The Estée Lauder Cos. has filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against Walmart Inc. over alleged counterfeits.
In a suit filed Monday in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, Lauder claimed 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.” Impacted brands include Estée Lauder, Le Labo, Tom Ford, Clinique, La Mer and Aveda.
A representative for Walmart did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The suit claimed that Walmart published listings on its marketplace using the Estée Lauder Cos. trademarks in its search engine optimization tools to drive traffic to the accused products.
“Plaintiffs are informed and believe, and thereon allege that a person shopping on Walmart.com would have reasonably believed that Walmart, and not third-party sellers, was the seller with title or possession of the accused product who could have entered into a contract to transfer title or possession,” the suit claimed.
Lauder is requesting that defendants be ordered to stop selling these products and/or any other products that bear the ELC trademarks.
It also wants defendants to be ordered to disclose their suppliers and manufacturers of the accused products and provide all documents, correspondence, receipts and invoices associated with the purchase.
It’s also seeking monetary damages and for legal fees to be paid.
More retailers have been launching marketplaces on the back of increased competition from Amazon and TikTok Shop, especially in beauty. The multivendor platform concept entails third-party sellers listing products on a retailer’s platform.
Walmart began adding premium beauty to its online marketplace in August 2024, starting with 20 brands and more than 1,000 stock keeping units, with a heavy focus on skin care and hair care. As of May 2025, it had 80-plus brands and more than 2,500 items in stock for premium beauty.
In 2023, Walmart settled a lawsuit with Vans over lookalike shoes.
