Safely
Kris Jenner and Emma Grede's plant-based cleaning brand. Lost a co-founder to a cyberbullying scandal two months after launch, lost its first retailer to bankruptcy, and still ended up in 6,000 stores.
Safely launched in March 2021 with three co-founders, a plant-based cleaning product line, and the combined social media reach of the Kardashian-Jenner family, which Kris Jenner has described as “a little over a billion people.” Two months later, co-founder Chrissy Teigen was cut from the brand after a cyberbullying scandal, and two years after that, their first retail partner Bed Bath & Beyond filed for bankruptcy and closed every store. Despite losing a co-founder and a retail partner within the first two years, Safely expanded to over 6,000 retail locations by 2023, including Walmart, Kroger, Whole Foods, and Amazon.
The brand is the third company co-founded by Emma Grede with a member of the Kardashian-Jenner family. Grede holds a 22% ownership stake in Safely alongside her 23% stake in Good American and her 8% stake in Skims, making her the business infrastructure behind a combined portfolio that includes a $4 billion shapewear company, a $200 million denim brand, and a cleaning line in 6,000 stores. Kris Jenner’s stake is estimated at roughly 7%.
At a glance:
| Founded | March 2021 |
| Co-founders | Kris Jenner, Emma Grede, Chrissy Teigen (departed June 2021) |
| President | Jelina Saliu (former CEO of The Laundress) |
| Ownership | Grede 22%, Jenner ~7% (estimated), remainder undisclosed |
| Revenue | Not publicly disclosed |
| Retail locations | 6,000+ (Walmart, Kroger, Whole Foods, Amazon, Target) |
| Certifications | B Corp (2023), Green Seal, cruelty-free, vegan |
| Price range | $4.49–$19 per product |
The Story
Emma Grede came up with the idea during the first months of the pandemic, when she started reading the labels on the cleaning products she was using around her children and did not like what she found. Kris Jenner was a natural partner because her cleaning obsession is not a marketing invention. She has described herself as a “clean freak” her entire life, has been photographed walking around with a roll of paper towels and a bottle of spray cleaner, and once admitted she would sneak into her daughter Kourtney’s house while Kourtney was on vacation and scrub everything with industrial-strength products, “thinking she would never find out.”
The third co-founder was Chrissy Teigen, who brought a massive social media following and a reputation for being funny and relatable online. The brand launched in March 2021 with a product line of hand soap, hand cream, universal cleaner, glass cleaner, and dish soap, all plant-based and free of sulfates, parabens, phthalates, dyes, and bleach, priced between $6 and $14. The launch video featured Jenner slapping Teigen’s face with a fake hand as a comedy bit, which drew immediate criticism from viewers who said it promoted violence against women.
Two months later, the brand hit a crisis that no marketing plan could have anticipated. In May 2021, Courtney Stodden revealed that Teigen had sent them private messages years earlier including “I can’t wait for you to die.” Teigen apologized on Twitter, calling herself “an insecure, attention seeking troll,” and was immediately cut from all Safely marketing. She formally departed in June 2021 with the brand posting that “Chrissy will be stepping away from Safely to take much needed time to focus on herself and be with her family.” Sales reportedly tanked during the fallout.
The brand rebuilt without Teigen. By August 2021, Safely had secured an exclusive retail partnership with Bed Bath & Beyond across 750+ stores, and by February 2022, it launched at over 1,700 Walmart locations. Then Bed Bath & Beyond went bankrupt in April 2023 and closed every store, which meant Safely’s first major retail partner disappeared entirely. The brand replaced the lost distribution by moving into Whole Foods in October 2023, Kroger nationwide in early 2025, and Amazon in April 2025.
The Strategy
Affordable luxury in the cleaning aisle
Safely positioned itself between mass-market cleaning brands like Tide and Windex and premium eco-brands like Branch Basics and The Laundress, with products priced between $4.49 and $14. President Jelina Saliu described the positioning as making “aspirational homecare accessible across all socioeconomic backgrounds.” The products use higher concentrations of active ingredients than most competitors, with luxury-grade custom fragrance formulas (scents like Rise, Calm, and Spring) that are designed to make the cleaning experience feel premium without the premium price tag.
A billion people as a marketing budget
Kris Jenner told Adweek that the Kardashian-Jenner family reaches over a billion people combined on social media, which means organic promotion through family channels costs nothing and reaches more people than most cleaning brands’ entire advertising budgets. Jenner personally promotes Safely on Instagram, the brand has appeared on the family’s Hulu show, and the influencer network around the family amplifies every product launch without paid campaigns.
Retail after the retailer goes bankrupt
Safely’s distribution strategy shifted from DTC-first to retail-dominant within its first year, with former CEO Mike Forbes stating the goal was to make more than 50% of sales through wholesale because “a lot of cleaning products are still sold in stores” and customers need cleaning products immediately rather than waiting for delivery. When Bed Bath & Beyond closed in 2023, the brand had already diversified into Walmart and replaced the lost doors with Whole Foods, Kroger, Amazon, and Target over the following two years.
The Numbers
Safely does not disclose revenue, and no credible third-party estimate exists because the brand is privately held with no publicly reported funding amounts.
What is known:
| Milestone | Date |
|---|---|
| Launch (DTC) | March 2021 |
| Bed Bath & Beyond (750+ stores) | August 2021 |
| Walmart (1,700+ stores) | February 2022 |
| B Corp certification | September 2023 |
| Whole Foods launch | October 2023 |
| 6,000+ total retail locations | 2023 |
| Kroger launch (nationwide) | Early 2025 |
| Amazon launch | April 2025 |
Funding: Safely raised a Series A from Sandbox Studios, Alliance Consumer Growth, and Imaginary Ventures. The amount was not disclosed. Imaginary Ventures also backs Skims, suggesting crossover investor confidence in the Grede and Kardashian-Jenner business model.
