Earlier today, Forbes released an upcoming cover story that claimed Kylie Jenner is worth $900 million. As you might imagine, the world was shocked by this headline. If true, it means that the 21-year-old Kylie is three times richer than her 37-year-old sister Kim Kardashian. The article also implied that Kylie is on pace to be a paper billionaire within a year, which would make her two years younger than Mark Zuckerberg was when he first achieved billionaire status. However, I have some major problems with this headline and the article in general, and I'm here to break it all down.
First off, I must express my frustration with these Forbes articles. In my opinion, they take a small piece of truth and twist it into a shocking headline purely to sell magazines and grab attention. Everyone is going to be stunned to hear that Kylie Jenner is nearly a billionaire. Interestingly, this figure is almost ten times what CelebrityNetWorth and Forbes pegged her net worth at just one year ago. I'm concerned because this headline will now be perceived as gospel, and if anyone at CNW reports anything other than $900 million as Kylie’s net worth, we can expect ten emails a day from angry Kylie fans calling us idiots.
More importantly, I'm frustrated because the math behind the $900 million net worth claim is utterly ridiculous and not grounded in reality. Forbes calculates her $900 million net worth by assuming Kylie Cosmetics is worth $800 million and that she has an additional net worth of $100 million. Let’s examine the cosmetics valuation first.
Biography and Personal Details of Kylie Jenner
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Name | Kylie Kristen Jenner |
| Date of Birth | August 10, 1997 |
| Profession | Reality TV Star, Businesswoman, Model |
| Known For | Kylie Cosmetics, Keeping Up with the Kardashians |
| Siblings | Kim Kardashian, Khloé Kardashian, Kourtney Kardashian, Rob Kardashian, Kendall Jenner |
Key Points Behind the Forbes Headline
The $900 million valuation is primarily based on the assumption that Kylie Cosmetics is worth $800 million. Forbes claims that Kylie Cosmetics grossed $330 million in 2017, with about $100 million being profit. To achieve an $800 million valuation, they are using what they call a "conservative" 8X multiple of annual profits. In my view, this is an extraordinarily high multiple and nowhere near conservative. Typically, consumer goods companies sell for lower multiples due to lower margins and more challenging growth prospects.
It boggles my mind that Forbes would assume an 8X multiple while simultaneously stating that Kylie Cosmetics sales are declining. For instance, in mid-2017, Kris Jenner claimed that Kylie Cosmetics was on track to achieve $400 million in sales for that year. However, the actual sales ended up at $330 million, which is 20% lower than expected. Did Christmas sales fall short? If you review the Forbes article, they mentioned that Kylie Cosmetics' revenue in 2017 was only 7% higher than what it was in 2016. This is hardly what you would call explosive growth.
Additionally, it's worth noting that sales of Kylie's flagship lip kit decreased by 35% year-over-year. While Forbes mentions this fact, it doesn’t stop them from giving the company a high valuation multiple. When confronted with these unflattering figures, Kris Jenner told Forbes that revenue was up significantly in the first six months of 2018 compared to the same period the previous year, a claim that Forbes couldn’t verify.
Critical Perspectives on the Self-Made Billionaire Title
Another important criticism surrounding the Forbes article is the use of the term "self-made." The cover story states that Kylie is "set to be the youngest-ever self-made billionaire." Many people have taken issue with labeling a Kardashian/Jenner as self-made. Comedian Franchesca Ramsey tweeted, "Being born into extreme wealth and instant fame is the exact opposite of 'self-made.'" Even Dictionary.com weighed in, stating that "self-made means having succeeded in life unaided." This sparked a conversation about the validity of labeling Kylie as self-made, considering her background.
While I’m not trying to undermine Kylie's achievements, I believe it’s important to approach these headlines with a discerning eye. It’s evident that Kylie has been extremely successful and deserves recognition for her accomplishments. However, my primary concern is that Forbes is manipulating the truth to create a headline designed to capture attention, ultimately distorting public perception of her actual net worth.
In conclusion, I would genuinely love to see Kylie’s cosmetics company reach a valuation of hundreds of millions or even billions of dollars. The buzz would generate a ton of traffic and lead to many great articles for CNW to cover.
