The rise of social media influencers has changed the advertising game and influencer marketing has undoubtedly marked its territory within the industry.
At the age of just 21, Kylie Jenner was announced the world’s youngest self-made billionaire - impressive, right?
Now, with over 200 million followers across her social media platforms and a billion-dollar empire, it is safe to say that she is one of the most influential people on the planet. Yep, the planet!
As the youngest member of the world-famous Kardashian-Jenner clan and surrounded by many famous friends and celebrities, Kylie has made it to the very top of the social media influencer ladder, and rightly so, too.
Since she first appeared on our screens in the first series of Keeping Up with the Kardashians, Kylie has remained in the spotlight and is a high-profile figure in the celebrity world.
But just how did Kylie become one of the most influential figures on the internet? Let’s take a look at her journey to stardom...
Keeping Up with the Kardashians
Kylie Jenner shot to fame after making her first appearance on Keeping Up with the Kardashian’s (KUWTK) at just nine years old and has continued to star in the reality TV show since.
Alongside her parents, Kris and Caitlyn, her sisters, Kendall, Kim, Kourtney and Khloe, and her brother Rob, Kylie has been living her life in the limelight for over 13 years.
Documenting the highs and lows of Kardashian-Jenner life, the family were thrown further into the spotlight when Kylie’s father and former Olympian Bruce Jenner came out as a transgender woman, later becoming Caitlyn Marie Jenner, ending the marriage to Kardashian-Jenner mum, Kris.
In September 2020, it was announced that the reality show would be ending after its 20th season, however the family decided to launch a new series, "The Kardashians", which premiered on April 14, 2022, on Hulu (Disney+ internationally). This newer series continues to document the lives of the Kardashian-Jenner family with a more cinematic and behind-the-scenes style.
Image source: Instagram
From socialite to businesswoman
Since starring in her family’s reality show, Kylie Jenner has become one of the most influential figures in fashion, beauty, and lifestyle. Starting at the age of 14, she began collaborating with well-known brands and even launched her own clothing line with her sister, Kendall.
In 2015, Kylie made a significant impact on the beauty industry by launching her own cosmetics line, the now-iconic Kylie Lip Kits. Helping to kickstart the matte liquid lipstick trend, she quickly established herself as a key player in the industry. Her brand, now known as Kylie Cosmetics, has expanded to include a wide range of beauty products, from skincare to makeup essentials.
Beyond beauty, Kylie has continued to expand her entrepreneurial empire. In 2023, she launched Khy, a contemporary clothing brand that blends high fashion with accessibility, further solidifying her presence in the fashion world. In 2024, she ventured into the beverage industry with Sprinter, a canned cocktail brand offering refreshing flavors like black cherry, peach, grapefruit, and lime.
With a strong influence across multiple industries, Kylie Jenner continues to shape trends and redefine success as a modern business mogul.
Kylie Cosmetics and Kylie Skin
Kylie later renamed her brand to Kylie Cosmetics after helping fans create the perfect, signature Kylie pout. Her lip kits sold out within minutes and led to the viral ‘Kylie Jenner Challenge’.
Continuing to focus on the beauty industry, Kylie went on to release a number of other products and even collaborated on collections with her sisters and mum.
Four years after the launch of Kylie Cosmetics in 2019, Kylie took to Instagram to announce her next beauty venture - Kylie Skin. Again, with products selling out just hours after its debut, Kylie had made quite the impact, competing with the biggest brands within the industry.
So much so, that Kylie announced she was serving as the makeup artistic director for Balmain’s Spring 2020 runway show at Paris Fashion Week and collaborated on a capsule makeup collection.
Image source: Instagram
Becoming the Queen of Social Media
Kylie Jenner has always been a dominant force in the fashion and beauty industries, but 2024 saw her take on a new role in the modeling world. In a notable return to the runway, Kylie made her Paris Fashion Week debut, closing the highly anticipated Coperni Spring/Summer 2025 show.
Her presence on the catwalk marked a significant moment in her evolving career, proving that her influence extends beyond beauty and social media. Just as she once reigned as the Queen of Snapchat, using the platform to document her life and promote her brands, she is now solidifying her position in the high-fashion industry.
Fans have always followed her every move, whether it’s on social media or the runway. Her ability to shift trends and drive engagement remains unmatched—just as her tweet about using Snapchat less led to a 6% stock drop, her appearance in Paris reaffirmed her growing impact in the world of luxury fashion.
With over 215 million followers on Instagram, Kylie continues to be one of the most influential figures online. In fact, six of the top 20 most-liked Instagram posts of 2020 featured Kylie, many showcasing adorable moments with her daughter, Stormi.
Thanks to her huge social media presence and sky-high engagement rates, Kylie remains one of the highest-paid influencers in the world. Brands can expect to invest six-figure sums to collaborate with her, and as her career continues to evolve—whether in beauty, fashion, or business—her power as an influencer remains undeniable.
Image source: Instagram
Social Media Silence
After months of speculation and total social media silence, Kylie broke the internet with the announcement that she had given birth to her first baby. Naming her daughter Stormi, Kylie became the topic of conversation across worldwide social media once again thanks to the best kept secret of all time (maybe not quite, but you know what we mean!).
Wanting to keep the duration of her pregnancy private, she took to Instagram and posted a link to a YouTube video, showing fans a glimpse into those magical nine months of pregnancy. The emotional video received over 100 million likes on Instagram and almost 100 million views on YouTube, too.
A few days later, Kylie shared the first glimpse of her new-born daughter, and it quickly became the most liked photo of 2018 with over 18.3 million likes to date.
Now, Kylie keeps fans eagerly waiting to see her next move and they are truly invested in her love life, life as a parent and as a fasion icon. With images filling up her Instagram feed showcasing her extensive wardrobe, Kylie is making waves in more than just one industry.
She regularly uses the platform to document her busy yet oh-so-glamorous lifestyle in California.
With a popular YouTube channel to compliment her Instagram feed, Kylie now shares footage from the behind the scenes of photoshoots, family vlogs and of course, detailed beauty routines.
Image source: Instagram
Youngest Self-Made Billionaire
In May 2019, Forbes crowned 21-year-old Kylie Jenner the world’s youngest self-made billionaire - EVER. Yep, she claimed the top spot in Forbes’ annual billionaires list in the same year she was legally allowed to buy a drink at the bar. Now, that is impressive!
Proving that hard work and dedication truly does pay off, Kylie also topped Forbes list of the highest paid celebrities of 2020.
Besides being born into fame and fortune, Kylie has created her own large fortune by founding her cosmetics business, Kylie's Cosmetics. Having first started as an online business, the company soon grew thanks to her various pop-up stores and social media promotion.
Across YouTube, Snapchat and Instagram, she announces product launches, previews new items and models her own collections (with the help of her sisters of course), promoting the Kylie brand to her incredibly loyal followers.
According to Forbes, one of the greatest assets of her business is the few expenses that she has had, with social media sitting at the heart of her marketing strategy. Since the day she revealed her new business venture on social media, our feeds have been subtly filled with promotional content about her products and boy, do her followers love it.
Digital media has had significant impacts on the digital marketing and advertising industry, leading to ‘influencer marketing’ and brands opting to pay influencers for sponsored posts, brand ambassadorship or whisking them away on lavish press trips - with Kylie Jenner showing everybody else exactly how it is done.
It is safe to say that Kylie is still the most influential person on social media in 2025, and we expect this to remain for quite some time.
Interested in working with an Influencer? Speak to our team today and we can help you to find the perfect influencer for your brand. Contact us at contact@influencermatchmaker.co.uk or call 0203 9580 427.
