Found in Beauty is a column where experts and creative minds share insights and their genesis in the game. Ahead, we have Huda Kattan, Founder and Chief Executive Officer at Huda Beauty.
Many influencer brands have come and gone, yet Huda Beauty remains relevant and one of the names leading the charge in the beauty space. Founder Huda Kattan has played a pivotal role since its establishment in 2013, creating products that often shape trends.
If you need a refresher on the revolutionary items that the brand has churned out, one need not look further than the Creamy Obsessions Eyeshadow Palette. Typical palettes in the market come in powder formats, but this execution turned the concept on its head. That, yes, you can completely do an entire eye look with creams. She also popularised and expanded under-eye correctors, bringing to the forefront shades such as Cherry Blossom for those with light skin and cool undertones.
Earlier in 2024, Huda took to Instagram to announce that she was returning as the brand’s CEO after she stepped down in 2020. “I needed to get some experts in place. I felt like I didn’t know better,” the founder acknowledged in the video. This was meant to allow the blogger-turned-entrepreneur to focus on what she loves most: leading product development and community building.
But with that arrangement, compromises were made. “It was very clear to everyone that there was like a little dance going on where we don’t want to step on each other’s toes. But ultimately it doesn’t work like that,” she continued in the clip. “I was obviously involved through the whole process [from 2020 to 2023], but it wasn’t always from my vision and my heart.” With Huda officially back in charge, she immediately got to work to rebrand her eponymous beauty brand. GloWish, a sub-brand under the Huda Beauty umbrella, was discontinued. Several other products that she “[doesn’t] feel a connection with” were also nixed. The brutally honest video ended with the founder declaring her intention for the future: “I am trusting myself.”
Now, as she is in the throes of the actual rebranding process—which includes the launch of the Easy Blur primer and foundation—Huda speaks to GRAZIA Malaysia to share her raison d’être.
“It just feels natural to rebrand. Being where we are, and the industry being where it is today, and the heights that influencer brands have scaled to, it just makes sense,” Huda starts. “But there are no new products planned right now.” Judging by what she stated in the aforementioned video, she could be in the midst of a reconfiguration. One of her most iconic offerings, the 18-pan palette, is already getting phased out—the Icy Nude Eyeshadow Palette will be the last one. As it stands, we may be saying goodbye to more items in the future.
Don’t fret. This just means that we can expect more innovations from Huda—it might just be a little further into the future. But one thing you can expect her to churn out is content. She has been actively posting on TikTok, from tutorials done in Arabic to reaction videos. “I love the whole aspect of media. I love getting in front of a camera and having fun. It feels like the only opportunity for me to connect with my community,” she shares. “I genuinely like connections, and content creating is one of the only ways I get to do it. I always like to listen to what people are saying.”
With ears actively on the ground, you can expect that she’s gathering intel on how to best move forward. Engaging with her audience—almost 60 million collectively on Instagram, and 11 million on TikTok—gives her a window into how different products apply to people of different skin tones and environmental factors, as well as the audience’s various preferences. “It truly is a brand for our community,” she claims.
Serving the community in her own way through Huda Beauty has been a personal mission for her. It’s not breaking news that marketing beauty products can be a tightrope to walk on. But even so, there is a right way to approach it. And Huda thinks she’s hit the nail on the head. “Why is it always from this place of an absence of beauty? Why can’t it be from a place of joy, excitement, and empowerment?” she pokes.
While there are plenty of individuals who can neatly arrange a verbal bouquet, it’s a whole other thing to walk the talk. In 2021, the Iraqi-American entrepreneur stopped using beauty filters in her postings. Now, three years later, she’s dropped the Easy Routine where customers can achieve filter-like flawless skin without a filter. We’ve already discussed the harms of virtual beauty filters, and how some go even as far as distorting our characteristics. This way, we can have the blurred and perfected complexion that everyone strives for without augmenting the features that make us special.
Over a decade later, Huda still leans on her Mona, her sister. Mona, who is the founder of the fragrance house Kayali, is the one who nudged Huda into entrepreneurship. “There’s this saying that I love that my sister always tells me: ‘Just when a caterpillar thought she was going to die, she became a butterfly,’” she shares. “You may not know it at the time. It can feel like your world is ending many times over, but you end up becoming the person you were supposed to become. I think Huda Beauty is going to be the company we should have been in the future.”
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