Elsa Pataky’s Purely Byron skincare denies copying Habitual Beauty

Elsa Pataky’s Purely Byron skincare business has denied claims there are “striking similarities” between the company’s new range and an Aussie mum’s start-up.

Elsa Pataky’s Purely Byron skincare business has denied claims from eagle-eyed skincare fanatics on social media who claim there are “striking similarities” between the company’s new range and an Aussie mum’s start-up.

The 45-year-old actor launched Purely Byron last Wednesday, writing that she “discovered the incredible range of natural botanicals grown in the Byron Shire” when she moved there with in 2014.

But the brand almost immediately drew the attention of social media users, who took to Instagram and TikTok to claim the line was “near identical” in its packaging, imagery, and website design to that of wellness entrepreneur Keira Rumble’s clean and sustainable skincare business, Habitual Beauty.

Rumble has reacted to the claims, telling news.com.au her company had previously received “generous” orders for its products from Purely Byron’s head office.

In a video on Tuesday night, Rumble acknowledged the situation, telling her followers that “the similarities are far too similar for me not to talk about”.

News.com.au has contacted both Pataky and Purely Byron for comment and has not received a response. But in a statement to the Daily Mail, the brand refuted the claims saying the branding was “inspired by nature” and argued it had done its due diligence and research with an “exploration of the competitive landscape”.

Purely Byron co-founder and actor Elsa Pataky. Picture: Instagram

Habitual Beauty founder Keira Rumble. Picture: Instagram

Speaking to news.com.au about how the situation came to her attention, Rumble - who launched Habitual Beauty last July, five days after the birth of her son - said her business “had (received) some very generous orders just after we launched, from the company Purely Byron, sent directly to their head office in Sydney”.

“We didn’t think much of it at the time as they hadn’t launched, and we weren’t aware that Elsa Pataky was associated in any way,” she said.

“This week, a few of our loyal (and keen-eyed) customers reached out noticing some similarities in packaging, but it wasn’t until we investigated it further that we made the connection and discovered there were more shared attributes than initially thought, including packaging, website, product ingredients, and imagery.”

Rumble, a self-confessed fan of Pataky’s, said Habitual Beauty hasn’t had any communication with Purely Byron since the controversy began.

“Habitual Beauty has been a true labour of love – shared by my family and team – where we have made so many sacrifices, including our time, which is especially precious as new parents; our life savings; and other ongoing challenges that come as small business owners, especially during a pandemic,” she said.

Habitual Beauty's moisturiser. Picture: Instagram

Purely Byron's moisturiser. Picture: Instagram

In a statement to the Daily Mail, Purely Byron’s general manager Jacqueline Rosen said they reject any allegation of sampling or copying – a claim she added is evidenced by the imminent release of their Native Sunrise Blend Collection.

Ms Rosen said that product creation started in 2019, and “each product was created with an original formula over a period of many months in the lead-up to our launch to market last month”.

“Part of our due diligence and research of the space was an exploration of the competitive landscape. This is common practice across the industry, and we undertook ours openly, without subterfuge,” she added.

“Ultimately, the packaging and colour palette of our products was inspired by nature in line with the conventions of the skincare sector – evidenced by numerous brands globally which utilise the same colours and tones.”

Receipts of Purely Byron's orders from Habitual Beauty. Picture: Instagram

Rumble said the brand made multiple orders to their warehouse. Picture: Instagram

Fans of Habitual Beauty first flagged the brands’ likeness earlier this week.

“I was just scrolling through the news and I saw that Chris Hemsworth’s wife has launched a new skincare brand, inspired by Australia,” mum bloggers Jessi and Millie said in a now-viral clip, comparing Purely Byron’s six-product collection to Habitual Beauty’s five-product line-up.

“I was like ‘Hang on, that’s kind of familiar. Where have I seen this before? Where have I seen this?’ … And for legal reasons, I’m not at all insinuating that they have copied this brand, I’m just like, ‘Wow, this is such a crazy coincidence, such a wild coincidence’.”

The video drew hundreds of comments, with Instagram users labelling the situation “outrageous” and noting that they’d been blocked from Purely Byron’s page after flagging the brands’ “similarities”, and comments on their posts had been turned off.

Rumble thanked the Habitual Beauty community for “the most incredible support”, and said that “although it can be really disheartening (for small business owners), continue to do what you do best – your customers and community will rally behind you and your products”.