Kim Kardashian may have plenty of skin in the beauty game, but her latest venture just hit a snag.
After the makeup mogul filed to trademark both SKKN and SKKN by KIM, her legal team received a cease and desist letter from Beauty Concepts LLC, who claim they’ve already locked down the moniker for salon, skincare and spa services.
In the July 21 letter, obtained by Page Six Style, Beauty Concepts owner Cyndie Lunsford claims she’s operated salons under the SKKN+ brand name since 2018.
The company also said they applied to trademark the SKKN+ name on March 28, just days before Kardashian filed her own trademark on March 30.
The reality superstar applied to use the now-contested name for products including skincare, hair care, nail care, perfumes and candles. Beauty Concepts is now demanding that she abandon the branding, claiming that it would cause confusion to customers.
“I have painstakingly built my successful small business with my own sweat equity, hard work, and research,” said Lunsford, a 28-year-old aesthetician and entrepreneur, who also operates social media accounts under the SKKN+ name.
“It’s clear that I established my brand first.”
Michael G. Rhodes, Kardashian’s attorney, told TMZ, “We certainly appreciate and support small businesses, and our hat is off to Ms. Lunsford. But the question at hand is one of trademark law and we’ve not done anything deserving of legal action by her.”
He added, “We are disappointed that she has chosen to run to the media knowing that we were scheduling a call for tomorrow, requested by her attorney. So while disagreeing with the letter, we’re hopeful that we can smooth things over once both sides speak.”
Kardashian is currently in the process of overhauling her KKW Beauty brand, and will be shutting down the site on August 1. A source told Page Six that her ex, Kanye West, helped her come up with a new name for the line, although it’s unclear if that name was SKKN.
The cease and desist letter marks the latest legal trouble for Kardashian’s companies: In June 2020, Seed Beauty – the beauty incubator company which launched both Kylie Cosmetics and KKW Beauty – sued beauty giant Coty, the brands’ parent company, for allegedly stealing trade secrets.
Kylie Cosmetics also recently revamped its products, introducing vegan formulas and new packaging, although it’s unclear if the changes were related to the lawsuit.
A rep for Kardashian declined to comment further on the matter.