7 West Asian-Owned Brands Changing the Beauty Landscape
“Glass skin. Glazed donut skin. Glowy skin. We’ve heard it all. But what about your own skin? This June, EnVi celebrates the beauty of you.”
Exemplifying creativity and diversity, West Asian-owned beauty brands stand out with purpose-driven formulas and a deep connection to their culture. In the past few years, as the Asian cosmetics market found its footing globally, West Asian entrepreneurs emerged with innovative formulations that not only embrace traditional skincare and wellness practices but also cater to those looking for products challenging beauty stereotypes.
From the worldwide favorite Huda Beauty to the Bahraini-founded Green Bar, EnVi rounds up seven West Asian-owned beauty brands changing the way we approach beauty — and totally worth adding to your vanity.
Peacefull
In her pursuit of self-love, United Arab Emirates personality Salama Mohamed founded the skincare brand Peacefull. Born with vitiligo, Mohammed wanted to encourage people to love and embrace their own skin — hence the extra “L” in Peacefull. UAE-based and Korean-made, the brand formulates products with cutting-edge Korean technology. Peacefull has covered every step of a skincare routine, from cleansing to treatments, and now also curates hair accessories. Joining forces with women’s refugee organization RefuSHE, Mohamed created Threads of Hope, a T-shirt towel project that creates sustainable hair towels to support skill-building for women refugees.
Huda Beauty
Palestinian American Huda Kattan launched Huda Beauty, one of the world’s fastest-growing beauty brands, in 2013. Inspired by her custom lash stacks, the celebrity makeup artist and beauty blogger originally launched a collection of lashes at Sephora in Dubai Mall. After a successful debut, the then-eyelash line expanded into a comprehensive makeup brand. Following the success of Huda Beauty, Kattan also established a skincare brand called WISHFUL. Since its launch over a decade ago, Huda Beauty has evolved into an ever-growing beauty empire — and shows no sign of stopping.
Simihaze Beauty
You may have heard of Simi and Haze Khadra from their street-style snaps or DJ gigs — including Coachella and Jennie Kim’s Calvin Klein launch party. However, the Saudi Arabian sister duo has also pivoted to the world of beauty entrepreneurship. Simihaze Beauty was born in 2021 to fill the void in the sisters’ makeup bags. For years, Simi and Haze mashed different lipsticks together to achieve the perfect formulas. This pastime inspired them to release an initial line of velvet blur lipsticks and glossy lip balms. Now, the skincare-infused makeup brand has made a name for itself with its neoteric packaging and cult following.
Gisou
Established in 2015 by Dutch-Iranian blogger Negin Mirsalehi, Gisou has taken social media by storm with honey-centric beauty products. The glassy golden hair products hold a thoughtful meaning behind their virality on social media, honoring Mirsalehi’s heritage and extending her inherited savoir-faire. The Mirsalehi family’s beekeeping legacy runs deep — six generations to be exact — plus, Negin’s mother, a hairstylist, formulated homemade honey-infused haircare. That’s why all of Gisou’s products feature honey and propolis to nourish the hair and body. The name gisou — the Persian word for honey — also serves as a nod to Mirsalehi’s Iranian roots.
Hair Oil
Hair Mask
Lip Oil
Green Bar
Aiming to share Bahraini healing practices and culture, Reem Al Khalifa created Green Bar in 2006. Since then, the brand has been crafting and selling natural products at its brick-and-mortar site, which features a lab, garden and spa. Green Bar aims to offer products that reinvent the use of forgotten ingredients and reimagine Bahraini healing culture through a modern lens. Working with local farmers to source material, Khalifa consistently pays homage to her heritage with herbs and cold-pressed oil-infused formulations.
Elixir
MZN Bodycare
Muzon Ashgar fell into the world of body care after holding a spa party and gifting her friends handmade products. After receiving a positive response, the Saudi Arabian founder set her mind on establishing her own business. Now, MZN Bodycare produces high-quality, cruelty-free and vegan skincare and bodycare products. Targeting dryness and skin sensitivity, MZN Bodycare features ingredients traditionally used in Arabian culture — think of date seed, prickly pear oils or pomegranate extract — and manufactures products in an all-female facility.
Body Oil
Scrub
Ella + Mila
Armenian entrepreneur Narineh Bedrossian started the nail polish brand Ella + Mila in 2014. Before Ella + Mila was a brand, Bedrossian’s daughters wanted to paint their nails. However, the beauty founder didn’t want her twins — Ella and Mila — to use traditional nail products, which often include harsh chemicals. Thus, she created Ella + Mila, a 17-free and cruelty-free nail polish company. The brand promises a chip-resistant finish without chemicals such as formaldehyde and acetone and has now expanded beyond nails to launch a wider range of beauty products.
Nail Decals
Interested in more beauty content? Check out how tomato-infused style is taking over fashion and beauty here.
*All products featured on EnVi are independently selected by our editors. However, we may earn a commission from qualifying purchases.
