MADRID, Oct 29 (Reuters) - Spanish fashion and perfumes

company Puig reported an 11% rise in third-quarter sales on

Tuesday, beating analysts' expectations after sector rivals

posted disappointing results due to lower demand in China.

The Barcelona-based firm behind perfume brands Rabanne,

Carolina Herrera and Jean Paul Gaultier said net sales for the

three-months ending Sept. 30 were 1.26 billion euros ($1.35

billion), above the average of 1.17 billion euros forecast by

analysts polled by LSEG.

Puig, which made its debut on the Spanish stock exchange in

May, is less exposed to the Chinese market than most of its

peers. More than half of its net sales came from Europe, the

Middle East and Africa, where they grew by 14% last quarter.

In Asia, sales were up 1% to 103 million euros, while they

rose 10% in the Americas region.

Chief Executive Marc Puig said retailers are quite bullish

on the fragrance category to build up inventory for the holiday

season, adding the company is not yet seeing any slowdown in

markets such as the U.S. or Europe.

"We see optimism for Christmas," he told analysts during

a call after results came out.

Rival L'Oreal last week reported a 3.4% rise in

third-quarter sales, a result that fell short of expectations.

The company blamed lower demand for beauty products in China and

slower growth in its dermatology division.

Meanwhile, French luxury giant LVMH saw a 3% fall in sales,

undershooting estimates as demand in China and Japan weakened.

Puig, which also owns luxury skincare and makeup brands

Byredo and Charlotte Tilbury, told investors in September it

expects sales this year to grow at a faster pace than the 6%-7%

forecast for the global premium beauty market.

The company's net sales grew 10% to 3.42 billion euros in

the first nine months of the year.

Sales in its fragrance business, which generates most of

Puig's revenue, grew by 11%, while skincare sales increased by

19%.

The company's makeup brands sold 7.3% more, despite cosmetic

product sales remaining weak in Asia.

($1 = 0.9263 euros)