Kylie Cosmetics outshines competing indie brands

By

Kate Dingwall

Published
Dec 13, 2016

It’s not often a product line designed by the star of a reality show manages to succeed, but Kylie Cosmetics, created by Kylie Jenner, has not only done just that, it has outperformed both indie and seasoned beauty brands. The youngest member of the Kardashian dynasty, her beauty line is best known for its $29 ‘lip kit’, consisting of a matte liquid lipstick and matching lip liner that has inspired a slew of imitation products.

A study by e-commerce blog L2 "finds that four of the top five most visible brands for lip-related keywords were fast beauty brands that had created items similar to the Kylie Lip Kit." In fact, ‘Lip Kit duplicate’ is one of the most-searched terms on Google in the cosmetic industry, says L2. Brands that created more accessible duplicates of the Kylie lip kit, such as Colourpop, Anastasia, and Nyx, received a high share of media impressions from editorials featuring the brands as Kylie dupes.

When Jenner’s lip kit first hit the market in November of 2015, it was a unique product on the market. The two products give users the appearance of much fuller, plumper lips, as if they had undergone a cosmetic plumping injection. Jenner utilized an unconventional selling strategy – Kylie Cosmetics product would be released every Thursday in very limited quantities through the brand’s online website. Thanks to Jenner’s strong social media presence, the first release of the lip kit sold out not just in minutes, but in seconds.

The lip kit received backing from celebrities and high-profile make-up artists, and quickly spurred similar products from mainstream U.S. beauty brands, including Stila, Nyx, Benefit Cosmetics, Kat Von D, Smashbox, and Milani.

Throughout this year, Jenner has been expanding her cosmetics line, to date offering five product offerings in the cosmetic sector, including  crème and powder eyeshadow, eyeliner, lip gloss, and the original lip kit. Jenner launched her first retail experience this week, located in Canoga Park, California. The store, designed to be a replica of Jenner’s bedroom, stocks the full range of cosmetics from the Kylie line.