THE WHAT? Shiseido China has filed an unfair competition lawsuit against Aldi China over a LACURA makeup primer whose packaging allegedly resembles a product from Shiseido’s prestige Clé de Peau Beauté brand.
THE DETAILS The Shanghai Pudong New Area People’s Court is scheduled to hear the case on November 5. The dispute centres on the packaging and bottle design of Aldi’s LACURA primer, priced at RMB 24.90 (US$3.71), compared with RMB 540 for the Clé de Peau Beauté product. Shiseido has brought the case under unfair competition law rather than trademark infringement, with the dispute expected to focus on whether the similarities could cause consumer confusion or unfairly benefit from Clé de Peau Beauté’s commercial reputation. LACURA is Aldi’s principal beauty and personal care private-label brand, while private-label products account for more than 90 percent of the retailer’s assortment in China
THE WHY? The lawsuit highlights the growing tension between retailers’ lookalike private-label strategies and established beauty brands seeking to protect distinctive packaging and brand equity, particularly as lower-priced alternatives become increasingly prominent in the cosmetics market.
Source: City News Service
