Coty Courts 'Housewives' and Kose

Showing that Coty plans to build all of those pillars, a second deal was announced Thursday — an agreement between Coty and Japanese beauty giant Kose to distribute Coty's Rimmel brand in Japan. Coty and Kose will also create cosmetics that have been adapted for that market, Beetz said Thursday.

"We've done our homework," he said. "The organizational structure now in place allows us to build strongly on all three pillars, and we are doing that. Our strategy is to loyalize the consumer, and to do that we have to be strong across all three pillars. When they are loyal to our brands, they will be open to new things we are doing."

Beetz wouldn't divulge many specifics about the "Desperate Housewives" fragrance, simply saying the object was to create a scent "as complex, beautiful and sexy" as the women on the show. And given the diversity of the characters — working mom Lynette (Felicity Huffman), klutzy Susan (Teri Hatcher), ultraperfect Bree (Marcia Cross), former model Gabrielle (Eva Longoria) and vamp Edie (Nicollette Sheridan) — it's hard to say exactly what the scent will smell like.

But it's a safe bet that a healthy percentage of the 24 million viewers who tune in every week to watch their antics will give the scent a try.

"We've seen a tremendous response to ‘Desperate Housewives' products made available to date, so extending the franchise into the world of fragrance makes perfect sense," said Bruce Gersh, senior vice president, business development, ABC Entertainment, in a statement. "Given Coty's outstanding track record in the fragrance market, the ‘Desperate Housewives' scent is guaranteed to be a hit with women everywhere, connecting them in a very personal way to this popular series."

The Coty fragrance adds another dimension to the beauty activities of the five stars individually. In February, Huffman signed on for a series of "Webisodes" — promotional ads — for Dove's Calming Night collection of bath and body products. Hatcher signed a deal in September to be the face of Clairol's Nice 'n Easy hair color brand, with ads that began breaking in January magazines. Longoria has a deal with L'Oréal Paris, promoting the brand's Vive hair products.