Middle Eastern beauty vlogger Huda Kattan is one of the biggest names in the business. Kattan’s popularity, with more than 1.5 million YouTube fans and 16 million Instagram followers, has helped her to launch commercially as a beauty brand with Huda Beauty. Recently speaking to the Business of Fashion, Kattan gave her top tips for standing out amid the saturated beauty market.
Look for a gap in the market
The burgeoning glam empire was formed with Kattan’s sisters Mona and Alya in 2013 with a line of false lashes, and has grown to include makeup of all kinds. Kattan comments it was about finding something lacking within the industry: “At the time, there were barely any lash brands available and I realised there was a huge gap in the market and a lot of demand.”
Be involved in your brand
Despite her team having grown to 44 full-time staff (27 in head office and 17 in the warehouse), Kattan says she is still incredibly involved with product creation. “I design every single detail of every single product myself,” she tells BoF. “If I’m not offering something different that would add value to my customers, there’s no way I’m going to sell it. It’s the only way I can guarantee the best for my followers.”
Be social media savvy
Being on the pulse of the latest in social media innovation is key for Kattan. “I’ve been into social media from the very beginning. I was one of the first people on Facebook when it was only available to Massachusetts universities. We are part of that generation where people spread information and share opinions online. I wanted women to have a source they could trust and depend on for whatever they needed to know about makeup,” she says.
