Kim Kardashian has shuttered SKKN by Kim, ending her standalone skincare and makeup line more than three years after its 2022 debut. The brand’s website now carries a note to customers: “With deep gratitude, we share that SKKN BY KIM will be winding down operations,” the message reads. “While this chapter is coming to a close, the commitment to innovation, self-care, and skin confidence that SKKN embodied will live on in new and exciting ways.” The decision aligns with Kardashian’s broader effort to consolidate her business portfolio under Skims, the clothing and shapewear brand valued at about $4 billion.
The public reception to SKKN’s price and positioning had long been a talking point. The nine-step skincare regimen carried a premium price tag—retailing at over $600—and drew scrutiny from critics and consumers who questioned whether the line could resonate beyond Kardashian’s devoted fan base. Even Bethenny Frankel weighed in on the topic, remarking on TikTok that “That is a rich person’s game,” suggesting the line faced an uphill battle to achieve broader cultural momentum. Meanwhile, Kardashian’s brand-building momentum increasingly favored Skims, which has grown into a lifestyle-led empire with commitments in loungewear, swimwear, and menswear, and has been expanding globally.
In March, Skims acquired Kardashian’s majority stake plus Coty’s 20% share in SKKN by Kim, a deal that saw Coty acknowledge a $71.1 million loss on its investment. The move forms part of a broader realignment in Kardashian’s business, with Skims now positioned as the central platform for her beauty-focused ambitions. SKKN’s winding-down announcement did not occur in a vacuum; it came after years in which the brand attempted to leverage Kardashian’s influence while expanding into new categories.
In 2024, SKKN tried to broaden its footprint by moving from skincare into makeup. The brand’s most recent launch was a highlighter that debuted in March, followed by a makeup relaunch that included lip liners, powders, and an eyeshadow palette. Yet despite Kardashian’s massive reach and the brand’s continued product drops, SKKN never reached the ubiquity or momentum of Skims, which has expanded from undergarments into a full-scale fashion and lifestyle portfolio and has been pursuing a robust global retail push. The consolidation under Skims continues a theme of streamlining Kardashian’s business interests around one dominant platform.
Industry observers have pointed to Skims Beauty as the likely successor to SKKN, with reports and chatter signaling a potential Skims Beauty launch in 2026 that could house both fashion and makeup under a single Kardashian-led empire. If realized, the move would reflect a broader strategy: translate Skims’ high-volume retail success into a beauty line that mirrors the performance and cultural footprint of the shapewear brand. Skims had already generated more than $750 million in revenue by 2023, a figure that underscores the commercial potential of pairing fashion with cosmetics under one umbrella. While the SKKN closure marks the end of a standalone beauty venture, the new chapter could reshape Kardashian’s approach to beauty, potentially accelerating a unified, omnichannel push that leverages her global platforms and celebrity reach. Observers will watch closely to see whether the Skims brand can translate fragrance- and makeup-related momentum into durable, category-defining success across markets.
The broader industry context remains essential: Kardashian’s business narrative has long emphasized scale and speed, building a consumer ecosystem where a standout product line like SKIMS can catalyze cross-category growth. If Skims Beauty does come to fruition, it would not only consolidate product development under a single naming convention but also potentially align supply chains, marketing, and retail partnerships in ways that could accelerate growth beyond SKKN’s trajectory. For now, the SKKN closure serves as a pivot point in a high-profile celebrity entrepreneur’s portfolio, with the fashion-forward, mass-market appeal of Skims likely to be the North Star guiding future beauty ventures.
The evolution of Kardashian’s beauty strategy illustrates how celebrity-led brands can evolve rapidly in response to market feedback and investor dynamics. SKKN’s high price point and niche positioning, while effective at times for a devoted audience, ultimately highlighted a tension between premium branding and mass-market scalability. The forthcoming Skims Beauty initiative, if realized, would be watched not only for product quality and innovation but also for how it leverages Kardashian’s cultural influence to drive mainstream appeal across different beauty segments. As the industry awaits concrete details, the broader takeaway is clear: Kardashian’s beauty ambitions remain active, with the potential to redefine how a single brand identity supports a multi-category, globally scaled approach.
If the 2026 timetable sticks, Skims Beauty would join a landscape where direct-to-consumer brands increasingly extend into makeup, skincare, and fragrance through a unified brand voice. The strategic question will be whether Skims can translate its ecommerce-driven, real-world retail experience into a makeup line that compounds Skims’ existing strengths with new cosmetic innovations. Kardashian’s ability to translate shapewear consumer loyalty into lipstick or eyeshadow remains to be proven, but the groundwork—global retail expansion, a robust ecommerce engine, and a celebrity-led brand narrative—gives Skims a confirmable starting point. Industry watchers will be watching not only for new products but for how the company emphasizes value, accessibility, and storytelling across markets, all while maintaining the distinctive brand dna that makes Skims stand out in a crowded market.
