MILAN — Ever since Corrado Brondi established Give Back Beauty, or GBB, in Geneva in 2019, the company’s agile and flexible business model made of an ecosystem of different divisions spread across the globe has risen to be an under-the-radar yet thorny competitor for more established beauty groups.

Brondi’s privately owned group — which is specialized in the creation, production, marketing and distribution of beauty brands across fragrances, makeup, skin care and hair care — gradually secured prime licenses for the likes of Tommy Hilfiger, Zegna and Elie Saab. It also launched buzzy brands like Florence by Mills by Millie Bobby Brown and Blake Brown by Blake Lively.

Product launches, strong partnerships for capillary distribution worldwide and acquisitions propelled the rapid ascent of the company, whose revenues increased by 10 times in the past five years, going from 42 million euros in 2020 to 406 million euros in 2025. In particular, last year sales were up 32 percent versus 2024 and earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization stood at 65.2 million euros. 

With products sold in more than 130 countries through retailers, direct-to-consumer channels and distributors, GBB sees Europe and the U.S. as its best-performing areas, accounting for 40 percent and 20 percent of its total sales, respectively.

Sitting down with WWD to unpack the evolution of the fast-growing firm and outline future strategies, Brondi projected sales to increase 11 percent to hit the 450-million-euro milestone this year.

Yet he defined 2026 as “a year of consolidation, as it’s the first time we decided not to integrate new brands in the group. And that’s because we want to focus on strengthening our organization and processes also in light of the big acquisition we made [last year].”

As reported, in 2025 the company inked an agreement with Italian giant Angelini Industries to take over its beauty division AB Parfums SpA, formerly known as Angelini Beauty and known for manufacturing fragrances for Trussardi and Laura Biagiotti and handling the distribution in Italy for such brands as Ralph Lauren, Maison Margiela, Cacharel, Diesel, Azzaro and Viktor & Rolf.   

“Still, we have this rule that we always want to grow at least twice as fast as the market… So if the market grows by 5 or 6 percent, we aim for a 10 to 12 percent increase… focused exclusively on the organic growth of existing brands, the optimization of our organizational platform and integration of recent acquisitions,” said the GBB founder and chairman.

With an estimated size of between 85 million euros and 100 million euros in 2023, at the time of GBB’s deal AB Parfums counted 200 employees and nine subsidiaries in strategic markets in Europe, including Italy, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Spain and Portugal.

Brondi is highly strategic not only because of the integration of AB Parfums’ brands and licenses into the GBB’s portfolio but especially of its subsidiaries and assets to strengthen his company’s footprint in Europe and enhance its direct control of distribution, specifically in countries such as Spain where GBB wasn’t present.

“When we add something new to our firm, whether a brand or company, we always look at the strategic value it can bring onboard. In this case, there were two aspects we were interested in. First, to enhance our presence in Europe,” said Brondi, highlighting how “to control the distribution in our industry means controlling also the local marketing activities, all the trade operations, brand positioning, storytelling and overseeing the training of professionals — which all make us stand apart from other companies.”

“Secondly, to create a sort of fifth division of our group, the European Prestige one, creating a split with the more luxury brands we handle from our Paris HQ,” he added.

To be sure, GBB’s “Luxury” division includes licenses for brands such as Zegna, Elie Saab, Chopard and Mercedes-Benz, while the “Lifestyle & Prestige” business unit now has the European leg handling the likes of Trussardi and Laura Biagiotti flanking the existing U.S.-based one overseeing labels such as Tommy Hilfiger and Britney Spears.

GBB’s ecosystem also comprises a Los Angeles-centric indie and talent division that acts as an incubator for celebrity-backed brands, like the ones of Bobby Brown and Lively; flexible business models, including joint ventures and other hybrid distribution models for partners such as Dolce & Gabbana and Olaplex; and the nonprofit advisory cluster, in which GBB leads brands in fostering sustainability goals, with all proceeds from these activities donated to foundations selected in collaboration with its partners.

Today, the group’s portfolio comprises 17 brands, reaching more than 25,000 doors worldwide. The company counts over 500 employees spread across 15 offices around the globe. In addition to the Geneva HQ, Paris and Los Angeles locations, there are also ones in Milan, London, Barcelona, Munich, Amsterdam, New York, Miami, Toronto, Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore and Sydney.

“We’ve been growing through geographical expansion, optimization of distribution but also our skills in developing successful product ranges across different categories, and not just fragrances,” said Brondi, who eyes further potential in expanding also in categories such as home fragrances and grooming. “We’re very consumer-centric compared to other firms, we’re in constant dialogue with retailers to understand what is missing in their stores and with customers, and all this is reflected in the products we develop and launch.”

Brondi sees the company as “a brand builder, not a brand collector,” as its varied business models are aimed at long-term vision via tailor-made solutions for each label’s needs and identity. He mentioned many examples within the firm’s portfolio, including Tommy Hilfiger, whose license added in 2022 was formerly held by the Estée Lauder Cos. Inc. since 1993. 

“We took over a brand with a big legacy, previously handled by a big multinational, and it grew a lot, reporting double-digit increases every year,” said Brondi, teasing the launch of a new fragrance pillar in the fall. 

Ditto for the Zegna beauty license, also previously held by The Estée Lauder Cos., that joined the portfolio in 2023, when GBB additionally started a hybrid partnership with Dolce & Gabbana following the fashion label’s decision to bring its beauty business formerly licensed to Shiseido back in-house in 2022. To be sure, GBB’s collaboration with Dolce & Gabbana speaks of its different approach to the industry, since it launched as a general strategic advisory on the brand and product and it evolved to encompass also go-to-market processes, said Brondi. 

As GBB enters a maturity phase, Brondi’s strategic vision for the next three years includes continuing to expand the company’s direct-to-retailer footprint and increasingly shift from acquisition-driven growth to value creation. To this end, the focus will be on further unlocking the full potential of the existing labels in the portfolio by accelerating their distribution, increasing brand awareness, strengthening consumer engagement and eyeing expansion in other product categories.

“I am fortunate enough to have had already other entrepreneurial experiences, which enabled me not to view this venture as one that has to be driven by financial objectives,” said Brondi. “The only possible evolution we might see financially is an IPO, aimed at [supporting] strategies of expansion through more important acquisitions. But I certainly don’t see this happening in the next three years. There’s not an obsession for a due date because I lived through scenarios with private equity funds and known that kind of pressure, but when I created this venture, my third, I knew I wanted it to last.”

To be sure, Brondi has more than 25 years of experience in finance, luxury and beauty. After earning a degree in business administration from the Bocconi University in Milan and a CEMS master’s from HEC Paris, he began his career in strategy consulting at Bain & Company in Milan before joining Goldman Sachs in London, where he focused on luxury sector transactions. He then joined LVMH in Paris, holding senior management positions and deepening his expertise in luxury fragrances. During his time at Kenzo Parfums, he contributed to the period in which the iconic launch of Flower by Kenzo doubled the brand’s sales.

In 2000, Brondi founded Selective Beauty in Paris, a fragrance distribution and licensing company that developed strategic partnerships with brands including Burberry, Bulgari and Jimmy Choo. Within five years, the company reached 180 million euros in sales. After Selective Beauty was sold to a private equity group in 2008, Brondi relocated to London and in 2010 founded CBBeauty, a fragrance and cosmetics player specialized in celebrity brands, that has partnered with the likes of Justin Bieber and One Direction. In 2015, CBBeauty was acquired by Revlon.