In 2014, American socialite Kylie Jenner founded her beauty brand, Kylie Cosmetics, and went on to be dubbed as “the youngest self-made female billionaire”—thanks to its digital and retail success around the world. While Kylie Cosmetics’ Lip Kits are infamous for selling out within minutes, the brand itself is not without controversies.

Over the years, Kylie Cosmetics has witnessed numerous complaints—including claims that the eyeshadow palettes cause headaches, customers finding swarms of ants in the packages as well as evidence showcasing unhygienic displays at pop-ups. The fashion mogul has even amassed backlash for her comments about swatching products on her housekeeping staff as “she has the best arms” and “just sits there.”

Then came Wednesday 3 August 2022, when the 24-year-old took millions of her Instagram followers into one of the brand’s facilities in Milan, Italy. “In the lab creating new magic for you guys 💕 better than ever,” Jenner captioned the carousel post. Donning a lab coat, the businesswoman intended to demonstrate how she’s involved in every stage, from conception to production, when it comes to her line of cosmetics.

As she stood inspecting vats, measuring formulas and weighing ingredients, however, the majority of fans quickly pointed out her blatant violation of sanitary protocols.

“[Aren’t you] supposed to wear gloves, mask and the hair net thingy???” a fan commented, highlighting how Jenner had a full set of long pink nails adorned with crystals on display with her super long locks left open. “I just see so many lab rules not being followed,” a second echoed.

Meanwhile, some noted how the entire carousel post is “giving high school science class,” as others questioned if the products she was seemingly busy “creating” included swatches of her hair. “In the lab creating the new pandemic,” a user corrected, while another wrote: “Can’t wait for this to break my skin out in hives 😩”

“I love you Kylie but as a scientist this post is hella funny, because there’s just no way you created anything dressed like that… lol!😂❤️” a third added.

In a similar vein, Emmy-winning makeup artist and consumer advocate Kevin James Bennett called Jenner out for “gaslighting [her] followers.”

“I’m a cosmetic developer and work with cosmetic manufacturers (and their labs) as part of my job,” he wrote on Instagram. “I have very short hair, and I’ve never been allowed into the lab or onto the manufacturing floor without a hair net, shoe covers, mask… and disposable gloves. Kylie is gaslighting her followers into thinking she is creating cosmetics.”

Bennett also demanded to know “what ignorant manufacturer (in Italy) let her stage this photo-op in their lab and on the manufacturing floor—without following proper sanitation protocols?”

“Folks, this is not the way we create cosmetics and misrepresents how our industry works,” he continued. “Credible manufacturers follow strict sanitation protocols to protect you.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Kevin James Bennett (@kjbennettbeauty)

While several experts backed Bennett’s claims, some pointed out how there’s no way of confirming if Jenner was actually involved in the formulation phase. “I don’t get the issue—many brand owners take those pictures,” a user stated. “She’s not doing anything wrong and we have zero way to know how involved she is in formulation.”

A source also informed Page Six that the media personality was not on the production floor when the pictures and videos were taken. “We’re told she was simply reviewing colours and ideating on new concepts,” the publication mentioned.

Australian-British singer Kylie Minogue has finally broken her silence over her legal row with socialite Kylie Jenner. For those of you who need a quick memory refresh, back in 2017, Minogue took Jenner to court after both celebrities realised they wanted to name their respective cosmetic lines ‘Kylie’.

The older Kylie—Minogue—ended up winning, but the singer has recently stated that it was “just business.” Appearing on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, the ‘Can’t Get You Out of My Head’ singer opened up about the trademark row.

“Look, when I was named Kylie, I think I met one person older than me called Kylie. So it’s kind of unusual,” Minogue explained. She continued, “I’ve spent a lifetime protecting my brand and building my brand, so it was just something that had to be done.”

After TV host Cohen high-fived her, saying “Yes, it did!” Minogue added, “But let me also say we came to an agreement.” “Yes you did,” Cohen repeated before asking: “Did you like have to call Kris Jenner and be like ‘Let me tell you something?’”

Minogue replied, “No, but I’d love to meet them.”

Jenner first applied to trademark her name back in 2014—a year before she officially launched her beauty empire, which is now worth more than $1 billion. It was only in early 2016 that court documents revealed Minogue had formally opposed the application.

The singer described Jenner as a “secondary reality television personality who appeared on the television series Keeping Up With the Kardashians as a supporting character.” Meanwhile, Minogue was described as an “internationally-renowned performing artist, humanitarian and breast cancer activist known worldwide simply as ‘Kylie’.” Let’s all keep in mind that this was a couple of years ago. One can’t help but wonder what the verdict would have been if the same motion had been presented in 2022…

At the time, Minogue already owned various trademarks including the name ‘Kylie’ for the services of education and entertainment. She had also already sold products like perfume and clothes under the name ‘Kylie’ and has owned the domain name kylie.com since 21 August 1996—a year before Jenner was even born.

Minogue’s legal team said allowing Jenner to use the singular name ‘Kylie’ would cause possible confusion and “damage” to the pop singer’s branding.

Then, in 2017, it was announced that the reality star’s application had been rejected by the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Two years after the ruling, Minogue launched her own range of makeup in 2019 under the name ‘Kylie’.

Jenner has since traded under the name Kylie Cosmetics, starting with lip kits only to become one of the biggest celebrity beauty brands of all time. As previously stated by Forbes, the entire Kardashian family⁠—which at the time of reporting included Kim, Kanye, Kylie, Khloe and Kendall⁠—have applied for over 700 trademarks between them (Kylie Jenner has 128). Heck knows what Kourtney is doing.