Sustainability targets: 30% post-consumer recycled packaging as of September 2023, with a goal of 100% by 2025 and a transition to ocean plastics exclusively by 2030.
Controversies
Chrissy Teigen cyberbullying scandal
In May 2021, two months after Safely launched, Courtney Stodden revealed that co-founder Chrissy Teigen had sent them private messages years earlier including “I can’t wait for you to die.” Teigen apologized publicly, calling herself “an insecure, attention seeking troll,” and was removed from all Safely marketing. She formally departed in June 2021. Stodden said the apology felt like “a public attempt to save her partnerships with Target and other brands.” Sales reportedly dropped during the fallout, and the brand had to rebuild its public identity around Jenner and Grede without its most visible co-founder.
”Does Kris Jenner even clean?”
Social media users have consistently questioned whether a wealthy celebrity with household staff actually uses her own cleaning products. Comments like “Like she ever cleans” and “Yeah like she actually cleans anything” appear on nearly every promotional post, and critics have noted that Jenner appeared to be reading from a script in some promotions. The Kardashian-Jenner family’s use of private jets for short trips (Kylie Jenner’s widely reported 12-minute flight) also drew accusations of hypocrisy for a brand built on environmental responsibility.
What You Can Learn
Your co-founder is a brand risk. Safely lost its most visible co-founder two months after launch because of something Chrissy Teigen had done years before the company existed. The lesson is not to avoid partnerships, but to understand that when a person is the brand, everything that person has ever done or said becomes a liability the business carries. Every celebrity brand faces this risk, and Safely is the clearest example of what happens when it materializes.
Retail partners can disappear overnight. Safely built its first major retail presence at Bed Bath & Beyond, and then Bed Bath & Beyond went bankrupt and closed every store. The brand survived because it had already diversified into Walmart before the bankruptcy hit. Any online business that depends on a single distribution channel, whether it is a retailer, a platform, or an algorithm, is one decision away from losing everything.
The operator behind the celebrity is the real story. Emma Grede co-founded three companies with three different Kardashian-Jenner family members, holds equity in all three, and runs the one she has the largest stake in as CEO. The celebrities bring the audience. Grede builds the businesses. This is the same pattern that runs through Fenty Beauty, Rare Beauty, Rhode, and Good American: the person on the Instagram post is rarely the person running the company.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who owns Safely?
Emma Grede holds a 22% ownership stake, Kris Jenner holds an estimated 7%, and the remaining equity is split among undisclosed parties and investors including Sandbox Studios, Alliance Consumer Growth, and Imaginary Ventures.
Is Chrissy Teigen still involved with Safely?
Teigen departed in June 2021 after a cyberbullying scandal. Whether she retains any equity in the company has not been publicly confirmed, but she has had no visible involvement with the brand since her departure.
Where can you buy Safely products?
Safely is available at Walmart (1,700+ stores), Kroger (nationwide), Whole Foods, Amazon, Target, and through the brand’s website at getsafely.com. Products range from $4.49 to $19.
Is Safely actually eco-friendly?
Safely is B Corp certified (score of 85.7 vs. a median of 50.9) and Green Seal certified. All products are plant-based, vegan, cruelty-free, and free of sulfates, parabens, phthalates, dyes, PFAS, and bleach. Thirty percent of packaging uses post-consumer recycled materials, with a goal of 100% by 2025.
How much revenue does Safely generate?
Safely does not disclose revenue and no credible third-party estimate exists. The brand is privately held with no publicly reported funding amounts.
Who founded Safely?
Safely was co-founded by Kris Jenner, Emma Grede, and Chrissy Teigen. Teigen left the company in June 2021 after a cyberbullying scandal, leaving Jenner and Grede to run the brand.
When was Safely founded?
Safely launched in March 2021 with a plant-based product line that included hand soap, hand cream, universal cleaner, glass cleaner, and dish soap.
Sources
- Adweek, “Safely Cleaning Products and Kris Jenner Partner To Promote Brand Expansion at Walmart”. Kris Jenner’s marketing strategy, “billion reach” quote, and brand positioning.
- Modern Retail, “Safely Expands Further Into Physical Retail With Walmart Partnership,” February 2022. Walmart launch, retail strategy, CEO Mike Forbes quotes.
- Today, “Chrissy Teigen Steps Away From Cleaning Supplies Company Safely,” June 2021. Teigen departure details and official statement.
- Variety, “Chrissy Teigen Apologizes for Twitter Bullying of Courtney Stodden,” May 2021. Teigen apology and bullying details.
- Green Matters, “How Emma Grede and Kris Jenner’s Brand Safely Is Cleaning up the Home Care Industry,” October 2023. B Corp certification, retail expansion to 6,000+ locations, sustainability targets.
- Green Seal, “Safely on Creating Affordable Luxury Homecare Products”. Product positioning, Jelina Saliu quotes.
- PR Newswire, “Bed Bath & Beyond And Safely Announce An Exclusive Retail Partnership,” August 2021. First retail partnership details.
- Happi, “Kris Jenner’s Household Cleaning Brand Safely Debuts on Amazon,” April 2025. Amazon launch.
- Happi, “Safely’s Multi-Surface Wipes Are Now Shoppable on Amazon,” October 2025. Product expansion and current status.
- Newsweek, “Kris Jenner Reveals Obsession She Shares With One of Her Daughters”. Jenner’s cleaning obsession, Kourtney anecdote.
- Sourcing Journal, “Kris Jenner’s Safely Brand Introduces Denim Care Products”. Denim care crossover with Good American.
- MoneyMade, “How Emma Grede’s Tapestry of Investments Made Her Worth $360M”. Grede ownership stakes and net worth.