Kylie Jenner in hot water over $7 hand sanitiser: Fans divided over star's new skincare product

Some have accused the beauty entrepreneur of 'cashing in' during the pandemic, though Kylie Skin is not the first brand to launch a sanitiser in the past year

Kylie Jenner has launched a hand sanitiser as part of her skincare line, Kylie Skin. AP Photo

When it debuted in 2019, Kylie Skin's skincare set sold out within mere minutes.

However, the latest product unveiled as part of Kylie Jenner's beauty empire is proving a little more divisive.

The entrepreneur, 23, announced the release of her skincare brand's hand sanitiser on Tuesday, a product designed to reduce the spread of germs.

The product – which contains 80 per cent alcohol and added glycerin for moisturising benefits – costs $7 on Kylie Skin's website.

After Jenner announced the launch on her social media pages, criticism flooded in from commenters, who accused the star of "cashing in" during the pandemic.

"Kylie really made Kylie Skin hand sanitiser ............. like ? Let’s profit off a pandemic," wrote one Twitter user.

"This has nothing to do with 'skin' no matter what you put in it. It’s hand sanitiser and all the money you got, you should include it free with purchase," added another.

The Kylie Skin line also includes cleansers, face oils, face masks, serums and body lotions.

Others criticised the product's $7 price tag, noting that other brands sell similar-sized produced for less.

"I would rather Purel for $2.99 than Kylies over-priced sanitiser," wrote Twitter user baralise1.

Other fans, however, defended the star's latest launch, noting that Kylie Skin is not the only beauty line to stock hand sanitiser, with labels such as Farmacy, Neal's Yard and Herbivore also selling similar products.

Another noted that Jenner had previously offered up her factory space to create hand sanitiser in the earlier months of the pandemic.

"Not that I am on Kylie's PR team or have any reason to defend her, but in the beginning of the pandemic she publicly donated $1 million to frontline workers and used her factories to make over 6,000 pounds of free hand sanitiser. If you don't like it, don't buy it," Twitter user Jeffrey Morse wrote.

Jenner and her mother, Kris Jenner, joined forces with beauty company Coty in April to manufacture and distribute hand sanitiser to Southern California hospitals amid shortages.

In March, major luxury goods and cosmetics groups such as Louis Vuitton owner LVMH and L'Oreal also used their production lines to make hand sanitisers for hospitals and front-line workers.