Jessica Simpson cosmetic line receives second law suit
Beauty range has been an ill-fated one. With the make-up line
attracting a second law suit in the space of a year it seems that
star cosmetics sponsorship does not always work wonders.
This time a Los Angeles woman has issued the US singer and actress with a federal lawsuit claiming that Simpson and her business partners, have stolen the cosmetics brand that she patented back in 1989, according to a report in the New York Post.
Mara Fox says that the brand name for her 'Love Potion' line of beauty products was used by Simpson for her 2004 line of cosmetics 'Dessert Beauty Deliciously Kissable Love Potion'.
Simpson launched the line with her partners Sephora and D'Lish, but Fox is claiming that the brand name has been lifted from her older registered brand.
As well as Simpson, Fox also names cosmetics giants Sephora and D'Lish Fragrance in the multimillion-dollar suit.
In November 2004, cosmetics supplier Cosmojet took out a lawsuit against Simpson and the cometics provider she endorses, Dessert Beauty, claiming it was still owed $200,000 for cosmetics it supplied to the singer's Dessert beauty line.
According to press reports, Dessert Beauty claims that it refused to pay for a portion of a $1 million delivery of products after some were found to be below the quality standards and specifications that it expected.
At the time Simpson aired her anger over the lawsuit, claiming she was merely a spokesperson for the products and that she was not responsible for the invoicing and payment of products.
In the world of product endorsement, matching the right star to the right product is part of a balancing act that can mean make or break for cosmetic and fragrance ranges. Although Simpson's endorsement of the Dessert Beauty line did not elevate it to global success, other endorsements have led to multi-million sales booms.
Perhaps one of the best success stories has been Paris Hilton's sponsorship of the leading perfume line from Parlux. Mainly thanks to the success of the link-up, the star's name has helped the company to record profits, doubling 2005 turnover to the $56 - 57 million range.
