Kim Kardashian is one of the biggest stars in the world, but she might never have reached the level of fame she currently enjoys without the help of socialite Paris Hilton. Long before Kardashian made waves on reality TV, she was on Hilton’s arm at various club openings and nights. Even Kardashian herself attributes her success in part to advice from Hilton.
While Kardashian and Hilton both have very different careers, Kardashian has followed her former BFF’s lead in at least one significant way. Both women operate huge perfume empires. And while Kardashian eclipses Hilton in terms of reality TV fame, Hilton is still the top performer in the celebrity fragrance world.
Paris Hilton and Kim Kardashian have been friends for decades
Kim Kardashian and Paris Hilton’s friendship dates back to the early 2000s. Kardashian worked for Hilton for several years, acting as her wardrobe assistant and recurring stylist. But a deep friendship has developed between the two. Between 2003 and 2005, Kardashian was seen with the socialite at many high-profile parties and club openings. She even appeared in a few episodes of Hilton’s reality series simple life.
The couple had a brief falling out in the years after Kardashian landed her own reality show. But they reconciled a long time ago. These days, Hilton and Kardashian are good friends again and have even worked together on several recent ad campaigns.
Paris Hilton runs a perfume empire
Besides being a pop culture hot topic and a DJ, Hilton is also a successful businesswoman. When it comes to celebrity fragrances, Hilton is one of the biggest names in the game. According to Paper Magazine, Hilton has released more than 25 different fragrances over the years, starting with a simple body spray in 2004. The publication notes that it has surpassed $2.5 billion in sales and continues to expand, almost continuously developing new products.
Fans still love Hilton fragrances to this day. According to a recent report by Hey Discount, Hilton fragrances are among the most popular celebrity fragrances, with approximately 368,200 online searches related to “Paris Hilton fragrance” and 14,340 searches related to “Paris Hilton fragrance”. Overall, it is estimated to be the seventh most popular celebrity perfume brand, based on accumulated Google search data.
Kim Kardashian’s perfumes aren’t as popular as Paris Hilton’s
While Kardashian began developing and launching fragrances long after Paris Hilton, she has had great success, with several varieties of fragrances hitting the market. In fact, she launched her own brand, KKW Fragrance, releasing fragrances such as KKW Gardenia and KKW Crystal Violet Musk. As successful as Kardashian’s brand is, Hilton’s fragrances are still believed to be more popular. According to Hey Discount, Kardashian’s fragrances rank 10th among the most popular celebrity fragrances, three echelons lower than Hilton.
With nearly 235,400 searches for “Kim Kardashian perfume” and 24,800 searches for “Kim Kardashian perfume,” it’s clear that, in this area at least, Hilton is still ahead of the game. Of course, Kardashian and Hilton are far from the only celebrities to own perfume brands. Everyone from Billie Eilish to Addison Rae and Celine Dion have jumped on the celebrity fragrance bandwagon. Singers, in particular, love hosting exclusive fragrance launches. Lady Gaga, Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, Justin Bieber and Dolly Parton have all created exclusive fragrances.
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