The founder of popular cosmetics brand Huda Beauty is facing calls for a boycott after declaring on social media that she doesn’t want “blood money” from Israeli customers.
A day after the brutal Hamas attack against Israel on Oct. 7, Huda Kattan — a Kim Kardashian lookalike whose fast-growing brand is sold at retailers including Sephora and Walmart — was celebrating her 40th birthday at a luxury hotel in Dubai and posted a jubilant photo of herself on Instagram surrounded by balloons and roses.
“I don’t know if you noticed, but Israelis from all over the world love you and your products,” one Instagram user replied, according to a screenshot of the post reported by The Express Tribune, a Pakistani-owned news site.
“With most of their money, you chose Gaza. So remember this as soon as no Israeli buys from you again, anywhere in the world. And it’s a shame because we buy a lot,” the Instagram user added.
In response, Kattan — an Iraqi-American influencer raised in Oklahoma City whose net worth was estimated by Forbes last year at $400 million — wrote, “I don’t want blood money,” according to screenshots.
In another post since the Oct. 7 invasion, Kattan wrote that “Israel, who has the fourth largest army in the world, is NOT the victim, but they repeat the same story and gaslight anyone who comes with facts.”
Elsewhere, Kattan — a longtime influencer better known for pronouncements like “Rosy cheeks are going to be huge!” — quoted what appear to be scripture passages on her Instagram feed.
“You will certainly cause corruption in the land twice and you will become extremely arrogant,” reads one referring to the “Children of Israel”. Another states, “We would send against you some of our servants of great might, who would ravage your homes. This would be a warning fulfilled.”
In response, Kattan is now facing backlash from clients, which have included Eva Longoria and Nicole Richie.
“I can’t stand behind her anymore,” said one NYC-based makeup artist who works in television and did not want to be identified. “I love her product but I’ll never use it again.”
The source noted that Huda Beauty products are “easily replaceable,” adding “I have spoken with a lot of makeup artists and they are all disgusted and said ‘time to purge our kits.’”
Others praised Kattan online, vowing to buy the company’s products.
“Unlike many others, you chose to use your platform to fight for what’s right, despite the impact it could have on your business,” a fan posted on Kattan’s personal Instagram account. “Something that a lot of people don’t have the courage to do.”
Another wrote, “Need me some huda beauty makeup spree this weekend.”
More than 5,000 people have signed a Change.org petition calling for Sephora to remove Huda Beauty products from its US stores because Kattan has “publicly expressed her stance against Israel,” according to the Oct. 14 petition.
In 2017, Kattan sold a minority stake in Huda Beauty to private equity firm TSG, valuing the company at the time at $1.25 billion.
Huda Beauty, Sephora and TSG did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Kattan was named by Forbes as one of the 10 most influential beauty influencers and appeared on Fortune’s 40 under 40 list in 2021. In 2017, Time named her one of the 25 most influential people on the Internet.
She launched Huda Beauty in 2013 with her two sisters Mona and Alya and her husband, Christopher. The company, which makes some 140 products, started out with false eyelashes that Kim Kardashian helped make famous. It generated about $200 million in sales in 2022, according to Forbes.
This story originally appeared on NYPost
