A Conneticut Housewife Takes on P&G | The Healthy Beauty Project -by Todra Payne

Proctor and Gamble swooped down on a Connecticut housewife who designed a pre-teen skincare line called Willa. P&G, obviously a beauty industry giant, is the maker of a salon haircare line called Wella. P&G claimed Willa was too close to the brand Wella and would confuse consumers.

Proctor & Gamble threatened a lawsuit.

Instead of laying down and playing dead, Christy Prunier, the maker of Willa, fought back. Explaining that Willa was named after her 11 year-old-daughter and that the line is for pre-teen girls, Prunier said there was no real case here.

Prunier had already gotten US Trademark clearance to use the name Willa and had no intentions of backing down from bringing her line to market. As media learned of the impending court date in Manhattan, Prunier gained sympathy as the underdog.

In a surprising turn of events, P&G has backed down and agreed to settle out of court. This is, in deed, a victory for all small beauty brands. Unfortunately, the battle costs Prunier $750,000. It is unknown if this will be reimbursed in its entirety in the settlement she’ll receive from P&G. Prunier is not allowed to discuss the details of the settlement.