The GCC’s beauty market is bursting with talent and creativity.
Local beauty products are in high demand, making this the perfect moment to explore the region’s homegrown brands.
Here is our guide to the best beauty brands from the Gulf.
Emirati perfumer Amna Al Habtoor is the founder of Aracida, a UAE-based pure perfume brand with a mission to turn scents into memories and allow people to relive them through fragrance and celebrate the region’s culture through scents. The brand is a haven for sentimentalists and lovers of nostalgia. Committed to reducing its ecological footprint, Aracida collaborates with local craftsmen and uses sustainable materials such as recycled cement and repurposed steel in its candles, bakhoor, and midkhan. All Aracida products are thoughtfully housed in recyclable packaging.
Founded by entrepreneur Sara Al Rashed, Asteri is a full makeup and skincare collection that focuses on performance-driven quality and dense pigmentation and is perfectly suited to Saudi Arabia’s desert climate.
If you are looking for vegan, cruelty-free, and clean products with a focus on sustainability and environmental consciousness, Asteri Beauty is your answer.
Balqees launched her luxury makeup brand not only for herself but for women across the region. Handpicking the finest ingredients herself, she founded BEX Beauty with the ‘Drama Therapy Foundation’ at its heart. The brand offers a curated collection of high-performance lipsticks, luminous highlighters, vibrant blushes, versatile eyeshadow palettes, and more, combining quality, creativity, and regional inspiration.
Launched in Bahrain by Reem Al Khalifa, Green Bar is a locally crafted, artisanal beauty brand. Its collection spans face, body, and home products, all inspired by the healing traditions and rich heritage of the Arabian Peninsula.
Dubai-based Jordanian makeup artist Hindash launched his highly anticipated makeup line in 2022, featuring vegan, richly pigmented, and effortlessly blendable formulas. The collection includes high-precision eyeliners, long-wear lip tints, shimmering highlighters, and versatile makeup palettes, making Hindash Cosmetics a brand to watch. And if you need another reason to take note, the line is also approved by Queen Rania.
Mariam EM is an Emirati beauty brand inspired by the rich cultural heritage of the Arab world. The brand is for daily use with a range of face, body, and hair care products. Mariam EM’s exclusive brow and lash serum harnesses the potency of Sidr tree extract to enhance the length, volume, and strength of thin or sparse lashes and brows. The brand collaborated with certified Green Chemists to develop this product.
Mina Al Sheikhly’s mascara label, By Mina Al Sheikhly, has many of us hooked; the label celebrates Arab beauty, and each mascara is cruelty- and paraben-free, proving that glamour and conscious beauty can go hand in hand.
Founded by Saudi entrepreneur Yara Alnamlah, the brand recently celebrated its official launch at Selfridges London, becoming one of the first Saudi beauty labels to make its mark at Selfridges, Oxford Street. Offering the perfect blush for every makeup look, the collection features buildable intensity and a range of shades. Designed to deliver an effortlessly glazed, glowing finish, it provides a pretty pop of colour without feeling sticky or heavy on the skin.
