Huda Beauty founder Huda Kattan has used her social media platform to call out the “silence” surrounding the genocide in Gaza.
The Iraqi-American beauty entrepreneur reposted an image shared on the Palestine Promise Instagram account on 24 June to her profile, which has more than 4.7 million followers.
“The chain reaction didn’t start today – and it didn’t start last week when Israel struck Iran,” the image text on Palestine Promise’s post read, referring to Israel striking Iran with missiles on 13 June 2025.
“It started the moment they saw that erasing Palestine didn’t matter to you.
“That silence set the rules. Now there are none.”
Kattan wrote in the Instagram post’s caption: “Have you spoken up yet?”
Kattan has historically been vocal about the genocide, as concluded by Amnesty International research, happening in Palestine.
In 2023, the brand founder said she was willing to “risk [her] entire business” by remaining vocal on the country’s humanitarian crisis.
The brand owner stressed she was “not intimidated” by speaking about Israel's 2023 invasion of the Gaza Strip.
This was triggered by the 7 October attack on a music festival in Israel by Hamas-led militants, which killed 1,200 attendees and captured hostages.
More than 55,000 Palestinians have been killed since the invasion started in 2023.
Kattan said at the time she had received multiple threats from sources trying to get her “to be silent” on her pro-Palestine stance.
“I am speaking on behalf of humanity, and I will not be intimidated,” Kattan said in an Instagram video at the time.
“I am willing to risk my entire business, everything that I have on that, in search of the truth and justice.”
Kattan has been a long-time supporter of Palestine before the Hamas-Israel war, having previously condemned the evictions of Palestinians in Sheikh Jarrah, East Jerusalem, in 2021.
She also donated US$1m to Human Appeal and Doctors Without Borders in October 2023, two humanitarian organisations working to support displaced Palestinians.
Kattan also delayed the launch of her Huda Hotline podcast in 2024 during a particular escalation of the Gaza crisis.
The podcast, which has since been released, was originally slated to launch on 2 October 2024.
Kattan said it would have been inappropriate to go through with the launch in light of the current global crises.
“Given the current situation in the region, it has been challenging to focus on anything other than the people who are truly suffering," Kattan told Cosmetics Business at the time.
"As much as I am excited about the podcast and what is to come, it does not feel like the most important thing at this moment.”
Kattan remains one of the few figures in beauty who have been vocal on the Gaza crisis, with the industry having had a consistently muted response to the war.
Not all brands have remained silent, with Mona Kattan’s Kayali and Huda Beauty’s skin care subsidiary Wishful supporting Kattan’s pro-Palestinian stance.
Skin care brand Farsáli has also been outspoken on social media.
Huda Beauty recently reclaimed full ownership as an independent brand after founder Kattan acquired all outstanding shares of the company.
It follows the conclusion of an eight-year partnership with US private equity company TSG Consumer Partners, which purchased a minority stake in Huda Beauty in 2017.
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- Huda Beauty delays podcast in show of solidarity for global crises