Huda Kattan (49.9 million followers)

Instagram followers: 49.9 million

Occupation: Makeup artist, beauty blogger, entrepreneur

Nationality: Iraqi-American

Huda Kattan is an Iraqi-American makeup artist, beauty blogger, entrepreneur and founder of the cosmetics line Huda Beauty.

Born in Oklahoma City to Iraqi parents, Kattan is the most well-known social media influencer in the Middle East. After struggling with extreme self-image issues due to bullying, Kattan found solace in her makeup tools. 

After moving to Dubai with her father in 2006, Kattan gained social media notoriety after her makeup tutorials and advice videos started gaining traction on Youtube.

Kattan moved back to Los Angeles a few years later where she studied makeup and worked for various celebrities including Eva Longoria and Nicole Richie. Kattan then returned to Dubai where she became employed by Revlon as a makeup artist.

In Dubai, Kattan started a beauty-related WordPress blog which she named “Huda Beauty” to share makeup tutorials and tips. After her popularity skyrocketed, Kattan developed a Dubai-based cosmetics firm called Huda Beauty, offering a variety of beauty products including false lashes, bronzers, lip contours and eyeshadow palettes. 

Kattan is regarded as an inspirational figure for the region’s business women and young girls. She was ranked number 1 on the “2017 Influencer Instagram Rich List,” earning an enormous $18,000 per Instagram post with a sponsored ad. 

According to Forbes, Kattan has a net worth of $550 million as of 2020, and she was ranked as one of America’s Richest Self-Made Women that year.