Kris Jenner recently shared how her daughter Kylie Jenner invested every dollar she earned from Keeping Up with the Kardashians into launching her own beauty brand at just 17 years old.
The Kardashian-Jenner matriarch, now 70, spoke proudly about her youngest daughter’s entrepreneurial instincts during a recent appearance on the SmartLess podcast, according to People. During the interview with hosts Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Will Arnett, Jenner reflected on the moment Kylie first approached her with the idea of creating her own cosmetics line in 2015.
At the time, Kylie was still a teenager but already had a clear vision for her future. Jenner recalled her daughter confidently telling her that she wanted to pursue a career in the beauty industry and had an idea for a product she believed would be a success.
“She told me, ‘Mom, I know exactly what I want to do with my life — it’s beauty,’” Jenner remembered. The young reality star then explained her plan to launch a Lip Kit line and asked her mother to help figure out how to turn the concept into a real business.
Jenner said she immediately began reaching out to industry contacts and worked with Kylie to develop a strategy for bringing the product to market. She also started thinking about how the brand should be promoted.
“I asked her what we were going to do for marketing,” Jenner said, explaining that she initially suggested traditional methods such as magazine advertisements and large billboards, including a potential ad in People magazine.
However, Kylie responded calmly, assuring her mother that she had everything under control. According to Jenner, the teenager told her to relax and trust that she knew what she was doing.
Jenner admitted she felt nervous about the decision. After all, Kylie had just invested all the money she had earned from the family’s reality show into the project.
“I told her, ‘You just spent every dime you made from Keeping Up with the Kardashians to launch your own brand, and you’re only 17 years old,’” Jenner recalled, explaining that she was understandably anxious about such a major financial risk.
Despite her mother’s concerns, Kylie remained confident and determined. Jenner said she still remembers the morning the brand officially launched, a moment that quickly turned into a game-changing event in the beauty industry.
The young entrepreneur simply posted a link online encouraging fans to buy her Lip Kit — and the response was immediate.
Kylie Cosmetics debuted in November 2015 with 15,000 Lip Kits priced at $29 each. The entire stock sold out almost instantly.
Jenner recalled that the products disappeared within seconds — so quickly that they initially believed the website had crashed.
“It sold out in seconds,” she said proudly, adding that the launch marked the first time Kylie truly disrupted the beauty market with her direct-to-consumer strategy.
Kylie relied heavily on her enormous social media following to promote the brand, which quickly proved to be a powerful marketing tool.
Within its first year, Kylie Cosmetics reportedly generated more than $300 million in revenue, transforming from a small startup into one of the most talked-about brands in the beauty industry.
By 2018, the company’s estimated value had climbed to around $900 million, putting Kylie on track to become one of the youngest self-made billionaires.
Two years later, in 2020, she sold a 51 percent stake in the company to Coty Inc. for $600 million, while continuing to remain involved in the brand’s creative direction and marketing.
Outside of business, Kylie has also made headlines for her relationship with Oscar-nominated actor Timothée Chalamet, whom she has been dating for about three years.
In a recent interview with Vanity Fair published on March 11, Kylie admitted that the massive demand for her Lip Kits initially brought unexpected pressure.
She explained that during the first year after the launch she often felt overwhelmed because fans constantly complained on social media when the products sold out too quickly.
“It was actually really stressful,” she said, adding that she simply wanted to make everyone happy but struggled to keep up with the incredible demand.
Meanwhile, fans are eagerly waiting to see if Kylie will accompany Chalamet to the upcoming Academy Awards, where his latest film has received nine nominations, including one for Best Actor.
The couple has been spotted together throughout the awards season, attending events such as the Golden Globe Awards, Critics’ Choice Awards and the BAFTA Film Awards in London.
Their affectionate moments on the red carpet have also drawn plenty of attention, including a widely photographed moment at the 2025 Oscars when Chalamet leaned in to whisper to Kylie and kissed her on the cheek before they took their seats.
