Noolab, an Indonesian skincare brand, closed after its trademark name was rejected twice

Noolab was an Indonesian skincare brand that first sold under the name Noola. Indonesia's intellectual property office, HKI, rejected the Noola name, and the brand relaunched as Noolab, building its Instagram following and product line around the new identity. The second name was rejected too.

On May 15, 2024, Noolab announced on Instagram that it was ending production. The brand said it was not closing because of losses but because HKI had rejected its brand name for the second time — a rejection that meant the name it had advertised and sold under could not be registered. Rather than rebrand again and start over, the company chose to shut down.

Noolab sold its remaining stock with discounts of up to 60 percent and stopped production on June 5, 2024. It was one of several Indonesian local beauty brands — SYCA, Runa Beauty, Beet Beauty, Aeluna Beauty — that closed in 2024. For a startup whose identity lives in its name, a trademark rejection is not an administrative setback: it can be the end of the business.

Rather than rebrand a third time after two rejections, Noolab closed in June 2024, selling stock at up to 60% off.

Noolab built its brand identity around names it had not secured: HKI rejected 'Noola' first, then rejected 'Noolab' — two strikes against the same products

The company chose to close rather than rebrand a third time — after two name changes and two rejections, the cost of starting over outweighed continuing

The closure was not driven by losses: Noolab said the rejection itself ended the business, showing how a trademark decision can kill a solvent brand

Noolab closed in 2024 amid a wave of Indonesian local beauty closures, a market where a memorable name matters as much as the product

A brand name is an asset only when you own it. Noolab built its identity on a name HKI rejected, relaunched under another rejected name, then closed. Clear the trademark before you print the label.