In the last decade, the rise of social media has taken the beauty industry by storm. The word “influencer” is now being thrown around just as frequently as James Charles’ 10% off Morphe code. With the online beauty community having its fair share of drama, most notably and oddly about hair vitamins, it is safe to say there is never a dull moment. Instagram, Youtube and Tiktok are riddled with sponsored content.
People often wonder “does this influencer genuinely like the fountain or do they like the paycheck after this brand deal is over?”. It has turned teenagers into millionaires in under a year and the competition to be the next biggest beauty influencer has never been more intense!
Every Christmas season, makeup companies battle it out to be in your checkout basket. From releasing limited edition holiday sets, winter scented lipsticks and most recently beauty advent calendars, there is something to put in everyone’s stocking. This year was no different as many brands did NOT hold back on extravagant Christmas marketing to persuade you to get that gingerbread palette.
Speaking of extravagant, Kylie Jenner, founder of Kylie Cosmetics, dressed up as The Grinch Who Stole Christmas for her latest Kylie x The Grinch Collection. Selling out in minutes, as usual, many fans were disappointed they could not get their hands on one of the festive eyeshadows or lip sets. In March 2019, then just at the age of 21, Jenner was crowned the youngest self made billionaire by Forbes magazine. Her success as an influencer is undeniable until Huda Beauty entered the chat.
According to Cosmetify, Huda Beauty is the most influential beauty brand, overtaking Kylie Cosmetics by a combined Instagram, Youtube and TikTok following of 53,263,342 to be exact! Created in 2013, founder Huda Kattan has built up a $1.2 billion dollar empire. Her love for makeup coupled with a degree in business and finance, Kattan has established herself to be the ultimate boss lady.
Born in Oklahoma, United States to Iraqi parents, Huda Kattan faced a lot of challenges in her childhood. She fell to make up as a way to bring her self confidence back up. Years later and miserable in a PR job in Dubai U.A.E, Kattan decided to ditch her 9-5 and become a makeup artist. In 2010, she set up a blog titled Huda Beauty, the beginning of a massive business venture.
Encouraged by her sister and her entrepreneurial attitude, Kattan launched her own line of synthetic and faux mink lashes through Sephora after encountering the problem of not being able to buy eyelashes herself. The overnight success of her eyelashes were noticed by many instantly. Most ironically, Kylie’s older sister Kim Kardashian raved about them!
Now, Huda Beauty has expanded its range to not only include makeup products but also skincare. Huda Kattan frequently posts makeup tutorials and tips on her Youtube channel. She is very involved in her business and has nailed influencing to complete perfection.
Without social media, Kattan wouldn’t have had every person drooling over her latest holiday release, the Naughty Nude Eyeshadow palette! This begs the question, who will be the next Huda Kattan?