Yves Saint Laurent opposes Robbie Williams' 'Hopeium' trademark

Yves Saint Laurent Parfums has opposed the registration of Robbie Williams' 'Hopeium' trademark, which the British singer had hoped to use on a range of skincare and perfumes.

The Parisian luxury house believes the name is too close to that of its signature fragrance Opium, which was introduced in 1977. Since 2014 it has also had a version of the fragrance called Black Opium.

Williams lodged his trademark application in the UK in April of this year covering Class 3, Class 18, Class 25 and Class 35 which covers a wide range of perfume, cosmetics, skincare, bags, luggage, fashion and accessories, as well as online retailing of those products.

The filing was published in July by the Intellectual Property Office and was subsequently opposed by Yves Saint Laurent Parfums. The application is currently set with the status of 'opposition filed/awaiting defence'.

Yves Saint Laurent first launched Opium in 1977

A friend of Williams told The Sun newspaper that the singer had also filed for the trademark in the US and that the word was based on the idea of "having an irrational sense of optimism". The friend said that the opposition from Yves Saint Laurent had "put a spanner in the works" for the project.

The brand cannot proceed until the opposition to the trademark has been resolved but if and when it does, it would mean that Williams was the latest in a line of celebrities to enter the skincare and beauty market. Recent high profile entrants into the space include Brad Pitt, who has just launched a genderless skincare line inspired by wine called Le Domaine, and Harry Styles, who recently expanded his Pleasing range into cosmetics having first launched it with nail varnishes. Model Kate Moss has also launched a line this year, called Cosmoss, focusing on skincare and wellness.

Read our recent feature 'Have we reached peak celebrity beauty and wellness' here.