Kris Jenner reveals how Kylie Jenner built Kylie Cosmetics at just 17

Kris Jenner recalled helping Kylie Jenner launch Kylie Cosmetics after the teen entrepreneur spent her savings

Reality TV matriarch Kris Jenner has reflected on how she helped her youngest daughter, Kylie Jenner, launch her now-famous beauty brand Kylie Cosmetics — admitting she was initially nervous about the teenager investing all of her money into the venture.

Speaking on the SmartLess podcast, the 70-year-old momager recalled the moment Kylie first revealed her dream of entering the beauty business in 2015.

“She goes, ‘Mom, I know what I want to do for the rest of my life, and it’s beauty,’” Kris said, remembering how her daughter pitched the idea for a signature Lip Kit and asked for help turning the concept into a brand.

Determined to support her daughter’s ambition, Kris said she began contacting industry professionals and discussing marketing strategies to launch the product.

However, the reality star admitted she felt anxious after learning that Kylie had invested all the money she had earned from the family’s reality show Keeping Up with the Kardashians to start the company.

“I said, ‘We need an ad in People Magazine, we need billboards,’” Kris recalled. But Kylie remained confident about her plan, telling her mother she already knew what she was doing.

Despite Kris’s concerns about the risks — particularly since Kylie was only 17 at the time — the launch quickly proved successful.

According to Kris, the brand’s debut was an instant phenomenon when Kylie posted a link online inviting fans to purchase the Lip Kit.

“I think it was four seconds,” Kris said of how quickly the products sold out, recalling that the team initially believed the website had crashed before realizing the items had simply sold out.

Since its launch, Kylie Cosmetics has become a major success in the beauty industry. By 2018, the brand was estimated to be worth about $900 million, and in 2019 Kylie sold a majority stake for $600 million.

Although she sold the controlling share, Kylie remains actively involved in the company and continues to release new products.

In 2025, the entrepreneur celebrated the brand’s 10th anniversary with a special launch that revisited her “King Kylie” era, a nod to the online persona that helped build the brand’s early popularity.

Looking ahead, Kylie has also expressed hopes that the company could become a long-term legacy brand, even suggesting that her daughter, Stormi Webster, might one day take over the business.