Kylie Jenner

Early Life and Background

Kylie Kristen Jenner was born on August 10, 1997, in Los Angeles, California, United States, the youngest daughter in the extended Kardashian–Jenner family.[1][2] Her father is former Olympic decathlete champion Caitlyn Jenner (then known as Bruce Jenner), and her mother is television personality, manager, and businesswoman Kris Jenner (née Houghton).[1][2] Kylie has one full sister, Kendall Jenner, and several half-siblings from her parents’ previous marriages, including Kourtney, Kim, Khloé, and Rob Kardashian on her mother’s side.[1][2]

Kylie grew up in the greater Los Angeles area, immersed in the entertainment industry and its culture. She attended private schools, including Sierra Canyon School, before later switching to homeschooling.[1] According to biographical accounts, she completed her high-school education through an at-home program, reflecting the increasing demands of her television and modeling career.[1][4] Her upbringing in a media-focused family, with Kris Jenner overseeing the careers of her children, shaped Kylie’s early understanding of branding, publicity, and business.

As a child, Kylie appeared occasionally alongside her siblings in public events and media engagements, but she did not become widely known until the family’s reality television series launched. Growing up under the guidance of a mother who functioned as both parent and manager, Kylie was exposed early to the strategies of negotiating television contracts, endorsements, and product deals, experiences that would later inform her own ventures in beauty and fashion.[1][2]

Career Beginnings: Reality Television and Modeling

Kylie’s professional public life began in earnest in 2007, when the E! network premiered the reality television series Keeping Up with the Kardashians on October 14.[1][2] The show followed the daily lives of the Kardashian–Jenner family and quickly became a cornerstone of reality television, running for 20 seasons until 2021.[1] Kylie, then ten years old, appeared alongside her parents and siblings as a regular cast member, with her adolescence documented on-screen.

Through the series, Kylie gained recognition as one of the younger members of the family, with storylines focusing on her schooling, friendships, and entry into modeling and business. The program’s global reach introduced her to audiences far beyond the United States and helped frame her image as part of a media-savvy, fashion-conscious clan led by Kris Jenner.[1][2]

In her teenage years, Kylie began modeling and undertaking various fashion and media projects. She and her sister Kendall appeared in photo spreads for magazines such as Seventeen and Teen Vogue, and Kylie participated in runway work, including a show for Forever 21’s Hello Kitty clothing line.[4][7] She also served as a brand ambassador for Seventeen, reinforcing her appeal to a young, largely female demographic.[4]

By the early 2010s, Kylie had become a familiar face to viewers of reality television, and her style and beauty choices—particularly her changing hair colors and makeup—were widely discussed in popular media. This period established her as a trendsetter among teenage fans, laying the groundwork for her eventual pivot into beauty entrepreneurship.

Early Business Ventures and Fashion

Kylie’s first notable business endeavors emerged in collaboration with her sister Kendall. In 2012, the pair worked with the clothing retailer PacSun to launch the Kendall & Kylie line, a juniors’ collection that extended their influence into apparel design.[1] Although specific launch dates for individual collections are not consistently documented, this partnership signaled Kylie’s early interest in fashion as a commercial space.

Over subsequent years, the Kendall & Kylie brand expanded to include additional collections and collaborations, with new lines reported in 2013.[1] The sisters’ work in fashion demonstrated how reality television personalities could translate their visibility into tangible consumer products. Kylie’s involvement in these ventures provided experience in product development, branding, and retail, experience she would later draw upon in creating her own companies.

Kylie also explored other partnerships and endorsements, including appearances in music videos and promotional campaigns. She and Kendall co-authored young-adult fiction and were regularly featured in celebrity and fashion media, further building their shared public profile.[1] These diversified activities positioned Kylie not only as a reality-television figure but as a participant in the broader pop-culture ecosystem.

Creation and Growth of Kylie Cosmetics

The most consequential development in Kylie Jenner’s career occurred in the mid-2010s with the launch of her own beauty brand. On August 10, 2015, her eighteenth birthday, Kylie introduced her first line of lip products, marketed as Kylie Lip Kit, which would become the precursor to Kylie Cosmetics.[1][2] The initial products—liquid lipsticks paired with matching liners—were promoted heavily on social media and quickly drew attention.[2]

The official e-commerce launch of the lip kits took place on November 30, 2015, when Kylie released a small selection of shades online.[1][2] The products sold out within minutes, a phenomenon widely reported by entertainment and business media as evidence of her exceptional influence over a young consumer base.[1] This success demonstrated the power of direct-to-consumer marketing executed through personal social-media channels.

