fragrance in France which it plans to bring to the UK. It also owns the Rimmel and Lancaster brands.