What was filed

Both complaints were filed by Dr. Hauschka Skin Care, Inc. in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division, against the operators of Target.com stores. Each is Document 1 and runs 14 pages, and the two plead the same four counts in nearly the same words and ask for the same relief. Dr. Hauschka Skin Care, Inc. v. Bella Professionals, Inc., No. 1:26-cv-12868, was filed October 20, 2026; the docket shows it randomly assigned to Judge John F. Kness, with Magistrate Judge Albert Berry, III designated. Dr. Hauschka Skin Care, Inc. v. AU Products, No. 1:26-cv-13261, was filed October 27, 2026; the docket shows it randomly assigned to Judge Sara L. Ellis, with Magistrate Judge Karyn L. Bass Ehler designated. In each case the only defendant is the store operator; Target.com is the marketplace where the store sells.

The parties and the marks

Each complaint says Dr. Hauschka Skin Care, Inc. is a Massachusetts corporation that has sold Dr. Hauschka products in the United States since 1993, and that it is the exclusive licensed U.S. distributor and the sole U.S. agent of the company that manufactures them. Each lists three U.S. registrations, Nos. 2,497,734 (DR. HAUSCHKA), 2,475,278, and 6,951,900, covering cosmetics and related goods in Class 3 and, for No. 6,951,900, goods in Class 5 as well. Each says the manufacturer owns the marks and the plaintiff is their exclusive U.S. licensee. USPTO records show all three registrations live and list the German manufacturer as owner of each. No. 2,475,278 is a rune design, and No. 6,951,900 is a design of a circle surrounded by three curved lines.

The first complaint alleges, on information and belief, that Bella Professionals, Inc. is a California corporation doing business on Target.com as SleekShop. The second alleges, on information and belief, that AU Products is a Pennsylvania company doing business on Target.com as Health & Beauty Direct2U. Each alleges, on information and belief, that the defendant does business throughout the United States, including Illinois, through its store.

What the complaints allege

Each complaint alleges that the defendant's Target.com store offers Dr. Hauschka products that are not authorized for sale in the United States, and that test purchases shipped to Illinois bore German-language labels and packaging intended for foreign markets. Each alleges that the products differ materially from U.S. products: they arrived without the product information literature that comes with U.S. products, and their packaging omits U.S. avoirdupois declarations, does not identify ingredients by their U.S. common names, and omits the U.S. contact information for serious adverse event reporting. Each also alleges, on information and belief, that the products have not been properly listed with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Each says the plaintiff sent the defendant a letter about the dispute on September 10, 2026, and that USPS shows the letter was received on September 15, 2026 by Bella Professionals and on September 16, 2026 by AU Products. Each says the store was still offering the products when the complaint was filed.

The counts in each are trademark infringement under 15 U.S.C. § 1114; false designation of origin, passing off, and unfair competition under 15 U.S.C. § 1125(a); false advertising under 15 U.S.C. § 1125(a)(1)(B); and violation of the Illinois Uniform Deceptive Trade Practices Act, 815 ILCS 510. Each prayer asks for temporary, preliminary, and permanent injunctions; an order that third-party providers with notice stop providing services and ads used to sell the products, a list that names online marketplaces including Target.com, along with payment providers and search engines; an accounting of profits; damages increased up to three times under 15 U.S.C. § 1117(a); and attorneys' fees and costs.