💄 Nice Class 3: Cosmetics & Cleaning Products
The EUIPO register holds 244,391 trademarks in Class 3, the class for cosmetics, perfumery and cleaning preparations (as of July 2026). (as of July 2026).
244,391
Marks in the EU register
139,176
Registered with the EUIPO
+6 %
Growth 2020–2024
57 %
Word mark share
Class 3 is home to the beauty and personal care industry: it covers cosmetics, perfumery, and washing and cleaning preparations. The EUIPO register holds 244,391 trademarks in Class 3, of which 139,176 are registered (as of July 2026, EUIPO register data). And the class keeps growing: new registrations rose from 12,524 in 2020 to 13,270 in 2024, up 6 percent, and 2025 topped that with 13,682. The filing table shows how fiercely names are contested here: L'Oréal alone holds 4,984 trademarks, followed by Procter & Gamble (2,076), Henkel (1,060), Beiersdorf (980) and Beauty Brands Concept (779), a Polish company that has worked its way in among the global players. Only 57 percent of the trademarks are word marks, as many beauty brands also rely on designed logos. For founders, the sheer volume means one thing above all: in Class 3, the odds of clashing with an existing trademark are unusually high, so a search before filing is a must.
What belongs in Class 3?
Class 3 covers non-medicated cosmetics and cleaning products: skincare and make-up, perfumes, hair care such as shampoo and hair dye, toothpaste, soaps, and household washing and cleaning preparations. Natural cosmetics and essential oils belong here too. The most important boundary runs along Class 5: as soon as a product has a medical purpose, think medicated skincare or dietary supplements, it changes class. And if you apply cosmetics rather than sell them, say in a beauty salon, you need service Class 44.
Typical examples: Cosmetics, perfume, soaps, cleaning preparations
New EUIPO registrations per year in Class 3
Most active applicants in Class 3
| # | Applicant | Marks |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | L'Oreal | 4,984 |
| 2 | The Procter & Gamble Company | 2,076 |
| 3 | Henkel Ag & Co Kgaa | 1,060 |
| 4 | Beiersdorf Ag | 980 |
| 5 | Beauty Brands Concept Spółka Z Ograniczoną Odpowiedzialnością | 779 |
| 6 | Colgate-Palmolive Company | 702 |
| 7 | Unilever Ip Holdings Bv | 581 |
| 8 | La Rive Spolka Akcyjna | 526 |
| 9 | Abercrombie & Fitch Europe Sagl | 471 |
| 10 | Bora Creations Sl | 452 |
Word mark or figurative mark?
Often combined with
Search more thoroughly in Class 3 than anywhere else: with 244,391 trademarks on record, similar names, puns and endings are often already taken, so check similar-sounding spellings too, not just your exact name. File the class as part of a bundle: in practice it is most often combined with Class 5 (supplements, medicated care), Class 35 (online shop, retail, advertising) and Class 25 (clothing, for merchandising among other things). And secure your name as a word mark before you invest in packaging design: word mark protection applies regardless of logo and styling and will survive the next redesign of your line.
Common mistakes with Class 3
The most common mistake in Class 3 is getting the boundary with Class 5 wrong. Beauty startups that sell dietary supplements or medicated skincare alongside their creams need both classes, otherwise part of the range stays unprotected. Second mistake: forgetting your own sales channel. If you run an online shop or resell other brands' products, you touch retail Class 35, which is often missing from the initial filing. Third, the collision risk gets underestimated: with L'Oréal (4,984 trademarks), Procter & Gamble (2,076) and Henkel (1,060), Class 3 hosts extremely active filers, and many obvious names are long taken.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What belongs in Nice Class 3?
Class 3 covers non-medicated cosmetics and cleaning products: skincare, make-up, perfumes, hair care, toothpaste, soaps, and washing and cleaning preparations. Products with a medical purpose, such as dietary supplements, belong in Class 5 instead, while cosmetic services like salon treatments sit in Class 44.
Who files the most trademarks in Class 3?
According to EUIPO register data (as of July 2026), L'Oréal leads with 4,984 trademarks, ahead of Procter & Gamble (2,076), Henkel (1,060), Beiersdorf (980) and Beauty Brands Concept (779). The big groups protect not just umbrella brands but individual product lines, which is why many seemingly free names in Class 3 are already taken.
My product sits between cosmetics and medicine, which class do I need?
The intended purpose decides: classic care and beauty products belong in Class 3, while medical products such as pharmaceuticals, medicated skincare and dietary supplements sit in Class 5. Many beauty brands have ranges on both sides of that line and therefore file both classes.
Which classes are typically combined with Class 3?
Most often Class 5 for supplements and medicated care, Class 35 for online shops, retail and advertising, and Class 25 for clothing. A beauty brand with its own shop and merchandise covers the typical gaps with Classes 3, 35 and 25, and anyone expanding into supplements adds Class 5.
Sources
EUIPO – European Union Intellectual Property Office: register data on EU trade marks and international registrations with EU protection, as of July 2026.
WIPO – Nice Classification: class definitions and headings (11th edition).
Methodology: own analysis by markencheck.ai; counted per filing entity, name variants merged.
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