Heritage
A house, in its own words
Mona Kattan began her career in investment banking before relocating from the United States to Dubai, a move driven by her fascination with Middle Eastern fragrance traditions. She joined her sister Huda Kattan at Huda Beauty, the cosmetics company Huda had built into a global brand, and it was there that Mona first developed a fragrance concept. When that initial idea was rejected, she chose to develop it independently rather than abandon the project. In 2018, Kayali launched as a fragrance sub-brand within Huda Beauty, with Mona assuming the role of founder and creative director. The timing positioned the brand at the intersection of two growing trends: the global expansion of the fragrance market and increasing Western consumer interest in Middle Eastern perfumery traditions. From the outset, Mona emphasized a hands-on approach, personally developing the brand's layering methodology and education efforts. The sisters built the line gradually, releasing new compositions that explored both their Middle Eastern heritage and their understanding of international fragrance preferences. In 2023, Huda Beauty announced it would sell its ownership in Kayali, allowing the fragrance house to operate independently. This transition marked a significant milestone, validating the brand's ability to stand apart from its parent company. Mona has spoken extensively about how her background in finance informed her approach to building a fragrance business, bringing analytical rigor to creative decisions typically made on artistic instinct alone. The central philosophy behind Kayali rejects the notion of finding one signature scent in favor of embracing fragrance as an evolving, personal experience. Mona Kattan has described the brand's approach as capturing moods rather than merely delivering perfumes, a concept that influenced everything from the naming conventions to the composition of each fragrance. Where traditional Western perfumery often encourages finding and sticking with a single signature scent, Kayali positions its collection as a toolkit for self-expression that changes with the wearer's emotional state. This philosophy draws directly from how fragrance functions in Middle Eastern culture, where layering multiple scents creates a unique combination that cannot be replicated. The brand has worked to make this approach accessible to consumers unfamiliar with the practice, developing guides and educational content that teach layering techniques. Each Kayali fragrance is designed to work both alone and in combination with others, allowing wearers to build complexity by mixing two, three, or even more compositions. The philosophy extends to the naming conventions as well; fragrances carry names that evoke emotional associations rather than their primary ingredients, inviting wearers to choose based on how a scent makes them feel rather than what it contains. This emotional framing reflects Mona's belief that fragrance operates on a deeply personal level, tied to memory and mood in ways that transcend rational assessment of quality or ingredients.