Mona Kattan

The co-founder of a megabrand, the US-Iraqi beauty mogul tells HELLO! how she built her career one product and perfume at a time

- SHRADDHA CHOWDHURY

Mona Kattan is a firebrand beauty mogul, who has had quite the journey in the world of glamour. Her mega-successful label Huda Beauty, co-founded by Mona and her sisters Huda and Alya, grew from a humble blog in 2013 to its current billion-dollar valuation at a remarkable pace, with a loyal community worldwide that swears by its products.

A fragrance aficionado like no other, Mona owns over 1,500 bottles of her favourite scents, safely stored in her magnificent temperature-controlled fragrance closet. She turned this passion into a profession with Kayali perfumes and is now spreading its aromas in India through Nykaa. Her most recent milestone, however, was marrying Dubai-based businessman Hassan Elamin on a special date, 2.02.2022.

Mona's staunch belief in self-affirmation aside, it was drive and determination that brought her to the pinnacle of success. We speak with her about her love story with scents, building a billion-dollar beauty brand, and life as a newlywed.

What's your first memory of falling in love with fragrances? My mother would wear this beautiful jasmine-scented fragrance that my dad got her when I was younger. I remember being so intrigued by how the scent instantly transformed my mood. I used to call it ‘magic in a bottle'.