Natura Cosmeticos reports strong quarterly results after mixed year

Natura Cosmeticos has reported a sharp rise in fourth quarter sales and profits following a year of mixed fortune for Brazil’s biggest cosmetics company.

The company said sales were up 22 percent to 1.14bn reais ($0.47bn) during the quarter while net income rose 22 percent to 162.6m reais, according to Bloomberg.

The results followed the launch of a 400m reais marketing campaign for 2008-2010.

Bloomberg said profits had been hit earlier in the year by negative results from its business in France and expenses related to research into the viability of entering the US market. Natura Cosmeticos abandoned plans to sell in the US in October as the full extent of the global financial crisis began to become clear.