Sol de Janeiro Escalates Legal Battle Over Alleged Fragrance Dupes

The battle over beauty’s most buzzed-about “smell-alikes” is heating up. Sol de Janeiro has formally expanded its lawsuit against Australian brand MCoBeauty, accusing the company of deliberately creating—and “aggressively marketing”—fragrance mists designed to imitate some of the Brazilian-inspired brand’s most recognizable scents.

According to a newly amended complaint filed in late November, and first reported by The Fashion Law, Sol de Janeiro is now targeting eight MCoBeauty fragrance mists it says closely mirror its cult-favorite Cheirosa scents, both in fragrance profile and overall packaging aesthetic.

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The dispute traces back to last year, when Sol de Janeiro argued that MCoBeauty copied the distinctive elements that helped its body mists become global bestsellers: transparent bottles, bold color-blocked labels, rounded metallic caps and signature visual branding. The updated filing alleges that MCoBeauty has since broadened its “dupe” lineup, while doubling down on marketing tactics that blur the boundaries between the two brands.

Sol de Janeiro claims influencer content, curated customer reviews and social-media callouts promoted by MCoBeauty collectively create the impression that the lower-priced mists are scent-for-scent matches. Examples cited in the complaint include influencer videos labeling the products as “the best Sol de Janeiro dupes on Amazon,” posts tagged “DUPE ALERT!” and customer reviews featured on MCoBeauty’s website asserting that the scents are “exactly the same.” Sol de Janeiro argues that MCoBeauty didn’t merely allow these comparisons to circulate, it amplified them by liking, commenting on and selectively spotlighting such claims, thereby fostering what it calls a “false narrative” of interchangeability.

Adding a new dimension to the conflict, Sol de Janeiro is now invoking Federal Trade Commission endorsement guidelines. The company alleges that MCoBeauty failed to correct misleading statements made by influencers and reviewers and, in some cases, appeared to endorse them. Because MCoBeauty curates and moderates its online reviews, Sol de Janeiro contends the brand had a responsibility to remove or clarify unsubstantiated comparison claims—an alleged lapse it says may border on regulatory non-compliance.

As the lawsuit widens, the case is shaping up to be a closely watched test of how far “dupe culture” can go before it crosses legal lines. With Sol de Janeiro positioning the dispute as both a brand-protection effort and a challenge to influencer-driven misinformation, and MCoBeauty expected to defend its products as lawful, lower-cost alternatives, the outcome could have ripple effects across the beauty industry. For now, one thing is clear: The debate over similarity, inspiration and outright imitation is nowhere near settling, and the legal stakes are only growing.