Estée Lauder Sues Jo Malone Over Use of Name on Zara Fragrances

In a second headline-grabbing lawsuit so far in 2026, Happi Top 50 Company Estée Lauder is suing perfumer and brand owner Jo Malone in the UK for trademark infringement and breach of contract, according to reports.

The British perfumer used her name on a fragrance for the fashion company Zara, as seen here.

Malone sold her fragrance company to Estée Lauder Companies in 1999 where she was blocked from using her name for particular commercial reasons including the marketing of fragrance, said the report.

After a non-compete clause ended in 2011, Malone set up the Jo Loves brand. The company was selling products in the US at retailers such as Scentbird, as reported in Happi.

Last year, the Jo Loves company launched a collaboration with Zara. Available in Zara stores across Europe, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand, there are eight fragrances in the collection.

For example, Fashionably London is a “creation by: Jo Malone CBE, founder of Jo Loves,” according to the packaging. The line launched in October 2025.

The company said the use of “Jo Malone” on the ⁠packaging of “Jo Loves” fragrances sold by Zara formed the basis of the lawsuit, which ​was filed in a British court on Wednesday.

Walmart Lawsuit

As reported in Happi, Estée Lauder recently filed a trademark infringement lawsuit in the US against Walmart Inc. over alleged counterfeit products.

In the lawsuit filed on Feb. 9 in the US District Court for the Central District of California, Estée Lauder claims that some of Walmart’s fragrance, skin care and hair care products advertised on its marketplace are “identical with, substantially indistinguishable from, or confusingly similar to one or more of the ELC trademarks and private blend collection.”

Le Labo, Tom Ford, Clinique, La Mer and Aveda are other ELC brands named in the suit.