Few beauty stories capture the power of social media as clearly as the rise of Kylie Jenner‘s cosmetics business. What began in November 2015 as a debut lip kit became Kylie Cosmetics, a brand that built a devoted audience online and then attracted one of the largest beauty companies in the world. In November 2019, that company, Coty, agreed to buy a majority stake in the business for 600 million dollars. Here’s how the brand grew, what the agreement contained, why the numbers mattered, and how the partnership was designed to carry the business into new global markets.
How the November 2015 Kylie Lip Kit launch became Kylie Cosmetics, a beauty brand with global reach
Coty’s press release describes the origin story plainly. In November 2015, Kylie Jenner launched Kylie Cosmetics, and the debut product, the Kylie Lip Kit, was a sell-out success. Her online store, KylieCosmetics.com, is one of the most successful online stores in the world, and the range grew well beyond lips to include eyeliners, eyeshadows, blushes, highlighters, concealers, brushes and makeup bags, plus limited edition sets released throughout the year. In May 2019, she introduced Kylie Skin, a range of skincare products. The audience behind it was enormous, Coty says she has more than 270 million followers across her personal and brand social media channels, and that both brands are among the fastest-growing and most-engaged beauty brands on social media. Forbes featured her as the youngest-ever self-made billionaire in August 2018.
Why Coty agreed to pay 600 million dollars for 51 per cent ownership of the Kylie Jenner partnership
On 18 November 2019, Coty and Kylie Jenner announced a long-term strategic partnership. Under the terms of the agreement, Coty would acquire 51 per cent ownership in the partnership for 600 million dollars, and the acquisition was expected to close in the third quarter of Coty’s fiscal year 2020. Coty described the transaction as a key milestone in its ongoing transformation into a more focused and agile company. Chairman of the Board Peter Harf told the public that the partnership was an exciting step in Coty’s renewed emphasis on its beauty business, calling Kylie Jenner a modern-day icon with an incredible sense of the beauty consumer. Pierre Laubies, Coty’s chief executive officer, told the public the company was pleased to welcome her into its organisation and family.
Kylie Jenner arrives at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party on Sunday, March 15, 2026, at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in LA.
177 million dollars in revenue, growth targets and the financial case for Coty
Coty’s press release sets out the financial case in specific terms. Kylie Cosmetics generated an estimated 177 million dollars in net revenues over the preceding twelve months. Coty said it expected the transaction to add more than 1 per cent per year to the net revenue growth of its core fragrance, cosmetics and skin care portfolio over the next three years. The company also expected the deal to be neutral to its earnings per share in the first year and to add to them afterwards, and it expected the return on invested capital to exceed its cost of capital by fiscal year 2023. Tiger Shark served as an advisor to Coty on the transaction. Coty also scheduled a conference call that morning, with the live audio webcast and presentation slides made available through its investor relations website.
How creative control, licensing and Coty’s manufacturing reach shaped the global beauty expansion plan
The agreement divides responsibilities along each side’s strengths. Together, Coty and Kylie Jenner set and lead the strategic direction, focusing on global expansion and entry into new beauty categories. Kylie Jenner and her team keep leading all creative efforts in product and communications, building on her global reach through social media. Coty takes overall responsibility for developing the portfolio, drawing on its knowledge of research and development, manufacturing, distribution and commercial strategy, and it acts as licensee for skincare, fragrances and nail products. All beauty categories continue to be sold through leading luxury beauty retailers and owned digital channels. Both parties aim to build what Coty calls a high-growth, digitally native beauty brand. Kylie Jenner told the public the partnership lets her team stay focused on creating and developing each product while building an international beauty powerhouse.
Where Coty stands today as a global beauty company and how the Kylie Jenner partnership fits its plans
Coty’s own investor relations website shows the scale of the company that Kylie Jenner partnered with. Founded in Paris in 1904, Coty describes itself as one of the world’s largest beauty companies, with a portfolio spanning fragrance, colour cosmetics, and skin and body care. The site lists the company as second globally in both fragrances and mass colour cosmetics, with more than 60 brands and licenses, about 11,300 employees, seven manufacturing sites and sales in more than 120 countries. For fiscal 2026, it reports net revenues of 5.8 billion dollars, adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation of 847 million dollars, and free cash flow of 348 million dollars. Pairing that infrastructure with a creator-led brand is what the partnership set out to do.
