Kim Kardashian’s SKKN Accused of Stealing Name From Lori Harvey’s Nearly Identical SKN Skincare
by Wendy Medina

June 5, 2022

Kim Kardashian’s SKKN Accused of Stealing Name From Lori Harvey’s Nearly Identical SKN Skincare

Kim Kardashian recently announced she will be dropping a new item in her beauty empire, but not without seemingly stealing from Black women, again.

The reality star immediately faced backlash following the June 1 launch announcement of her new skincare line SKKN, when fans noted its nearly identical name and packaging to Lori Harvey’s SKN by LH as well as small business SKKN+. 

(Image: Twitter)

In Kardashian’s Instagram reveal, she writes the line is set to debut on June 21, with “a rejuvenating nine-product skincare ritual,” that includes a facial cleanser, toner, eye cream, exfoliator, hyaluronic acid serum, vitamin C serum, face cream, oil drops and a night oil, reports Page Six. 

The new SKKN brand comes eight months after the launch of Harvey’s SKN, which consists of a five-step system of a face cleanser, vitamin C serum, toner, eye cream and niacinamide cream.

However, this is not the first time Kardahsian’s SKKN has been accused of stealing. Back in August 2021, Black-owned beauty company SKKN+ issued a cease and desist letter when the 41-year-old TV star initially attempted to trademark “SKKN” for her rebranded beauty line. SKKN+’s owner and entrepreneur Cydnie Lunsford, 28, had been using the name SKKN+ since July 2017, per Forbes.

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A post shared by SKKN+ (@skknplus)

“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 told the outlet in an email. “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.”

The attorney representing Kardashian, Michael G. Rhodes, has since said of the cease and desist that he doesn’t think “they’ve done anything deserving of legal action.”

Many critics took to Twitter to express their frustrations regarding Kardashian’s endless ripping off of Black women and making connections between the three businesses.

“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,” one user brought up. 

Another commented, “Not y’all defending Lori Harvey’s skincare line being SKN because Kim made SKKN when … SKKN already existed already from someone else before either of them. Boohoo. Most poppin wins.”

So far, SKKN by Kim seems to proceed its launch without interruption. Harvey has not yet publicly addressed the situation.


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