jo malone london is back at the center of a High Court dispute after the perfume founder said she was “surprised and very sad” by legal action over fragrances created for Zara. The claim was brought by Estée Lauder Companies, which says the wording used on the collaboration breaches a long-standing naming agreement tied to the 1999 sale of her original brand. Malone said the dispute leaves her questioning what she can still be called while defending the work as her own.
What Estée Lauder is claiming
The company is seeking more than £200, 000 in damages and says the packaging used for the Zara range oversteps the terms of the agreement Malone signed when she sold her perfume business. In that deal, she agreed not to use the Jo Malone name for certain commercial purposes, including fragrance marketing. Court documents say Jo Malone Ltd and Estée Lauder expect to recover more than £200, 000.
The collaboration at the heart of the case began seven years ago and was launched in 2019 with eight scents selling for £35. 99. The packaging identified the products as “A creation by Jo Malone CBE, founder of Jo Loves. ” Estée Lauder objects to that wording and says it goes beyond what the contract allows.
Jo Malone London and the personal name dispute
Malone said the legal action feels personal because the name at issue is hers. In a video posted on social media, she said: “My name is Jo Malone. I am the person, the fragrance creator, the entrepreneur, the cancer survivor, the person. ” She also said: “I sold a company, I did not sell myself. ”
She said Zara approached her directly and not a company or logo, and argued that everyone involved worked to make clear the collaboration had nothing to do with jo malone london the company. She said they had “gone above and beyond” to make that clear and added that staff had been trained to avoid confusion.
Immediate reaction from both sides
Malone said she hopes “sense will prevail” and that she is willing to defend her position in court if needed. She added that she is now “putting together our defence, ” which she said will become public once filed.
Estée Lauder has said Malone’s use of the name in recent ventures “goes beyond that legal agreement and undermines Jo Malone London’s unique brand equity. ” The company also said that while it respects her right to pursue new opportunities, contractual obligations cannot be ignored when terms are breached.
What happens next
The case now moves toward a formal defence from Malone, Jo Loves and Zara’s UK arm. The central question is whether the name used on the packaging crosses the line set in the 1999 agreement, or whether the collaboration can stand as a separate creative project. For now, jo malone london remains tied to a legal fight over identity, branding and the limits of a name that still carries commercial weight.
