# Patrick Ta Beauty Sues CVS and Akstrom Imports Over Unauthorized Product Sales > Patrick Ta Beauty sued CVS and Akstrom Imports on October 14, seeking an injunction and damages over unauthorized sales of its products at the drugstore chain. - Published: 2026-10-19T04:56:52+00:00 - Section: Legal & Disputes - Author: News Desk - URL: https://newsforagent.com/news/2026-10-19/patrick-ta-beauty-sues-cvs-akstrom - Source: [Beauty Independent](https://www.beautyindependent.com/patrick-ta-beauty-sues-cvs-distributor-unauthorized-product-sales/) ## Key takeaways - Patrick Ta Beauty filed its lawsuit on October 14 in the United States District Court for the Southern District of California. - The brand has an exclusive retail partnership with Sephora and confirmed in September that CVS was not an authorized retailer of its products. - CVS has been testing an off-price beauty program called Fresh Beauty Finds in approximately 2,000 stores. [Patrick Ta](https://akta.pro/company-profiles/00071ae/patrick-ta) Beauty sued [CVS](https://akta.pro/company-profiles/00000bk/cvs-health) and distributor [Akstrom Imports](https://akta.pro/company-profiles/02m9dth/akstrom-imports) on October 14 in the United States District Court for the Southern District of California, alleging trademark infringement and unfair competition over unauthorized sales of its products at the drugstore chain. [Beauty Independent](https://www.beautyindependent.com/patrick-ta-beauty-sues-cvs-distributor-unauthorized-product-sales/) reported the filing. The complaint does not specify the amount of damages sought. ## Patrick Ta Beauty's Claims Against CVS and Akstrom The lawsuit describes CVS's sale of products bearing Patrick Ta Beauty's trademarks and its use of the marks in advertising and in-store displays in ways that could mislead shoppers into believing the sales are approved or endorsed by the company. The brand identifies Akstrom Imports as the supplier of its merchandise to CVS and claims the distributor created and provided promotional materials used in stores, including displays advertising Patrick Ta lip products. Patrick Ta Beauty, which has an exclusive retail partnership with Sephora, is seeking an injunction to stop the alleged infringement, monetary damages and other relief. CVS declined to comment on the lawsuit. According to the lawsuit, Patrick Ta Beauty became aware of its products being sold at CVS in September. On Sept. 24, it notified CVS and Akstrom of the alleged infringement and demanded that it stop, but the companies failed to meaningfully respond in the following weeks. The complaint does not allege that the products are counterfeit or explain how Akstrom obtained the merchandise. The lawsuit contends that Patrick Ta products sold at CVS are materially different from those purchased through authorized channels such as Sephora because consumers do not receive the same warranty protections or customer service. CVS has been testing an off-price beauty program called "Fresh Beauty Finds" in approximately 2,000 stores, featuring a rotating assortment of prestige brands such as Patrick Ta, Pat McGrath Labs, MAC Cosmetics, Laura Mercier, Buxom and Drunk Elephant. The program offers limited quantities of products, often at steep discounts, in dedicated displays with signage reading "New at CVS" and "Prestige Beauty Favorites." Patrick Ta Beauty confirmed to [Beauty Independent](https://www.beautyindependent.com/sol-de-janeiro-loses-round-but-isnt-out-dupe-lawsuit-against-mcobeauty/) in September that CVS was not an authorized retailer of its products. ## Patrick Ta's Funding and Global Reach Patrick Ta Beauty is a founder-owned, direct-to-consumer professional makeup and cosmetics brand selling globally through its Shopify storefront, according to akta.pro [company records](https://akta.pro/company-data). The company was founded in 2019, is headquartered in West Hollywood, and is led by founder Patrick Ta. Its revenue estimate is $25 million to $50 million, and its valuation estimate is $100 million to $250 million. The same records show one funding round on file, a 2022 private equity round led by Stride Consumer Partners, and global direct-to-consumer shipping to more than 60 countries via its Shopify storefront. ## Similar Trademark Disputes in Beauty and Retail Crocs filed a lawsuit against Five Below in U.S. District Court for Colorado on October 16, alleging trademark and patent infringement over a clog with an identical sole design and Jibbitz charms, [KXAN Austin](https://www.kxan.com/news/crocs-sues-five-below-for-alleged-patent-trademark-infringement/) reported. A federal court dismissed Sol de Janeiro's claim that MCoBeauty infringed on its packaging on October 12, but allowed the brand to amend its complaint, Beauty Independent reported. In a parliamentary inquiry on October 8, Rep. Bae Hyun-jin questioned the Phenomenon trademark contract, citing JYP's exclusive ownership and lack of enforcement clauses, [Naver](https://n.news.naver.com/mnews/article/119/0003140953) reported. ## What Comes Next in the Patrick Ta Case Vivek Jayaram, founder of law firm Jayaram, said, "I think a lot of prestige brands are watching this one because Patrick Ta is far from the only name in that section, and if the warranty theory works, every brand on that shelf gets a potential litigation roadmap." Mark Brutzkus, chair of the consumer products legal practice at Stubbs Alderton & Markiles, said, "The practical distinction is between protecting product integrity and preventing consumer confusion on the one hand, and simply controlling where genuine products are resold on the other." ## Companies in this story - [Patrick Ta company profile](https://akta.pro/company-profiles/00071ae/patrick-ta) · website: https://www.patrickta.com - [CVS Health company profile](https://akta.pro/company-profiles/00000bk/cvs-health) · website: https://www.cvshealth.com - [Akstrom Imports company profile](https://akta.pro/company-profiles/02m9dth/akstrom-imports) · website: https://akstrom.com --- News for Agent · https://newsforagent.com/llms.txt