In the fickle world of beauty, Huda Kattan is not just an influencer; she is a titan. With a net worth estimated at $560 million (KES 81.2 billion), the Iraqi-American mogul has rewritten the rulebook of modern business. Her journey from a dissatisfied finance executive to the owner of a billion-dollar brand is a masterclass in the power of the personal brand.

Why does this matter now? Because Kattan represents the shift from "corporate-created" products to "creator-led" economies. She didn't just sell makeup; she sold a narrative of self-acceptance and authenticity that resonated with the global south, including millions of fans in Africa and the Middle East. Her success proves that in 2026, the most valuable real estate is not a storefront, but a loyal Instagram following.

From Finance to False Lashes

Kattan’s story is one of grit. Unhappy in her finance job in Dubai, she quit to study makeup in Los Angeles. She returned to Dubai and launched a blog, "Huda Beauty," in 2010. It wasn't an overnight success. It was years of tutorials, reviews, and building trust. The pivot came in 2013 when she couldn't find false lashes she liked, so she made her own. Her sisters, Alya and Mona, loaned her $6,000 (KES 870,000) to launch. Today, that loan has yielded a return on investment that would make Wall Street blush.

The Empire by the Numbers

• Valuation: The company was valued at $1.2 billion (KES 174 billion) in 2017 after TSG Consumer Partners acquired a minority stake.
• Reach: Over 50 million Instagram followers, a digital army that allows her to bypass traditional advertising costs.
• Product: More than 140 SKUs, ranging from full-coverage foundation (a hit in diverse markets like Kenya) to skincare under the "Wishful" line.

The Kenyan Lesson

For Kenyan entrepreneurs, Kattan is the blueprint. She leveraged a gap in the market (quality lashes) and used social media to scale at zero marginal cost. She didn't wait for a retailer to validate her; she validated herself. In a local market teeming with beauty startups, Kattan’s trajectory offers a clear lesson: Authenticity scales. If you can build a community, the commerce will follow.

Today, Huda Kattan stands as one of America’s richest self-made women, but her heart—and her business HQ—remains in Dubai, bridging the East and the West, one contour kit at a time.