Guerlain “Abeille Royale” Cosmetic Trade Dress Protection (April 2026)

Released in April 2026, this administrative complaint case focuses on protecting the distinctive trade dress of high-end cosmetics . Guerlain, a world-famous French cosmetics brand, launched its “Abeille Royale” (Emperor Bee Nectar) essence years ago. After long-term market operation, the product’s unique bottle shape, container material, overall color tone and pattern combination have become highly recognizable trade dress among Chinese consumers. A domestic cosmetics manufacturer produced similar essence products using almost identical bottle design and exterior decoration. Guerlain’s legal team filed an administrative complaint to Guangzhou Baiyun District Market Supervision Bureau, requesting investigation on unfair competition.

Regulators conducted market comparison and brand popularity research, confirming that Guerlain’s product packaging meets the legal definition of “influential trade dress”. The defendant’s unauthorized use of similar packaging would inevitably cause consumer confusion over product origin and brand affiliation. The bureau ruled that the defendant’s conduct violates Article 6 of the Anti-Unfair Competition Law concerning confusing acts. It ordered the enterprise to immediately stop using the imitative trade dress, recall all circulating infringing products and pay an administrative fine of 20,000 RMB. This case is vital for high-end foreign brands entering the Chinese market: apart from trademark registration, actively protecting distinctive trade dress via administrative complaint is an effective right-protection method. Administrative organs fully recognize the trade dress rights of internationally renowned brands. It also reminds domestic cosmetic enterprises to develop independent packaging design and avoid copying mature high-end product styles for improper profits.