If you’ve ever swiped on a Liquid Matte lipstick or spent way too much time watching eye makeup tutorials on Instagram, you know Huda Kattan. She’s the powerhouse behind the billion-dollar Huda Beauty empire. But for someone who is basically the face of Middle Eastern beauty globally, there is a weird amount of confusion about where she is actually from. Is she Emirati? Is she American? People ask about what is hudas nationality all the time because her life and brand are such a mix of different cultures.
Honestly, the answer isn't a one-word thing. It’s a bit of a "yes, and" situation.
Huda Kattan is American. Period. She was born in Oklahoma City on October 2, 1983. That makes her a U.S. citizen by birth. If you want to get specific about her heritage, she is Iraqi-American. Her parents, Ibrahim Kattan and Susu Al Qazzaz, are both originally from Iraq. They moved to the United States to pursue higher education—her dad studied mechanical engineering and her mom was in biology. So, while she has deep, proud roots in the Middle East, her passport and her upbringing are very much rooted in the States.
The Mixed Identity of Huda Kattan
Growing up as a Middle Eastern girl in the American South and Midwest wasn't exactly a walk in the park for her. After Oklahoma, her family moved to Cookeville, Tennessee, and then to Dartmouth, Massachusetts. Imagine being an Iraqi kid in Tennessee in the 80s and 90s. Huda has been pretty vocal about how she felt like an outsider. She’s mentioned in interviews that people often didn't even know where Iraq or the Middle East was back then; kids would ask if she was Indian or something else because "Iraqi" wasn't a category they understood.
That feeling of being "different" is actually what pushed her toward makeup. She started experimenting with it at 12 as a way to feel more confident and, frankly, to deal with the bullying she faced because of her ethnicity.
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It’s kind of ironic. The very thing that made her feel like she didn't fit in—her heritage—is exactly what she used to build one of the most successful beauty brands in the world.
Why People Think She’s From Dubai
The reason why everyone searches for what is hudas nationality and assumes she's from the UAE is because that’s where she became a star. In 2006, her father took a teaching job in the Emirates, and the family moved to Dubai. Huda went too, but she didn't stay right away. She actually went back to the U.S. to study finance at the University of Michigan-Dearborn.
It wasn't until the 2008 financial crisis hit that things shifted. She was working in finance (and hating it), lost her job, and decided to follow her real passion. She moved to Los Angeles, trained as a makeup artist, and eventually landed back in Dubai. That’s where the blog "Huda Beauty" was born in 2010.
Because she lives in Dubai and the brand is headquartered there, people naturally assume she’s a local national. But she’s an expat. A very, very successful expat.
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Ethnicity vs. Nationality: The Iraqi Connection
When we talk about her background, we have to distinguish between the legal status (nationality) and the cultural identity (ethnicity).
- Nationality: American.
- Ethnicity: Iraqi.
- Residence: Dubai, UAE.
Some sources recently have popped up claiming she has Dutch heritage. To be clear, her primary and most-discussed heritage is Iraqi. Her parents are both Iraqi, and she identifies strongly as an Iraqi-American woman. This identity is the "secret sauce" of her brand. Before Huda, the "prestige" beauty world was very Western-centric. She brought Middle Eastern beauty standards—think bold brows, heavy contour, and dramatic lashes—to the global stage.
She basically told a whole generation of women who looked like her that their features weren't "too much"—they were the standard.
Life in the UAE and Global Influence
Living in Dubai has given her a unique vantage point. She’s essentially a bridge. She understands the American consumer because she is one, but she also understands the Middle Eastern market because that’s where her roots and her home are.
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This dual perspective is why her products work so well. She knows that someone in Dubai needs a foundation that won't melt off in 110-degree heat, but she also knows how to market that same product to a girl in New York who wants that "flawless" Instagram finish.
A Few Facts You Might Not Know:
- She’s one of the few self-made women to make the Forbes "Richest Self-Made Women" list with a net worth that has hovered around $400 million to $550 million.
- Her sisters, Mona and Alya, are her business partners. It’s a full-on family affair.
- She actually turned down a million-dollar deal early on because she didn't want to compromise her brand's integrity.
What Most People Get Wrong About Her Story
The biggest misconception is that she was just some rich girl in Dubai who decided to start a makeup line. That’s just not true. She started with a $6,000 loan from her sister and a blog she wrote while she was working as a makeup artist for Revlon. She was literally packing lash boxes in her living room at the beginning.
Her "nationality" isn't just a box on a form; it's the reason the brand exists. If she hadn't grown up feeling like an outsider in America, she might never have felt the need to create a space where everyone felt included.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Entrepreneurs
If you’re looking at Huda Kattan’s story as inspiration, here’s what you should take away from her journey as an Iraqi-American icon:
- Own Your Heritage: Don't try to blend in. Huda’s success came from leaning into her Middle Eastern roots, not hiding them to fit Western beauty standards.
- Location Matters, But Identity Follows: You can build a global brand from anywhere (like Dubai), but your core identity is what will make people connect with you.
- The "Expat" Advantage: Being between two cultures—the U.S. and the Middle East—allowed her to see gaps in the market that others missed. If you feel like you "don't fit in," look for the business opportunity in that gap.
- Verification is Key: When looking up celebrity backgrounds, always check birthplaces versus current residences. A "Dubai-based" entrepreneur isn't always an "Emirati" entrepreneur.
Huda Kattan remains a U.S. citizen, a proud Iraqi woman, and a resident of the world. Her story is a pretty great example of how modern identity is rarely just one thing anymore. It’s a mix of where you’re born, where your parents are from, and where you choose to build your life.