Huda Kattan started her beauty business with a $6,000 loan, building a cosmetics brand that would eventually attract tens of millions of followers online.
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that → start → followers
In 2017, the company brought in investment firm TSG Consumer Partners, which acquired a minority stake as Huda Beauty continued to expand.
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Beauty → bring → stake
Eight years later, that partnership ended, with Kattan regaining full ownership of the business.
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Kattan → end → business
As reported in June 2025, the change followed a restructuring involving Kayali, the fragrance brand co-founded by her sister Mona Kattan.
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change → report → sister
The move puts Huda Beauty back under founder ownership, giving the company a different financial and operational footing as it concentrates on cosmetics.
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it → put → cosmetics
How Huda Kattan turned a $6,000 loan into a global beauty brand
Huda Beauty was founded in 2013, following Kattan’s work as a makeup artist and beauty blogger.
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Beauty → turn → artist
Initially, the brand became known for its false eyelashes.
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brand → know → eyelashes
By giving beauty advice and product recommendations online, she created her audience and gradually turned her interest into a business.
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she → give → business
Kattan’s online presence played a significant part in the company’s growth.
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presence → play → growth
Her tutorials and product content helped introduce Huda Beauty to customers, while the brand developed a presence beyond social media through retail and e-commerce.
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brand → introduce → retail
By June 2025, its Instagram account had reached 54.2 million followers, according to Forbes Middle East.
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account → reach → East
The business grew from its modest beginnings into an established cosmetics company.
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business → grow → company
Its early $6,000 loan became part of the story of how Kattan began building the brand, although the company’s later ownership arrangements reflected a much larger operation.
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arrangements → become → operation
TSG Consumer Partners’ minority stake in Huda Beauty ended in 2025
Huda Beauty entered into a partnership with TSG Consumer Partners in 2017.
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Beauty → end → 2017
The investment firm acquired a minority interest in the company, giving it a stake in the business while Kattan remained closely involved in its direction and public identity.
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Kattan → acquire → direction
The partnership continued for eight years.
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partnership → continue → years
During that period, Huda Beauty expanded its product offering and maintained a substantial following in a competitive beauty market.
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Beauty → expand → market
Kattan remained a central figure in the business, working alongside her husband, Christopher Goncalo, who serves as co-CEO.
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who → remain → CEO
The arrangement ended in 2025, when the company confirmed that it had reached an agreement to bring TSG’s involvement to a close.
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it → end → close
The financial terms of the buyback were not disclosed in the Forbes Middle East report, and the amount paid for the investor’s stake was not specified.
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amount → disclose → stake
How Kayali’s separation helped reshape Huda Beauty’s ownership
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separation → reshape → ownership
The return to full founder ownership followed a change involving Kayali, the fragrance company co-founded by Kattan and her sister Mona in 2018.
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return → follow → 2018
In February 2025, Huda Beauty announced that it was divesting its interest in the fragrance business.
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it → announce → business
Kayali moved to a separate ownership structure, with Mona Kattan co-owning the brand alongside growth equity firm General Atlantic.
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Kattan → move → Atlantic
Mona continued as its chief executive, allowing the fragrance business to pursue its own expansion plans.
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business → continue → plans
The restructuring also enabled Huda Beauty to repurchase the shares held by TSG Consumer Partners.
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restructuring → enable → Partners
With the investor’s minority stake bought back, the cosmetics company returned to full founder ownership.
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company → buy → ownership
The separation left Huda Beauty focused on its core cosmetics operations and Kayali operating independently under Mona’s leadership.
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Kayali → leave → leadership
The ownership shift leaves Huda Beauty’s leadership unchanged
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shift → leave → leadership
Kattan continues to run Huda Beauty as co-CEO alongside her husband, Christopher Goncalo.
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Kattan → continue → husband
Her sister Alya Kattan leads global social strategy, maintaining a role in the digital activity that has been closely associated with the brand since its early years.
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that → lead → years
The ownership change did not come with an announced change to the senior leadership structure.
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change → come → structure
Instead, it altered who owns the company, bringing an end to TSG’s position as a minority shareholder.
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who → alter → shareholder
In a statement reported by Forbes Middle East, Kattan said she was committed to pushing boundaries while staying true to the brand’s roots and community.
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she → report → roots
The announcement presented the buyback as the beginning of a new phase for the business, although the company did not disclose the financial details of the transaction.
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company → present → transaction
An established brand returns to founder control
Huda Beauty’s return to full founder ownership marks a change from the investment arrangement established in 2017.
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return → return → 2017
Outside investors can provide resources and support for expansion, but they also acquire an ownership interest in the businesses they back.
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they → provide → businesses
Buying out TSG has brought that shared ownership arrangement to an end.
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Buying → buy → end
The company’s journey from a business launched with a $6,000 loan to an established cosmetics name provides the background to the decision.
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journey → launch → decision
Its large online audience and product range reflect the growth achieved since 2013, while the 2025 transaction resets its ownership structure.
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transaction → reflect → structure
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