Founded in 2018 by Mona Kattan, an Iraqi-American entrepreneur, co-founder of Huda Beauty and self-proclaimed “perfume princess”, Kayali is a Dubai-based fragrance house. Built around the ancient Middle Eastern ritual of layering scents as a form of self-expression, the brand has grown into one of the most globally recognised fragrance labels to emerge from the region. The brand now has over 26 fragrances across five collections, available in more than 2,700 stores across 30 countries and ranked among the top 10 fragrance brands at Sephora.
Basma Beauty
When Iraqi-Canadian entrepreneur Basma Hameed was two years old, a kitchen accident left her with third-degree burns across half of her face. When doctors told her nothing more could be done, she decided to solve the problem herself, pioneering a scar camouflage procedure that would eventually attract clients from royal families and Hollywood alike. Her hero Foundation Stick, available in 40 shades, developed over four years and is now stocked at Sephora.
Asteri
Founded in Saudi Arabia in 2023 by entrepreneur Sara Al Rashed, Asteri arrived as a fully formed statement — not a single hero product, but a complete makeup collection launched in one bold move. The brand’s name means ‘my star’ in Arabic, and it was built around a woman Al Rashed felt was missing from the beauty conversation: the modern Arab woman who doesn’t fit traditional stereotypes, who lives in a desert climate, who wants performance as much as she wants poetry. Every formula is vegan, cruelty-free and designed to be desert-proof — densely pigmented, long-lasting and built to withstand the region’s heat without compromise.