BARCELONALONDON, May 3 Reuters Beauty group Puig39;s shares closed flat in their market debut on Friday, a lukewarm reception to Spain39;s largest initial public offering in almost a decade.

Shares rose at the start of trading but soon pared gains before falling back to their issue price of 24.5 euros.

Earlier this week, the owner of Rabanne and Carolina Herrera priced its oversubscribed IPO at the top of its targeted valuation range, giving it a market capitalisation of almost 14 billion euros.

A source familiar with the transaction said a drop in Estee Lauder39;s share price and the fact that the IPO was priced at the top end had weighed on Puig39;s initial trading performance.

But an expectation that Puig may join stock indices including Spain39;s IBEX 35 could drive further demand for its shares, said Xavier Brun, a portfolio manager at Trea Asset Management who participated in the IPO.

There is a lot of interest in investing in it, he said, adding that retail investors excluded from the IPO may now buy shares.

The IPO of familyowned Puig is the latest in a string of European listings this year, on the back of higher stock prices and improving market sentiment.

The performance of new stocks has been mixed, however. Swiss skincare group Galderma and private equity firm CVC Capital Partners soared on their market debuts, while German perfume retailer Douglas has traded below its issue price.

Puig and its eponymous controlling family stand to raise up to 3…