DUBAI: Huda and Mona Kattan, the Iraqi-American moguls behind cosmetics brand Huda Beauty, took to Instagram this week to reveal that their first-ever perfume will hit the shelves on Nov. 16.
Called “Kayali,” the new scent debuted on social media with its own Instagram page on Oct. 19 and the sisters have since been posting subtle hints about the perfume online.
“Citrus will surprise you… with a delicious mix of pink grapefruit and rose centifolia,” a photograph of psychedelic artwork by Sara Shakeel was captioned.
The glittering piece of art shows two halves of grapefruit looming over sparkling sand dunes in a pink-and-lilac color palette.
Huda, one of the most famous beauty influencers in the world with 28.4 million followers on Instagram, posted a snap in which she poses with what appears to be a halo of glitter behind her head.
“We launch our new experience of fragrances, inspired by the Middle East! Save the date Nov. 16,” she wrote on Instagram.
Co-founder Mona took to Instagram to confirm that the company is indeed releasing its debut scent back in July.
“It’s official guys!! We’re launching our own fragrance!! Years in the making! I’ve been dying to share this with you all! Check out the latest episode of @hudaboss for more behind the scenes!!! I can’t wait to share this with you all!!! We’ve put our hearts into this! Stay tuned for more details!! (sic),” she enthusiastically posted on Instagram, referring to the sisters’ reality TV show that was streamed on Facebook.
The show, which aired for the first time on June 12, gave viewers behind-the-scenes access to the Iraqi-American sisters, showing people the “good, bad, scary and ugly times” of running a family business in Dubai, where Huda, Mona and sister Alya are based.
Explaining the concept in a released statement at the time, Kattan said her show would be “really raw” and “really real,” but she promised that it all “comes from the heart.
“My family and I have been working so hard on it and it basically shows everything. It shows the reality of running a business with your family, the good times, the bad times, the scary times, the ugly times,” she said.
“It’s a real, honest series and I can’t wait for you guys to see it,” she added.
The fragrance reveal came in clip from the reality show, which Mona posted on her Instagram account in the summer. In it, we see her visit a perfume factory in Grasse, France, an area that is known for its rose blooms. Viewers also learn that 600 kilos of roses can result in the creation of a kilo of absolute — the highly concentrated aromatic oil extracted from plants.
“I love perfume. I love it so much that I have dedicated an entire room in my house to perfume,” Mona said in the episode. “I feel like this project is a special baby for us and having a brand born out of social media, it’s really important for us to capture content every step of the way.”