On February 26, 2016, Kylie formally rebranded the venture as Kylie Cosmetics.[1][2] Under the new name, she expanded the product range beyond lip kits to include eyeshadow palettes, highlighters, and other items. Limited edition releases, holiday collections, and collaborations became central to the brand’s strategy, with drops frequently coinciding with major events or themes.

Kylie’s role in the company focused on branding, product conceptualization, and promotion, leveraging her reality-television fame and digital presence. Kylie Cosmetics operated largely as an online business, aligning with emerging trends in the beauty industry where influencer-founded brands offered direct engagement and rapid product cycles. Reports indicated that the company generated substantial revenue within its first few years, contributing significantly to Kylie’s reported net worth.[1][7]

Media Recognition and Billionaire Status Controversy

In March 2019, Kylie Jenner’s business success received a new level of media attention when Forbes included her on its annual billionaires list and, on March 5, 2019, described her as the "youngest self-made billionaire" at age 21.[1][2] The designation was based on estimates of Kylie Cosmetics’ revenues, profits, and projected growth, along with Kylie’s stakes in related ventures.[2]

The announcement was widely covered, with many outlets highlighting Kylie as a symbol of the potential for young women entrepreneurs in the digital age.[1] At the same time, critics questioned the "self-made" label, noting her upbringing in a wealthy, already famous family, and the managerial support provided by Kris Jenner.[1] The debate underscored tensions around class, privilege, and merit in discussions of female success.

In November 2019, the corporate status of Kylie Cosmetics evolved when Coty Inc. announced plans to acquire a 51% stake in the brand in a deal valuing the company at approximately $1.2 billion, with the announcement made on November 18, 2019.[1][2] The transaction positioned Coty as majority owner while allowing Kylie to remain the face and creative driver of the brand. Business analyses viewed the deal as evidence of the strategic importance of influencer-led brands for established beauty conglomerates.[1]

The narrative shifted again in June 2020. On June 29, 2020, Forbes published an article revising its assessment of Kylie’s net worth, removing her from its billionaires list and asserting that, based on new financial information, it no longer believed she was a billionaire.[1][2] The magazine alleged discrepancies between previously reported revenues and tax documents, suggesting that earlier figures may have overstated the scale of Kylie Cosmetics.[1]

This sequence—initial celebration of Kylie as a record-breaking billionaire followed by public retraction—became a major topic in discussions about media valuation, transparency, and the representation of women’s wealth. The controversy does not negate Kylie’s substantial commercial success but complicates the narrative around her financial status, highlighting the precarious nature of celebrity net-worth reporting.[1][2]

Additional Ventures: Fragrance, Fashion, and New Brands

Beyond makeup, Kylie Jenner has pursued multiple product categories. On April 26, 2019, she collaborated with her sister Kim Kardashian West on a fragrance collection titled KKW x Kylie, released under Kim’s KKW Fragrance brand.[1][14] The perfumes, packaged in colorful lip-shaped bottles, extended Kylie’s aesthetic into the realm of scent and showcased the sisters’ strategy of leveraging their combined audiences.

Kylie has also launched skincare under the Kylie Skin label, as well as fashion-related projects and later ventures in other consumer goods. Over time, she became associated with additional brands, including apparel and lifestyle products, though many of these launches are documented primarily by year rather than precise dates.[1][6] Her activities illustrate a pattern of diversifying her business portfolio across several sectors tied to her image and social-media reach.

The clothing line Kendall & Kylie continued to develop, with partnerships in retail and online commerce. Kylie’s presence in fashion campaigns and her distinct style—hair colors, makeup looks, and outfits—helped maintain her reputation as a trendsetter and contributed to the marketing of these products.[1]

In addition to product-focused businesses, Kylie remained an active figure in reality television. After Keeping Up with the Kardashians ended, Hulu launched The Kardashians in 2022, a new series following the family’s lives, with Kylie again appearing as part of the ensemble cast.[1][2] She had also starred in her own spin-off series, Life of Kylie, which aired in 2017, offering a closer look at her personal life and business operations.[2]

Awards, Honors, and Public Recognition

Over the course of her career, Kylie Jenner has received various awards and nominations, particularly from youth-oriented entertainment programs. She has been recognized in categories related to reality television, social media, and style.

In the early 2010s, Kylie and her sister Kendall were associated with Teen Choice Awards, including a win for Choice TV: Female Reality/Variety Star in 2013 and subsequent nominations.[4] These honors reflected the popularity of their appearances on Keeping Up with the Kardashians and the growing importance of teen audiences in shaping celebrity status.

