For Huda Kattan, everything begins with heart. That’s the philosophy that’s led her to turn what started as a simple love affair with makeup into one of the fastest-growing beauty brands in the world. It may be hard to believe that Huda Beauty started with just $50 in Kattan’s hands and a passion to empower other women.
But from the outset, Kattan knew she was onto something big – something that would arguably change the world of beauty forever. For her, this meant going against the norms of her culture and family traditions and being a pioneer amongst Middle Eastern women in beauty.
Today, Kattan is one of the first and most internationally recognizable makeup gurus and content-creators. Guided by her expertise and eye-for-detail, Huda Beauty is not only a record-breaking global brand today, but one that has regularly seen 1000% growth in sales between months. For Kattan this is the norm for her namesake company, not the exception. With her background as a Hollywood-trained makeup artist who had already worked with celebrities like Eva Longoria, Nicole Richie, and the Royal Family in her young career, Kattan decided to launch her YouTube channel and blog in 2010.
Although it began with only a couple dozen views a day, Kattan knew that by continuing to equip women with the right tools, her following would grow organically – and it did. With now well over 14 million followers and growing on Instagram alone, she is currently one of the top 100 beauty influencers in the world. As a makeup artist, Kattan would regularly customize her own false lashes. Frustrated that she could never find certain styles, she decided to build something to bridge the gap in the market.
Kattan turned out to be a natural entrepreneur, co-founding Huda Beauty in February 2013 with her sisters Mona and Alya Kattan. Her first collection of hand-design false eyelashes was an overnight success. The phenomenon changed the lash market on a global level. Seeing the success and ecstatic reception of her lashes, she decided to foray into an even more intimidating market: makeup. Her sophomore effort was her highly coveted Lip Contours catapulted the brand to global record-breaking heights.
With lines out the door, it proved to be a knock-out first day, selling out completely within four hours. Kattan continues to create groundbreaking products with cult-like followings. By constantly creating new content (often the culprit of the newest trends), and supporting other artists in the process, her international presence continues to rise. Today, her products are found in some of the world’s leading retailers. Born and raised in the United States, Kattan currently resides in Dubai where she continues to reinvent her beauty empire. “Beauty can change the way women feel about themselves,” she says. “I believe a woman who is confident can take over the world.”
“We feel honored and excited to be launching Huda Beauty at The Beauty Editor, Amsterdam. This innovative and dynamic brand fits perfectly with our brand philosophy and at a time when the Huda Beauty product portfolio is the fastest growing beauty brand to date, we’re incredibly enthused we’re able to offer this to our customers in the Dutch market” Fara Mahmood, The Beauty Editor Founder.
HUDA BEAUTY is available thru THE BEAUTY EDITORÂ