Starting a Skincare Brand

Brooklyn and Bailey McKnight, the 23-year-old identical twins and co-founders of ITK Skin, got their start on YouTube in 2013, where they now have over 7 million subscribers. They also have 9.3 million followers on Instagram and 6.6 million on TikTok. Together, in partnership with the beauty incubator Maesa, the sisters launched ITK in August 2022. The brand started at Walmart, with 15 products priced at $7-$15. 

But, by the time they launched ITK, the McKnight sisters were already veteran founders, having launched their first business venture, clothing and mascara brand Lash Next Door, when they were just 16. 

On this week’s episode of the Glossy Beauty Podcast, Brooklyn and Bailey McKnight discuss how they got their start on their mom’s YouTube channel, why Brooklyn got her esthetician’s license, why they think TikTok Shop will level the playing field for brands and what it was like to pitch their brand to Walmart.