Kim Kardashian’s upcoming skin care line has come across some trademark issues over the name SKKN.
Earlier this month Kardashian’s Kimsaprincess Inc. filed paperwork to trademark the aforementioned line, which might carry items like haircare, makeup, and other skincare products .
The reality television star and entrepreneur has now been hit with a cease and desist letter over the trademarking of the name from Beauty Concepts LLC’s Cydnie Lunsford, a 28-year-old entrepreneur and aesthetician who is the owner of the SKKN+ brand, TMZ reports. Beauty Concepts also claims that it filed a trademark request for SKKN+ in March.
The letter, which was sent by lawyers on behalf of Beauty Concepts LLC, is demanding that Kim not use the name or face litigation. Lunsford argues that her brand has been using the name SKKN+ since July of 2017 to offer salon and skin care services to clients and that it would confuse customers if Kim is granted use of the name.
“I have painstakingly built my successful small business with my own sweat equity, hard work, and research,” Lunsford said in an email to Complex. “It’s clear that I established my brand first. 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.”
It’s worth noting that Kardashian might be planning to revamp her KKW Beauty line with SKKN. It was previously announced that the website for KKW Beauty is slated to be shut down on Aug. 1 and will be replaced with a “completely new brand” that will center an “elevated and sustainable” look.
Erik M. Pelton, a lawyer for Beauty Concepts LLC, said it was “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.”
Pelton continued, “Ms. Lunsford established her business in 2018 and earlier this year, filed an application (Serial No. 90608147) to protect the SKKN+ brand name in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office prior to any U.S. trademark filings by Kim Kardashian’s business. We contacted her lawyers as soon as possible after learning about the launch seeking to protect my client’s brand, demanding that they cease plans to launch the SKNN brand.”
Kim Kardashian and her team have yet to respond.
