History – Sirpea

1946

Soon after the World War, Italy had to roll up its sleeves in order to rebuild its industrial and commercial apparatus. Perfumery shops as we know them today did not exist, and the sale of perfumes was mostly the preserve of wholesalers of household detergent.

At the end of that year, Costante Belletti founded Sirpea, and with this company he contributed significantly to the creation of the perfumery market, the embryo of today’s distribution, one could almost say by convincing operators from other sectors (knife-sharpeners, bakers, haberdashers…) to start this business.

1950

Sirpea was the undisputed leader in the production and distribution of the then best-selling brands in the world (Carven, Dunhill).

1960

Sirpea brought the Estée Lauder brand to Italy, and the launch event took place in an extraordinary location: La Scala Theatre, rented exclusively for the occasion, which was possible in those days. The event was attended by Estée Lauder herself, who also presented the line at La Rinascente in Milan. It was also in this year that the idea of creating samples was born, an invention later adopted by all the perfume and cosmetics houses.

1965

Sirpea, together with other companies and multinationals promoted the creation of the Unione Nazionale Industrie di Profumerie (UNIPRO).

1975

Sirpea launched the first Paco Rabanne perfume in Italy, which quickly became the best-selling men’s fragrance, thanks to the fact that it was also bought by women for personal use.

1977

The second generation joined the company, giving it a new impetus and diversifying its activities: Sirpea began to create its own brands, whereas previously it had only produced and distributed third-party brands under foreign licence.

1990

Sirpea developed a considerable network of perfumeries, later sold to the company Limoni, now Douglas.

2000

Sirpea extended its distribution to the pharmacy and drugstore channels, with brands dedicated to these channels.

2005

Beginning of the artistic perfumery, a sector that Sirpea addresses with brands with specific characteristics designed ad hoc.

2014

The President of Sirpea, Dario Belletti, took over the presidency of Cosmetica Italia (formerly UNIPRO) for the perfumery channel, for a term of 7 years.

2016

Arrival of the third generation in the company, which breathes new life into the company and helps it adapt to the new needs of consumers, who are increasingly turning to the web world, with a dedicated e-commerce site and innovative and unique solutions.

2023

The company expands its activities in the world of cosmetics through a series of joint ventures, both online and offline, in order to adapt to the changing market situation of the future.

In the more than 77 years of the company's existence, the perfumery market has undergone enormous upheavals brought about by the emergence of chains, e-commerce, the development of discounters, and so on. Any company must constantly adapt to changing situations, and this is one of the skills that Sirpea has most demonstrated over the years