A week after Cosmetify’s Q1 2025 Beauty Index named Huda Beauty the most recognisable name in cosmetics, founder Huda Kattan has bought back the minority stake once held by private-equity firm TSG Consumer Partners, restoring the Dubai-born label to 100 percent founder ownership.
The deal, inked 3 June, ends an eight-year partnership that began in 2017 when TSG took a reported sub-20 percent slice to fuel global expansion. In a statement Kattan called the move “a dreamer’s proof point”—code for steering future launches without shareholder speed bumps.
In 2010 Huda Kattan quit a finance job to blog DIY beauty tricks; three years later, her false-lash line hit Sephora Dubai Mall and sold out in a day. Lip Contour pencils went viral in 2016, turning a kitchen-table startup into a colour-cosmetics juggernaut. By the time TSG invested, the brand had planted gondolas in 2,000-plus stores and amassed a cult of 67 million social followers—numbers even legacy houses covet.
Commenting on this milestone moment, Huda Kattan notes: “While many of us dreamers have visions that we are told are too big or not possible to do alone, in actuality, you have all the power you need to change the world yourself! This brand was built on passion, creativity, and a desire to challenge the beauty industry,” adding that she’s “more committed than ever to pushing boundaries, staying true to our roots, and showing up for our incredible community every step of the way.”
The Huda Beauty Timeline and Counting
💄 2010: Finance-grad-turned-blogger starts posting DIY brow hacks on a bedroom blog.
💄 2013: A US $6k sister-funded lash line lands in Sephora Dubai Mall—sells out in a single day.
💄 2016–2020: Viral Lip Contour pencils, #FauxFilter foundations, and a strategic glow-up into skin care (Wishful) turn the kitchen-table hustle into a billion-dollar beauty engine.
💄 2017: TSG buys a sub-20 percent slice, fuelling global gondolas and head-turning pop-ups from London to Los Angeles.
💄 Feb 2025: The Kayali fragrance line spins off to sister Mona Kattan and General Atlantic, freeing capital for what insiders now call the “full-circle moment.”
