Beauty has become one of the region’s most exciting spaces, especially in the UAE, thanks to a global consumer landscape and a growing demand for brands that merge cultural heritage with modern formulation and elevated aesthetics. As the market grows, South Asian-owned beauty brands are claiming a space of their own, with a balance of tradition, innovation, and identity-driven storytelling.
Within this evolving landscape, Soigné Middle East highlights standout names such as Rosemin Beauty, Vimi Joshi Beauty, Arooba Beauty, Bella World, Barkha Beauty and Skin Story, each contributing to a more nuanced and expressive definition of beauty in the region.
Rosemin Beauty
Rosemin Opgenhaffen began her career in the beauty industry after being in the luxury, fashion, and beauty world for 25 years. With experience across PR, editorial, television, and collaborations with some of the world’s leading designers and makeup artists, she gained an understanding of what women want and what the market has been missing.
Her label, Rosemin Beauty, has officially launched in the UAE market, debuting at Ulta Beauty in Dubai Mall and Mall of the Emirates. The brand is built around three pillars—precision, performance and simplicity—with a focused lineup designed for warmer skin tones, a demographic still often overlooked in the global beauty market.
“I created Rosemin Beauty to deliver “intelligent coverage” luxury, high-performance essentials that address real concerns like pigmentation and dark circles while enhancing natural beauty. It’s the culmination of decades of industry experience and nearly three years of careful product development,” says Rosemin Opgenhaffen.
Vimi Joshi Beauty
Vimi Joshi Beauty was inspired after the founder spent more than 20 years traveling around the world as the Global Senior artist for MAC cosmetics. The brand was created to address a clear gap in the industry, products designed specifically for warmer, richer undertones across South Asian, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, and Latino skin tones.
“I was constantly having to mix different shades that did not read immediately onto these skin tones. It was also very surprising to see how many products looked amazing in the packaging and completely “washed you out” when applied onto these skin tones,” highlights Vimi Joshi.
Deeply rooted in her South Asian heritage, Vimi Joshi Beauty celebrates the narrative of beauty maximalism, drawing inspiration from the richness of culture, self-expression, and the vibrancy of South Asian weddings and traditions. Vimi Joshi describes her brand as a “Love Letter to our South Asian culture and the forgotten girls.”
Arooba Beauty
Arooba Anwar, founder of UAE-born beauty label Arooba Beauty, crafts eyeshadows with clean, skincare-infused formulas. Built around the idea of “clean glam,” the brand reflects Arooba’s personal journey, shaped by a strong commitment to quality and performance, alongside a growing belief that beauty products should not only enhance the way we look, but care for the skin too.
“Clean glam, to me, means achieving a polished, high-impact look in the easiest way possible. That’s why our palettes combine creams and powders within one format, allowing for layering, blending, and even creating custom tones. It gives the user the ability to build rich, dimensional eye looks quickly, without needing multiple products or advanced technique.”
Having grown up in the UAE, Arooba Anwar understood early that beauty in the region centers on eye expression and glamour, shaping her vision for a Middle Eastern-inspired brand with rich pigments, light-reflective textures, with palettes like Desert Goddess, inspired by the region’s tones.
She has faced challenges along the way, particularly language barriers with an Arab-majority audience and assumptions tied to being a young founder. Still, the South-Asian founder believes that strong research, a clear vision, and consistent execution are what build credibility in a market as competitive as the UAE.
BELLA
Sabina Ranger is the founder of BELLA, a beauty brand established in 2018, built on innovation and high-performance formulas, and best known for its hero product, the BELLA WANDERLASH Mascara launched in 2021.
BELLA is rooted in two pillars—performance and goodness. All products are vegan, cruelty-free, made in Italy, and crafted with ethically sourced ingredients like rose quartz, blueberry oil and gel technology. The brand also supports mental health initiatives through the BELLA fund, donating 1% of all sales.
“Too often, our differences are questioned, minimized, or misunderstood—when in reality, they are our greatest strength. Our superpower. BELLA was created to shift that narrative. This is a space where individuality is embraced. Where people feel seen. Where self-expression has no limits,” comments Sabrina.
BELLA products are available across leading retailers, including H&M Beauty, ULTA Beauty, L’Etoile, Watsons, Faces, Nysaa with additional regional partners set to be announced soon.
Barkha Beauty
Barkha Shewakramani founded Barkha Beauty from a deeply personal place. Her journey with lupus inspired a commitment to create beauty products that feel safe, skin-conscious and effective, grounded in a vision that brings together inclusivity, intention and a modern sense of luxury. Launched in 2019, Barkha Beauty is a contemporary brand centred on high-performance, clean lip products, with vegan, cruelty-free and paraben-free formulas designed to deliver rich pigment, comfort and lasting wear across all skin tones.
“Barkha Beauty has always been about creating inclusive, high-performance beauty that feels both personal and accessible. Being part of this feature is a proud moment—it reflects a larger movement towards representation and conscious beauty on a global stage.”
There is also an influence of Indian heritage running through the brand, expressed through products that speak to a wider range of skin tones with more care and accuracy. At its core, Barkha Beauty responds to a gap in the market for richly pigmented products that feel elevated, easy to wear and genuinely inclusive.
Skin Story
Skin Story was founded by sisters Nidhi Sethi and Rashi Sethi, each coming to beauty from a different challenge. Rashi struggled to find non-toxic products that worked for her sensitive skin, while Nidhi found the search for shades suited to deeper skin tones just as limiting.
After years of navigating harsh formulas and narrow shade ranges, the two decided to create what they had been missing. The result is Skin Story, a brand built around skin health, inclusivity and a more honest response to the everyday beauty needs of women like them.
“Our brand focuses on formulating with intention, testing across diverse skin types, and making sure every customer feels considered. Our goal is to create simple, effective makeup solutions that feel good on your skin,” reflects the founders.
Images are all supplied.
