British perfumer Jo Malone has expressed surprise and sadness after being sued for more than £200,000 by Estée Lauder Companies for using her name on fragrances created for fashion chain Zara. The legal action, filed in the High Court, claims the collaboration breaches a long-standing naming agreement from when Malone sold her brand to the US cosmetics group in 1999.
Under the original deal, Malone was blocked from using her name for certain commercial purposes, including fragrance marketing. She left her role as creative director of Jo Malone London in 2006 and later described selling the naming rights as the “biggest mistake of my life.” After a non-compete clause expired in 2011, she launched her own brand, Jo Loves.
In 2019, Jo Loves collaborated with Zara on eight scents, sold for £35.99 each. Packaging initially stated the products were “created by Jo Malone,” and later versions included “A creation by Jo Malone CBE, founder of Jo Loves.” Estée Lauder took issue with this wording, claiming it infringes trademarks and undermines the Jo Malone London brand.
Malone posted a video on Instagram defending her use of the name, stating: “My name is Jo Malone. I am the person, the fragrance creator, the entrepreneur, the cancer survivor, the person. I never expected to receive a high court claim with my name on it.” She emphasised that Zara approached her as an individual, not a brand, and that she has taken steps to distinguish her work from Jo Malone London.
Estée Lauder said in a statement: “Ms Malone’s use of the name ‘Jo Malone’ in connection with recent commercial ventures goes beyond that legal agreement and undermines Jo Malone London’s unique brand equity. We respect Ms Malone’s right to pursue new opportunities. But legally binding contractual obligations cannot be disregarded.”
