Kris Jenner is looking back at the early days of Kylie Cosmetics and revealing that the now-iconic beauty brand didn’t start without serious concerns. The Kardashian-Jenner matriarch recently admitted she was initially terrified when her youngest daughter decided to pour all of her earnings into launching the business.
During an appearance on the Smartless podcast, Kris shared how Kylie Jenner approached her with the idea while still a teenager. According to Kris, Kylie told her she had finally figured out her passion and wanted to create a lip kit that could turn into something much bigger.
At the time, Kylie was only 17 and determined to fund the startup herself. Kris recalled that Kylie used the money she had earned from Keeping Up With the Kardashians to bring the idea to life. While Kylie appeared confident about the decision, Kris admitted she felt a wave of panic about the risks involved.
“She came to me and said, ‘Mom, I’ve figured out my life’s passion—it’s beauty,’” Kris recalled. Kylie then explained that she wanted to create her own lip kit brand and needed help launching it. Even though Kris supported her daughter, the financial gamble made her nervous.
Kris remembered telling Kylie she was worried about how much she was risking at such a young age. “You just invested every penny you’ve made from the show into your own startup,” Kris recalled saying. For a teenager to bet everything on a new company felt like a huge leap.
But those fears quickly disappeared on the day the brand officially launched. Kris described the moment Kylie posted the link to purchase the first Lip Kits online, which immediately drew massive attention from fans.
“Within seconds—literally seconds—we thought the website had crashed,” Kris said. At first, the team believed the sudden surge in traffic had broken the site. In reality, the products had already sold out almost instantly.
That moment convinced Kris that Kylie’s instincts had been right all along. What started as a risky idea from a teenager quickly turned into one of the most recognizable beauty brands in the world.
Today, Kylie Cosmetics is widely credited with reshaping the celebrity beauty business and helping launch a wave of influencer-driven brands. Looking back, Kris says the experience proved that Kylie was ahead of the curve from the very beginning.
