Huda Kattan | |
|---|---|
 Huda in 2019 | |
| Born | October 2, 1983 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Alma mater | University of Michigan–Dearborn |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2010–present |
| Website | hudabeauty |
Huda Kattan (born October 2, 1983) is an Iraqi[1][2][3][4][5][6] makeup artist, beauty blogger, and entrepreneur.[7][8][9] She is the founder of the cosmetics line Huda Beauty.[7]
Huda Kattan was born on October 2, 1983, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma,[10] as one of four children.[11] Her parents are both from Iraq.[10] The family later moved to Cookeville, Tennessee, and then to Dartmouth, Massachusetts.[12] Kattan attended the University of Michigan–Dearborn where she majored in finance.[10][11][13]
In 2006, Kattan moved to Dubai with her father because he accepted a job opportunity as a teacher in the emirate.[11][12] A few years later, Kattan moved to Los Angeles, where she studied makeup.[9][10][12][14] Among her clients were celebrities such as Eva Longoria and Nicole Richie.[10] Kattan then returned to Dubai where she became employed by Revlon as a makeup artist.[9][11] In April 2010, upon the advice of one of her sisters, Kattan started a beauty-related WordPress blog which she named "Huda Beauty" on which she would post makeup tutorials and tips.[10][11][12][13][15]
In 2013, Kattan founded a cosmetics line which, like her blog, is also called "Huda Beauty."[7][11][12][13][16] Her first product, a series of false eyelashes,[11][12] was released through Sephora.[13][17] The Huda Beauty label achieved success with the sales of the false eyelashes, which were famously worn by Kim Kardashian.[13]
Huda's company, which is based in Dubai, later began to offer other beauty products, including eye shadow palettes, liquid lipsticks, lip liners, highlighter palettes, foundations, concealers, baking powders and liquid eyeshadows.[9][11][12][14][16][17]
Kattan achieved popularity on Instagram, attaining more than 47 million followers as of 2020.[7][8][11][14][17][18] Kattan is ranked #1 on the "2017 Influencer Instagram Rich List", earning $18,000 for each post of sponsored content.[11][19] Kattan has been described as "a Kim Kardashian of the beauty influencer economy",[12] and was declared one of the "ten most powerful influencers in the world of beauty" by Forbes magazine.[20] She was chosen as one of "The 25 Most Influential People on the Internet" by Time magazine in 2017.[11][18] Kattan has reportedly personally influenced whole brand and product lines sales in the region. In 2017, after she has mentioned Foreo product on her YouTube channel, brush sold out in a week in Harvey Nichols and Bloomingdale’s Dubai.[21] In 2020, Kattan was listed on Fortunes 40 under 40[22] In 2021, Kattan was ranked number one on cosmetify Beauty Influencer Rich List.[23]
In 2018, Kattan began starring in her own original Facebook Watch reality series entitled Huda Boss,[24] alongside her family.
In 2021, Kattan participated in a campaign to provide food and donated one million meals through her cosmetics company Huda Beauty.[25]
Through her cosmetics brand, Huda Beauty, Kattan has participated in various philanthropic efforts. In June 2020, Kattan announced that Huda Beauty will donate $500,000 to the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund.[26]
In 2021, Kattan and Huda Beauty started a petition for beauty brands to disclose when they've retouched or edited their images or videos, to help dismantle "toxic" social media beauty standards.[27] Through her beauty brand, she has also supported the Asian American community,[28] Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) and food drive initiatives such as 100 Million Meals.[29] Kattan has also used her social media platforms to speak up about the ethnic cleansing in Palestine.[30] In May 2021, Kattan and her company, Huda Beauty donated $100,000 to Help India Breathe, a COVID-19 relief fundraiser launched by former monk Jay Shetty and his wife, Radhika Devlukia-Shetty.[31]
In November 2023, Kattan donated $1,000,000 to two humanitarian organizations in Gaza, Doctors Without Borders and Human Appeal.[32][33]
In high school, Kattan met her husband, Christopher Goncalo, who is of Colombian heritage.[34] The couple moved to Dubai in 2006, got married in June 2009, and had their first child in 2011.[11] Kattan is Muslim.[13] One of Kattan's sisters is her business partner, Mona; while another sister manages Kattan's social media, Alya.[12]
In November 2023, Kattan was named to the BBC's 100 Women list.[35]