While starring in the second season of her TLC series "LA Ink," Von D launched a limited-edition makeup line at Sephora. According to the Los Angeles Times, it included four lipsticks, two eye-shadow palettes, six liquid eyeliners, and a brush set.
But eventually, the collection transformed into a massively popular brand. As Allure previously reported, a Kat Von D Beauty lipstick in a shade called Lolita was Sephora's best-selling lipstick of 2015.
While appearing on Hillary Kerr's "Second Life" podcast in 2020, Von D said she "had no idea" what she was doing when she began working with the beauty retailer, but that she was a "bit defiant" in making sure that she and her brand didn't "fit in" with others at the time.
"I was trying to create something that wasn't made, and we did that," she said. "I remember telling them, 'Hey, I don't go to Sephora because it's fucking boring. At that time, you would walk down the aisle and everything was the same."
In a January 2020 Instagram post, Von D revealed that she'd sold her shares of her namesake beauty brand to Kendo.
She later said during a podcast appearance that the beauty industry had become "a culture thing" filled with influencers, which she didn't want to be a part of.