Beauty of being selfless
A brand founder tells Syida Lizta Amirul Ihsan where her true focus lies in the face of the pandemic
HUDA Kattan needs no introduction. The make-up artist founded Huda Beauty, one of the most successful beauty brands around, and is continuously finding commercial and social media success.
Huda has 48 million followers on Instagram and has appeared on the cover of various magazines.
Her beauty brand, which started with false eyelashes, is now valued at US$1 billion and is sold at Sephora, Harrod’s and Net-a-Porter.
Huda started Huda Beauty in 2013 with her sisters Mona and Alya. Its first collection of hand-designed false eyelashes, launched at Sephora, was an overnight success, changing the lash market.
Riding on that success, she stepped into the competitive market of make-up, starting with the coveted Lip Contours.
Its debut at Sephora at the Dubai Mall — the largest in the world — catapulted the brand to record-breaking heights globally.
“I knew I wanted to sell in Sephora because that’s where I shopped. I didn’t know much else,” she said in a YouTube video last September.
She also announced then that she was stepping down as the brand’s chief executive to concentrate on content and products, things she is passionate about and “would do for the rest of my life for free”.
In Malaysia, both Huda Beauty and Wishful, the brand’s skincare line, are available at Sephora stores, sephora.my and Sephora in-app.
COVID-19 AND BEAUTY
In an e-mail interview, Huda says Covid-19 not only shifted consumer behaviour but forced everyone to reset, paying more attention to mental health and stability.
“These are the more important things we need when faced with this type of crisis. Through this unexpected and uncontrollable hardship, I’ve learnt the true power of the people.
“Last year, we’ve chosen to put our people first. It was and is the right thing to do. We stopped worrying about our short-term goals and we invested more in our people because we have our focus set on the long-term benefits of this approach.”
Huda made sure her team felt safe and that their jobs were secure despite the pandemic. She also forfeited her own salary for the year, with her family following suit.
“With everything going on in the world, job stability was the last thing I wanted my team to worry about. It’s really the people who make the place and Huda Beauty wouldn’t be where it is today without the people we work with every single day. As a leader, it’s my job to make sure they know that,” she says.
KEEPING THE SAME PACE
Born and raised in the United States, Huda began her career as a make-up artist working with clients such as Eva Longoria and Nicole Richie.
She launched her YouTube channel and website in 2010, which have now become destinations for beauty content and storytelling.
For her brand, she created groundbreaking products — everything from body foundation and lip contouring pencils to melted eyeshadow and 3D highlighters.
Huda says keeping herself focused on making high-quality and high-performance products will take the company far.
“We launched a lighter coverage foundation in October last year. It was what many people were looking for since they were wearing less make-up and going for a more natural, subtle, work-from-home look.
“As the world and our consumers change, our goal is to continue to be there to offer them what they need as soon as, or even before they need it.”
She says more people are wearing less make-up but are using more skincare.
“We could not have launched Wishful at a better time. We’re still conscious of the economic situation but happy that we can still provide products that our community want right now — items that make them feel good about themselves amid all the chaos,” she says.
LOOKING FAR
Huda says she is focused on long-term goals where possible because they will be “the true indicators of the brand’s successes coming out of a really hard year like 2020”.
“It hasn’t been easy, that’s for sure. But if we focus on our goals and what’s ahead, we believe it’ll set us up for more great things to come.
“We want to continue to keep a close pulse on our community to meet everyone’s goals, including ours. We take their comments and feedback to heart and try to do what we can to bring them what they want and need.”
As someone who makes beauty products and creates content based on them, Huda’s vision of beauty is not merely skin deep.
“You have to learn to love yourself for who you are deep down. Embrace who you are and let it shine. Make-up and skincare are only tools to get you there, but you have to want it deep down.”