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Welcoming a New KKW Beauty!
The collection represents Kardashian’s return to traditional cosmetics with SKKN after the closure of KKW Beauty in 2021. But it is also a shift from the previous company, which was created in 2017 and focused on the then-popular contour cosmetics look. The new collection includes three nude-themed products: a 12-shade eyeshadow palette, a 15-shade lip liner, and a 10-shade lipstick.
The Classic Matte Eyeshadow Palette was still available for purchase as of Tuesday afternoon, however three hues of the Soft Matte Lip Color and one shade of the Lip Liner had sold out due to the popular beauty influencer reviews.
Kardashian’s return to makeup follows a period of intense speculation around September 2023 that both Kim Kardashian and her sister, Kylie Jenner, intended to buy back their respective beauty firms. The sisters’ displeasure with Coty Inc.’s leadership and brand strategy fueled speculation about a future transfer. Nothing has changed. During the first quarter earnings call for fiscal year 2024 in November 2023, the Coty management team stated that Kylie Cosmetics was “doing very well,” but Kim made no mention of SKKN.
Last week, consumers’ reactions to SKKN by Kim’s makeup debut were muted, implying that the brand’s unclear direction may persist.
The TikTok Craze of SKKN!
SKKN by Kim has been slowly promoting the collection on its social media channels since Jan. 16, when Kim Kardashian shared a video on TikTok and Instagram including requests, appeals, and cajoling comments from beauty enthusiasts eager to test the new products. SKKN by Kim’s social media accounts have a total of 6 million followers.
The video has received 1.8 million views on TikTok and 188,000 likes on the brand’s Instagram account. Kardashian did not share this video on her social media channels, where she has 364 million Instagram followers and 9.5 million TikTok followers. Instead, she announced the debut on January 17 with a static image on Instagram. She made no mention of the collection’s introduction on TikTok until the day it was released.
Did the Beauty Influencers Approve?
While Whitney Simmons (@WhitneyySimmons; 2.6 million TikTok followers) and Alexis Frasca (@AlexisFrasca; 332,800 TikTok followers) posted positive TikTok product reviews, the comments on the videos were mixed. Some commentators sneered at the $22 lip liners, $32 lipsticks, and $50 palette, despite the fact that other luxury brands such as Tarte and Nars offer comparable priced products.
On Reddit, a post from January 18 detailed how some individuals reacted to an Instagram post about the upcoming launch. One user decried the emphasis on matte makeup when “gloss and oils are all the rage,” while others criticized the small-scale product launch and wished for things akin to KKW Beauty, such as a contour stick.
“Nothing Special” ?
The palette’s similarities to Makeup by Mario’s Master Mattes Eyeshadow Palette, which retails for $50 and was released in 2020, drew the most criticism. Manny Gutierrez, also known as Manny MUA (@MannyMUA; 1.7 million TikTok followers), compared the palettes and noticed similarities, but noted that they are not identical. Meanwhile, Stephanie Valentine (@Glamzilla; 2.1 million TikTok followers) stated she liked the colors of the nude lip liners but that people could definitely obtain comparable colors at a drugstore.
Mikayla Nogueira (@MikaylaNogueira; 15.4 million TikTok followers) commented that the palette “looks cheap … it’s ColourPop level.” She stated several other companies, like as Natasha Denona and Huda Beauty, offered comparable alternatives, but she also commended the color and texture quality.
Sounds like it’s just the beginning!
It is worth noting that SKKN by Kim’s present collection and potential makeup expansion are still in their early stages. For the time being, the distribution is limited to direct to consumer (DTC) e-commerce. As more consumers get their hands on the products and test them for themselves, more widespread and detailed reactions are expected to flood social media.
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