Beyond formal awards, Kylie’s achievements are often measured in terms of social-media impact. On January 13, 2022, she became the first woman to reach 300 million followers on Instagram, surpassing other highly followed female entertainers.[13] This milestone cemented her position as one of the most-followed individuals on the platform and underscored her influence in digital culture.

Kylie has regularly appeared on lists and rankings compiled by magazines and platforms, including features in Time and other outlets that have highlighted her as a significant figure among young influencers and entrepreneurs. While such recognitions vary, they collectively illustrate the degree to which she has become a fixture in contemporary celebrity and business discourse.[1][2]

Personal Life

Kylie Jenner’s personal life has been a frequent subject of media coverage, particularly her relationships and motherhood. She has had high-profile relationships, notably with rapper Tyga and later with rapper Travis Scott, with whom she has children.[1][3] Her romantic relationships have often intersected with her public image, appearing in reality television storylines and social-media content.

In February 2018, Kylie gave birth to her daughter, Stormi Webster, with Travis Scott.[1][3] The pregnancy was largely kept private, with limited public confirmation until shortly before and after Stormi’s birth. The choice to maintain a degree of privacy contrasted with the usual visibility of Kardashian–Jenner family events and prompted extensive commentary about the pressures of public motherhood.

In February 2022, Kylie and Travis Scott welcomed their son, later publicly known as Aire.[3] As with her daughter, Kylie has shared selected moments of her children’s lives on social media while also occasionally emphasizing boundary-setting around family exposure. Her experiences have contributed to broader conversations about young women balancing public careers with parenting in highly visible contexts.

Kylie has also engaged in philanthropic activities, including support for organizations such as Smile Train and other charities, often tied to product launches or specific initiatives.[1] While detailed timelines of these contributions are not always available, they indicate her participation in charitable giving and social causes.

Legacy and Historical Impact

Kylie Jenner’s historical significance lies primarily in her role as a media personality and beauty entrepreneur who helped redefine how young women can build global brands through reality television and social media. Emerging from a family that played a major role in popularizing reality TV, Kylie is part of a generation whose fame and economic power are inseparable from digital platforms.

Her creation and expansion of Kylie Cosmetics exemplify the rise of influencer-founded beauty companies in the 2010s, where personal image and direct engagement with fans are central to product marketing. The rapid sell-out of her early lip kits and the subsequent valuation of her company in the hundreds of millions contributed to a broader industry shift in which celebrity and influencer brands became key competitors to traditional beauty houses.[1][2]

Kylie’s brief designation as a billionaire and the subsequent retraction by Forbes spotlight the complexities of measuring and narrating women’s wealth. The episode raised critical questions about the meanings of "self-made" status, especially for individuals who benefit from familial fame and established networks. It also illustrated the importance of rigorous financial scrutiny, even in contexts dominated by branding and public relations.[1][2]

As the first woman to reach 300 million Instagram followers, Kylie stands as a benchmark figure in the history of social media. Her vast audience has enabled her to influence beauty standards, fashion trends, and consumer behavior on an unprecedented scale, particularly among young women. This influence has drawn both admiration and critique, fueling discussions about body image, cosmetic procedures, and the commercialization of personal identity.[13]

Within women’s history, Kylie Jenner embodies both opportunities and challenges associated with digital-era celebrity. She has leveraged family fame, entrepreneurial ambition, and visual storytelling to build substantial businesses, while simultaneously facing scrutiny regarding authenticity, privilege, and the impact of curated perfection on viewers. Her trajectory offers insight into how women navigate power, agency, and responsibility in contemporary entertainment and commerce.

Later Life and Ongoing Career

As of the mid-2020s, Kylie Jenner remains an active figure in entertainment and business. She continues to appear in The Kardashians, the Hulu series that follows her family’s lives after the conclusion of Keeping Up with the Kardashians.[1][2] Her role in the show highlights ongoing storylines about her businesses, motherhood, and relationships.

Kylie’s beauty and fashion ventures have expanded and evolved, with product launches in cosmetics, skincare, and other categories. She maintains a highly followed presence on platforms such as Instagram and TikTok, using them to promote her brands and share aspects of her personal life.[1][13] Her influence persists, especially among younger audiences who continue to engage with her content and products.

She has no documented death date and is considered a living figure whose story is still unfolding. Future developments in her businesses, media appearances, and personal projects will continue to shape assessments of her legacy. For historians and cultural analysts, Kylie Jenner’s career offers a case study in the intersection of reality television, social media, and female entrepreneurship in the early 21st century.