Bobbi Brown has apologized after a new Jones Road Beauty launch landed at the center of an unexpected beauty industry dispute. The issue involved the name “Wide Awake,” which Molly Sims had already been using for a popular YISE Beauty eye product. What started as a product launch quickly turned into a wider conversation about creative ideas, brand research, and how crowded the beauty market has become.
The disagreement became public after Sims shared an emotional Instagram video. Sims said another beauty brand had used the exact name of a product she launched about two years earlier. She also felt elements of the new marketing campaign looked uncomfortably familiar. Sims did not initially name Bobbi Brown or Jones Road, but followers quickly connected the details.
Sims Says the Similarities Went Beyond a Product Name
That overlap caught attention quickly because both launches focused heavily on making tired-looking under-eyes appear brighter and fresher.
However, for Sims, the shared name was only part of the problem. She said friends, customers, brand partners, and retail contacts had reached out after noticing similarities. Sims described the Jones Road marketing as feeling “a little too close to home,” making clear that her concerns stretched beyond two matching words on beauty products.
YISE had previously used a hotline concept in its marketing, while Jones Road also introduced a hotline as part of the “Wide Awake” rollout. Jones Road’s service allowed shoppers to get advice about shades and undertones. The similar campaign device helped fuel online discussion about where inspiration ends, and imitation begins.
Sims also spoke about the work behind building YISE Beauty. She described her team as small and largely female, with limited budgets and a hands-on approach to growing the business. Her message focused on the idea that women can create successful companies without borrowing too closely from each other’s work. The emotional response gave the disagreement a more personal edge.
Bobbi Brown Apologizes and Promises a New Name
Brown called the situation “a mistake” and apologized directly to Sims and her team.
View this post on Instagram A post shared by Jones Road Beauty (@jonesroadbeauty)
Brown also said the Jones Road team had conducted a trademark search before the launch. According to her statement, that search showed no other ownership of the “Wide Awake” name. Brown said she would never knowingly copy another product’s name and confirmed that Jones Road would rename its new products moving forward.
As we speak, Jones Road has not publicly revealed the replacement name. The “Wide Awake” branding also remained visible on the company’s website during some reports following the apology. Changing an established product rollout takes time because packaging, website listings, advertising, inventory, and retail materials can all require updates.
“Wide Awake” Has a Longer Beauty History
The story became more complicated when another beauty brand entered the conversation indirectly. Dominique Cosmetics had already launched a “Wide Awake Full Cover Concealer” years before the Jones Road controversy. Reviews of the concealer date to May 2022, meaning the name was being used for an under-eye makeup product before YISE Beauty introduced its version.
Dominique Cosmetics still lists its “Wide Awake Full Cover Concealer,” which uses caffeine and a cooling metal applicator designed for the under-eye area. That earlier product does not erase Sims’s concerns about the broader Jones Road campaign. It does show that the phrase already had a history in the beauty category before the latest disagreement started.
