Kim Kardashian accused of copying Lori Harvey’s skincare line with ‘SKKN by Kim'
6 June 2022, 16:06 | Updated: 13 January 2023, 14:25
Kim Kardashian covers body in glitter for KKW Beauty
The reality TV star has been called out for naming her skincare line 'SKNN By Kim', after Lori Harvey named her 2021 line 'SKN by LH'.
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Kim Kardashian has received backlash over her newly announced skin-care line, SKKN by Kim, before it's official launch date.
Kim Kardashian admits she would "eat poop every single day" to look younger
On Wednesday (Jun 1) the 41-year-old reality TV star, who struggles with psoriasis, introduced her first round of skincare products, described as “a rejuvenating nine-product skin-care ritual”.
Kim revealed the skin care products will be in “refillable packaging, and clean, science-backed ingredients designed to nourish all skin types, tones, and textures at all stages of maturity.”
While some fans are happy the SKIMS founder will be venturing into skincare, other fans can't get past the name of the brand, SKKN by Kim.
The mother-of-four has been called out over the similarity between her line's name and two Black-owned beauty brands: SKKN+ and Lori Harvey's skin-care line SKN by LH.
Back in August 2021, Forbes reported that aesthetician Cyndie Lunsford filed a cease and desist letter after Kardashian's Kimsaprincess Inc. filed to trademark "SKKN" for her beauty line.
In 2018, Lunsford established SKKN+ and filed for a trademark of her own in 2021, according to Lunsford's legal team.
Legal documents show that Lunsford filed for the trademark on March 28, 2021.
"I have painstakingly built my successful small business with my own sweat equity, hard work, and research. It's clear that I established my brand first," Lunsford said in an email to Forbes at the time.
The email continued: "As a young black woman, my mission with SKKN+ is to provide quality skincare and curated full-body experiences to enhance each client's self-care regimen. The (+) represents a hands-on transformative aesthetic experience that elevates the body, mind, and spirit."
Lunsford's attorney Erik M. Pelton added, "It is hard to believe that Kardashian's team either did not know about the prior use of SKKN+ or knew and adopted the SKKN brand name anyways to steamroll a small minority business."
In addition to that, Harvey launched her own skin-care line, SKN by LH, back in 2021. During an October 2021 interview with Vogue, the 25-year-old model said: “I have rosacea and would struggle to find the right products to use,” she told in October 2021.
“Then I got into modeling, and between shoots and backstage at runway shows you have so much makeup being put on your face. My skin was constantly going through it.
"So after using, like, 20 different products on my face at one time, I felt like there had to be a simpler way for me to get my skin looking the way I wanted it to.”
Fans criticised Kim for naming her skincare brand very similar to Lori's.
One Twitter user wrote, “Kim naming her skincare brand SKKN when Lori Harvey's skincare brand name is SKN doesn't sit right with me. Seems like they're stealing from a Black woman for the thousandth time.”
Another Twitter user wrote: "SKKN by Kim Kardashian SKN by Lori Harvey. she couldn’t find another name" with a third adding: "Did Kim Kardashian really name her skincare like SKKN because Lori Harvey already took SKN???".
See other fan reactions below.
SKKN by Kim Kardashian. SKN by Lori Harvey? Someone’s marketing team needs to get fired
— TAY (@tayaaliy) June 1, 2022
Am I the only one that's bothered by @KimKardashian naming her skincare line #SKKN? Like? @_lori_harvey 's is literally #SKN.
— Queen Kotini ❤️ (@BeatricePrinz) June 2, 2022
Lori Harvey created @sknbylhofficial
— S-🟣 (@Foodspectations) June 1, 2022
Kim Kardashian is now launching #SKKN
Another celebrity doing Skincare products 🙄 . The only difference in this one is the extra “K”.
Lori Harvey’s skin care line is called SKN and Kim Kardashian’s is SKKN. Awk.
— Michelle Mo Bamba (@CPTIME93) June 1, 2022
Kim Kardashian also faced backlash over a brand name back in 2019.
The model was accused of cultural appropriation when she announced her new shapewear line, Kimono.
Days after the name caused a storm on social media, Kim announced she'd be renaming the line, which is now known as SKIMS.
SKKN by Kim is set to launch on June 21.
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