From Isolation to Icon: How Huda Kattan Turned Childhood Pain into a Beauty Empire

“I’ve come to terms with being misunderstood.” — Huda Kattan

For many, Huda Kattan is the glamorous, fearless face of a billion-dollar beauty brand. But behind the makeup, the followers, and the global empire lies a woman shaped not by glitter — but by grit.

In a deeply personal interview on #ABtalks with Anas Bukhash, Huda peeled back the layers of her public persona to share a journey rarely seen: one rooted in childhood alienation, identity struggles, and the ongoing pursuit of peace in a high-pressure world.

An Outsider From the Start

Born in Oklahoma and raised in Tennessee, Huda grew up in environments where no one looked like her — Muslim, Iraqi, and named “Huda” in classrooms where fitting in meant blending in.

“I felt very isolated… Kids would go out of their way to remind me that I didn’t belong.”

The desire to be accepted started early. She even began using her middle name, Heidi, in a bid to feel less foreign. But that yearning to be seen didn’t disappear — it simply transformed into fuel. Fuel to create. To prove. To rise.

The Wound That Became the Why

As Huda reflects, many of her entrepreneurial instincts — her perfectionism, her rebelliousness, her drive — stemmed from early emotional wounds.

“I had a betrayal moment with my parents. I found a voice recorder hidden in my stuffed animals. I felt so hurt... and I think that’s where my control issues started.”

The connection is raw and real: the wounds of our childhood become the blueprint of our leadership. For Huda, feeling unseen and unheard gave rise to a leadership style obsessed with precision, passion, and proving her worth — first to herself, then to the world.

Launching Huda Beauty: No Trail to Follow

In 2010, long before the wave of influencer-founded brands, Huda launched a beauty blog from Dubai. She had no roadmap, no funding, and no Arab woman in the industry to model after.

“I remember telling a friend: this doesn’t make sense. And she said, ‘There’s no trail, Huda. You’re trailblazing.’”

That trail led to lashes, then a global launch in Sephora, and eventually to Huda Beauty becoming one of the most recognizable beauty brands in the world.

But success came with an internal cost.

The Turning Point: A No-Makeup, No-Filter Photo Shoot

In 2019, while preparing to launch her skincare line, Huda did a bold photo shoot: no makeup, no Photoshop. For someone in the beauty industry, it was more than a brand statement — it was a personal reckoning.

“I looked at that woman in the photos — bare, raw, vulnerable — and realized I hadn’t shown her love. That moment changed me.”

It wasn’t just a branding decision. It was a spiritual shift. Huda began to step further into authenticity, both in business and in self.

Integrity Over Image: Speaking Out for Gaza

Perhaps the most defining moment in Huda’s recent journey came when she chose to publicly support Palestine — despite fears it could damage her brand.

“I cared so much about people liking me. Then one day, I just said: I don’t care what I lose.”

With a global customer base — much of it in the West — the decision was risky. Friends, advisors, and even Palestinians warned her to stay quiet. But she couldn’t.

“Facing that fear... it gave me freedom. For the first time, I could be myself.”

It was, in her words, “a moment that changed my life.”

Entrepreneurship Without the Romance

Huda is clear-eyed about entrepreneurship: it’s not freedom, it’s not balance — it’s war.

“Someone once told me they wanted to start a business for work-life balance. I laughed. That’s not entrepreneurship. That’s self-employment.”

Even with her success, Huda says the entrepreneurial grind never ends. What keeps her going isn’t profit — it’s purpose.

“I don’t need more money. I’m here because I want to change the industry. If I leave, who will hold it accountable?”

What She Wants You to Know

For wantrepreneurs and entrepreneurs alike, Huda offers this hard-won wisdom:

• Be brutally honest with yourself. “I never bullshit myself. Ever.”
• Do the inner work. Huda credits her 10-year relationship with a life coach — sometimes seeing her daily — with keeping her emotionally balanced.
• Redefine strength. “I used to think being emotional meant weakness. Now, I see that vulnerability is power.”
• Don’t build for applause. “I used to want to be Steve Jobs. Now, I just want to create ripple effects of good. Even if no one remembers my name.”

The Legacy She's Leaving

What makes Huda Kattan’s story extraordinary isn’t that she built a global brand — it’s how she’s deconstructing the very systems that built her.

She’s no longer trying to fit in. She’s not trying to be liked.

She’s trying to be real — and that might be the most revolutionary thing an entrepreneur can do.