Delhi High Court Allows Au Naturel Beauty To Rebrand NEUDE As BE NEUDE In Dispute With Wet and Dry
Ayushi Shukla
15 Dec 2025 7:42 PM IST
The Delhi High Court has allowed cosmetics brand Au Naturel Beauty Private Limited to switch from the mark “NEUDE” to “BE NEUDE,” holding that the new mark would eliminate the risk of confusion with rival brand Wet and Dry Personal Care Private Limited's trademark “NEUD.”
A Division Bench of Justice Prathiba M Singh and Justice Rajneesh Kumar Gupta passed the order on December 10, 2025, while modifying an interim injunction imposed earlier by a commercial court in a trademark dispute between the two companies.
The dispute concerns the use of the marks “NEUD” and “NEUDE” for cosmetic and personal care products. Wet and Dry claimed prior rights over the mark “NEUD,” stating that it had applied for trademark registration in 2017, registered its domain name in 2016, and had substantial sales under the brand.
Au Naturel Beauty contested this and argued that Wet and Dry had not produced sufficient material to show actual commercial use of the “NEUD” mark.
Earlier, a commercial court at Tis Hazari had restrained Au Naturel Beauty from using “NEUDE,” finding it deceptively similar to Wet and Dry's mark. However, it allowed the company to sell its existing stock for a limited period.
When Au Naturel Beauty challenged that order, the High Court had permitted it to continue selling existing “NEUDE” products till December 15, 2025, subject to maintaining sales accounts and depositing Rs 50 lakh with the court. Attempts at mediation between the parties failed.
At the latest hearing, Au Naturel Beauty informed the court that it was willing to adopt the new brand name “BE NEUDE” and sought time to change packaging, labels and promotional material. Wet and Dry opposed this, arguing that even the new mark could cause confusion, especially if the two words were written separately.
The High Court noted that Wet and Dry sells products under several other brand names, including “EVERTEEN,” “MANSURE PRODUCTS” and “NATURE SURE PRODUCTS.” It also took into account the investments already made by Au Naturel Beauty in its branding and product line.
The court held that using “BE NEUDE” as a single expression would sufficiently distinguish Au Naturel Beauty's products from Wet and Dry's “NEUD” brand. It therefore directed that from June 1, 2026, Au Naturel Beauty must use only the mark “BE NEUDE” and must completely stop using “NEUDE.”
The tribunal clarified that the new mark must appear as one continuous expression, in the same font, colour and size. It further directed that no products bearing the “NEUDE” mark may be manufactured, sold or marketed after May 31, 2026, including on online platforms.
The court also issued directions on the disposal of remaining stock, filing of sales accounts, and continuation of the Rs 50 lakh deposit, which will remain subject to the final outcome of the trademark suit. It made clear that its observations at this interim stage will not affect the final decision in the case pending before the commercial court.
Case Title: Au Naturel Beauty Private Limited v. Wet and Dry Personal Care Pvt. Ltd. & Anr.
Case Number: FAO (COMM) 159/2025
For Appellant: Senior Advocates Amit Sibal and Darpan Wadhwa with Advocates Petrushk Dasgupta, Mridul Yadav, Raghav Mittal, Anand Singh Sengar, Amer Vaid, Varun Aggarwal
For Respondents: Senior Advocate Neeraj Malhotra with Advocates Satish Kumar, Rakesh Tiwari, Shiv Kumar Yadav, Nimish Kumar for R1