Get to know Huda Kattan: The Self-Made Beauty Billionaire Committed to Challenging the Beauty Industry
Huda Kattan is not your average beauty business founder.
There are some names that leave a lasting impression within the beauty world. At TIB, we’d probably argue that Huda Kattan is one such person.
Her brand Huda Beauty is celebrated worldwide and boasts several beautiful collections of cosmetics, skincare products, and fragrances. The thing is, it's not just her products that have recently grabbed attention.
The makeup enthusiast has not only built a beauty empire (and become a self-made billionaire in the meantime) but she’s also taking on beauty standards and trying to transform the industry from the inside. RESPECT!
Huda's commitment to challenging and redefining the beauty industry's standards is something that we love to celebrate at TIB. So let’s find out how Huda turned her entrepreneurial spirit into beauty industry activism and what’s in store for this iconic beauty mogul.
The person behind the brand
Nowadays, Huda Kattan is a beauty business owner, an entrepreneur, and a proud mom. However, she came from humble beginnings. Huda was one of four children born in Oklahoma City to parents of Iraqi descent. And, while she was creatively driven it initially looked like her life would take a more traditional route as she initially worked in finance. (PS. We’re glad that one didn’t work out 😉)
Unhappy in her job, and long before Huda Beauty came to fruition, she was reportedly fired from her corporate position. This, it turns out was a blessing in disguise as it forced her to reassess what was important. Free from the constraint of her former finance job, it wasn’t long before her passion for makeup pulled her in a completely different direction. Drawn to the beauty world, she decided to move to Los Angeles to study makeup. This decision would prove pivotal in her journey. In LA, she refined her skills, got insights into the beauty industry, and her beauty career really started kicking off.
As she honed her craft, Hollywood started to take notice. Huda ended up working with the likes of Eva Longoria among a growing list of celebrity clientele. These experiences not only solidified her reputation as a top-tier makeup artist but also laid the foundation for her eventual step into the beauty business world.
In 2010, Huda went back to Dubai and decided to use her beauty knowledge to kickstart a blogging career. Her hope was to share her expertise with others and help shape the beauty industry. It wasn’t long before her platform was seeing a growing amount of visitors come for her amazing beauty tutorials and tips.
The birth and influence of Huda Beauty
In 2013, Huda took a huge risk. Frustrated by the false eyelashes available on the market, she decided to borrow $6,000 from her sister to make her own line. “Working as a makeup artist, I wasn’t satisfied with the style and quality of lashes that were available at the time so I often ended up stacking and customizing the lashes myself to suit the client’s eye shape,” Huda explained.
Unsurprisingly, Huda was on to a winner. Stars such as Kim Kardashian came flocking for the new range of eyelashes and the brand ballooned from there. Sephora quickly spotted Huda’s potential and, honestly, the rest is history. In the last ten years, Huda Beauty has been recognized as one of the world’s fastest-growing beauty businesses, with an impressive following of 53.4 million people on Instagram alone.
Speaking about her experience in the beauty business, Huda also revealed that the beauty community is at the heart of all her decisions. She said: “My experience in the industry has allowed me to really appreciate and understand the industry and look at it from different angles. We have a very engaged community who are always telling us what they want to see, so we take a lot of inspiration from the comments we see on social media and only create products that there is a demand for.”
A voice of change
For some, owning a multi-million dollar business and being the face of an iconic beauty brand might be enough, but for Huda that was only the beginning. Thanks to her long career in the beauty world, Huda knew that things needed to change in the industry. The last few years have marked a turning point for Huda, as she started to focus on things that go deeper than face value.
Speaking to BBC News, Huda explained: “I’m here on a mission, and ultimately that’s to challenge the industry. I’m here for a purpose. I feel like for a long time brands created so many products and were just talking at people, selling them a distinct idea of what beauty is.”
And that’s exactly what Huda set out to redefine: the traditional concept of beauty. Her brand has gone beyond just producing high-quality products and is now focused on shifting perceptions, breaking barriers, and celebrating the diverse spectrum of beauty that exists globally. A number of recent campaigns and product lines have been a testament to that. But it's not just about inclusivity in products, as she’s also become a vocal advocate for body positivity and self-acceptance.
Interestingly she’s also opened up about having plastic surgery in the past, after feeling deeply insecure in her younger life. And, while some might argue that this counters the natural beauty narrative, she also seems to have learned from her experience and is using that to help others love themselves for who they are. “I think it’s really important to celebrate flaws. But first our goal is to create a look. Then hopefully we’ll get people to embrace more and more of who they are, slowly but surely, ” she explained.
In an industry where filters and digital modifications have become the norm, Huda has since started sharing unfiltered photos that challenged the unrealistic standards set by society. Speaking about her commitment to the body positivity movement, Huda told Grazia: “We’re here to tell everyone who has something unique about themselves that they are a part of this conversation, are leading the conversation, and are the future of beauty.”
Think that’s all? She doesn’t stop there. Huda Beauty has also recently shared its commitment to the sustainable beauty narrative. In 2021, Huda launched a new product that came with a powerful sustainable message. She said: “Sustainability is a HUGE thing for us at @hudabeauty and I am SOOOO proud of our commitment with GloWish to be sustainable on EVERY single aspect of the product, from the formula to the packaging to the outer packaging as well.
Huda Kattan’s incredible ascent in the beauty world is so much more than just a tale of success. It’s a testament to her commitment to shaping and transforming the way we perceive beauty. At TIB, we're inspired by Huda's drive and ambition, not just as a beauty brand owner, but as an advocate for change and a voice that challenges the status quo.
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