(Reuters) - Personal care and cosmetics companies Henkel & Co KGaA AG (DE:HNKG_p), Revlon Inc (N:REV) and Coty Inc (N:COTY) are preparing bids for parts of Procter & Gamble Co's (N:PG) beauty business, according to sources.
The three companies are working with investment banks ahead of a first-round bid deadline set for next week, the sources said on Wednesday. A successful sale would allow P&G to focus on more profitable consumer brands such as its Gillette razors, Tide detergent and Pampers disposable diapers.
Henkel is interested in buying P&G's haircare business, which includes the Wella and Clairol brands, the sources said, declining to be named because the matter is private. The haircare business is worth about $7 billion (5 billion pounds) based on annual earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) of around $500 million, the sources said.
Revlon, the owner of makeup brands such as Almay, is eyeing P&G's cosmetics business, which includes drugstore brands CoverGirl and Max Factor. That business has annual EBITDA of around $350 million, the people said.
Coty, which makes perfume for fashion brands Calvin Klein and Marc Jacobs and owns nail polish brand OPI and Rimmel mascara, is likely interested in P&G's fragrance unit, though it could also look at buying P&G's cosmetics business as well, the sources said.
P&G's fragrance unit includes brands such as Hugo Boss and Gucci and has EBITDA of around $250 million, they said.
It remains unclear whether P&G will try to sell its brands as part of a package, whose value could range from $10 billion to $12 billion, or piecemeal. P&G could also decide to scrap the sale entirely and instead look to spin off the unit, the sources added.
Representatives for P&G and Revlon declined to comment. Coty and Henkel did not respond to requests for comment.