A practical guide to trademark protection for Beauty & Cosmetics brands

Every great beauty brand starts with formulation, but it is the brand that turns a product into an experience and a customer into a fan.

Your brand is the name on the packaging, the logo on the vanity shelf, and the promise that your customers associate with every use. It is what transforms a cosmetic product into something aspirational, trusted, and recognisable.

A registered trademark transforms that brand from an idea into a legally owned asset. It gives the owner the exclusive right to use and license the name, logo, or design and provides a solid legal foundation for enforcement against imitation.

For businesses within the beauty and cosmetics sector, this protection delivers real advantages. It helps you:

For a deeper look into why trademarks are so important for beauty and skincare businesses, read the full article: 12 good reasons for beauty brands to register a trademark

In the beauty world, differentiation is everything. Choose a brand name that reflects your identity and values, not just your ingredients or results. The more distinctive your mark, the stronger and easier it is to protect.

Tip: Suggestive, abstract, or invented names tend to offer the best long-term protection (for example, NARS, Aesop, or Glossier).

Before investing in packaging, product design, or marketing materials, make sure that no one else has registered or applied for a similar name in your category or region. A legal team can help you assess the level of risk and make adjustments if needed. This step is crucial even for independent brands, as conflicts can arise at any stage.

Tip: Trama offers a free lawyer’s check with results delivered within 24 hours, followed by expert guidance on the next steps for registration.

Trademarks are granted on a “first to file” basis in most countries. If another party files before you, you could lose rights even if you have been using the name longer.

Action point: File for protection as soon as possible, ideally before your first launch, influencer campaign, or retail partnership.

The optimal trademark strategy depends on your distribution channels, production setup, and growth plans. The key principle: protect your brand wherever it creates or captures value.

Your first registration should always be in your country of origin, where your business is incorporated and primarily operates. This provides a legal foundation and supports enforcement at the local level.

If you sell internationally or plan to expand within the next two to three years, register in those markets before establishing partnerships or launching marketing campaigns.

Common priorities for beauty and cosmetics exporters include:

If your products are manufactured or bottled abroad, for example in Italy, France, or South Korea, register your mark in those jurisdictions as well. This prevents local manufacturers, suppliers, or distributors from misusing or registering your brand.

Online sales can bring your brand exposure in markets long before you physically enter them. Competitors in those regions may try to register your mark first or imitate your products. If you sell internationally through your website or e-commerce platforms, extend protection to the countries where you most frequently ship or advertise.

Selecting the correct trademark classes is as important as choosing the right countries. Trademark protection is class-specific: it applies only to the goods and services covered in your application.

The Nice Classification system (adopted globally) divides goods and services into 45 classes. For the beauty and cosmetics industry, the following are typically relevant:

A precise class selection provides strong coverage and minimises gaps that competitors might exploit. A trademark lawyer can review your business operations and future plans to ensure comprehensive and commercially sound protection.

For detailed class guidance and tailored recommendations, use our online tool: Trademark Class Assist

Operating in the online beauty space offers both opportunities and risks. Here is how to protect your trademark effectively across the internet:

Register your primary domain and common variations across multiple top-level domains (for example, .com, .co.uk, .eu). Trademark registration strengthens your position under the Uniform Domain-Name Dispute-Resolution Policy (UDRP), allowing you to reclaim domains registered in bad faith by third parties.

Secure your brand handle across all major platforms, including Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and X (Twitter). Even if you do not use them all, this prevents others from impersonating your brand.

These platforms have trademark complaint procedures that allow you to remove infringing profiles or content. Verified profiles also serve as public proof of authenticity.

If you sell beauty products online, join brand protection programmes offered by major marketplaces:

These programmes simplify ownership verification and allow registered trademark owners to remove counterfeit listings or infringing content more efficiently.

Competitors sometimes use another brand’s name in online advertisements or search metadata to attract customers. With a registered trademark, you can request the removal of such ads under Google’s or Meta’s advertising policies.

Monitor search results, social media posts, and marketplace listings for misuse of your brand name or packaging.

Trademark monitoring services, or comprehensive tools such as Trama, can alert you to new filings or suspicious uses globally, enabling you to take timely action or file oppositions when necessary.

Every beauty brand lives through the experience it creates for its customers. Protecting that experience through trademark registration is both a legal safeguard and a business advantage.

Yet many beauty entrepreneurs and cosmetic innovators invest heavily in brand identity and packaging before securing legal protection. Involving a trademark lawyer early ensures that your creative and commercial investment becomes an asset that can be defended and expanded.

A trademark lawyer can help design a protection strategy that aligns with your business objectives, providing both legal security and commercial flexibility. Book a free consultation today to take the next step in protecting your brand.