Kim Kardashian’s underwear and apparel brand, Skims, is a retail giant that, much like a nesting doll, has been launching one product after another. Her latest move will see her launch a new beauty line under the Skims umbrella next year – an announcement that significantly comes after she closed previous brands KKW Beauty and SKKN by Kim. This time, though, she’s recruited Diarrha N’Diaye, a former executive at Glossier and L’Oréal, to oversee the expansion as executive vice presiden
dent of beauty and fragrance. The business hopes the appointment of a big-name industry veteran will allow it to avoid past mistakes.
“For the past 15 years, I spent countless hours listening to the beauty exchange on salon floors, selling fragrance at my local Sephora, working corporate, and most recently building Ami Colé brick by brick – I am simply obsessed,” N’Diaye said on LinkedIn. “It’s an honour to bring that product and community obsession to the global stage [with Skims] where the sky truly is the limit and inclusivity is simply table stakes.”
Is the third time the charm for a sustainable business with Skims Beauty?
To say that the Kardashians have played a large role in the development of the beauty industry over the past two decades is an understatement.
In the late 2000s, the Kardashian clan introduced and normalised a beauty trend, makeup contouring, for a wider consumer audience that would go on to influence numerous product launches from various brands, like Anastasia Beverly Hills, for the following decade.
Over the past ten years, several Kardashian sisters, including Kim, Kylie and Kourtney, launched one beauty business after another, including Kylie Cosmetics, XO Khloé, KKW Beauty (2017-2022) and Skkn by Kim (2022-2025). The former two are still in operation.
However, one major complaint critics, beauty veterans and consumers alike ultimately had with Kim’s beauty ventures was their lack of differentiation in what had become an increasingly saturated market.
Where KKW had initially won over consumers with the promise to deliver the same sculpted facial features that Kim Kardashian became famous for, the brand failed to maintain its relevance among competitors who offered similar, if not better-performing, products. This includes Kim Kardashian’s makeup artist Mario Dedivanovic, who consulted for KKW Beauty and went on to launch his own best-selling brand, Makeup by Mario, in 2020.
Meanwhile, critics of Skkn by Kim noted that the brand offered no quantifiably innovative ingredients, such as those found in haircare K18, or a distinct approach to storytelling, as seen in the success of Rhode Beauty.
While Kim Kardashian and her team hadn’t been able to establish long-term stability for her previous beauty ventures, retail strategists are betting on the third time being the charm for the reality-star turned entrepreneur.
Kimber Maderazzo, a professor of marketing at Pepperdine Graziadio Business School, said that Skims Beauty represents a very different opportunity compared to Kardashian’s first few beauty brand iterations, largely thanks to N’Diayre’s potential influence.
“Diarrha N’Diayre’s appointment signals that they’re serious about substance, not just scale,” argued Maderazzo. “She brings credibility, artistry, and a commitment to formulation excellence. While Ami Colé was a small brand, it was deeply admired for its authenticity and thoughtful product design. Pairing that DNA with Skims’ global reach and capital creates a powerful combination. She’ll likely elevate the product curation and storytelling to be less ‘fast beauty,’ more emotional connection and purpose-driven innovation.”
Experts discuss Skims Beauty’s chances for long-term success
As brand strategist and marketing consultant, Bethany Paris Ramsay told Inside Retail, “Skims has already proven itself as a successful brand beyond just another celebrity venture, so the desire to incorporate a beauty expansion feels like a natural evolution.”
However, Ramsay pointed out that the retail landscape is far more discerning than it was during the Kim Kardashian West Beauty era, so Skims’ retail power alone won’t fuel the beauty brand.
Consumers are savvier, celebrity fatigue is real, and brand longevity now hinges on performance, authenticity and emotional resonance, not just visibility. Success will come down to restraint and clarity with focused hero SKUs, product depth over breadth, transparent storytelling, and community-centred marketing rather than celebrity-first messaging.”
“If Skims pairs its scale with Diarrha’s authenticity and complexion expertise, this won’t read as a comeback attempt. Today’s beauty consumer wants substance just as much as she wants style.”
Both Maderazzo and Ramasay noted that, along with technical expertise in product formulation and marketing, N’Diayre brings a level of authenticity and a sense of community building that Kardashian was unable to achieve before.
Where the first beauty iteration leaned heavily on Kim Kardashian’s celebrity and aesthetics, Maderazzo predicted that N’Diayre could help build a brand narrative that connects skin, body, and self-image, much like Skims does in the underwear space.
“With Diarrha’s leadership and Skims’ infrastructure, this won’t be another celebrity vanity play. It could become one of the next major beauty powerhouses if they execute thoughtfully,” Maderazzo concluded.
Further reading: Experts weigh in on NikeSkims’ chances for success in a hyper-saturated market
