Sephora removes Huda Beauty after founder blames Israel for World Wars, 9/11

Cosmetics empire built by Iraqi-American entrepreneur excluded from retailer’s most important annual campaign following antisemitic TikTok video.

Inbal Chiat, JNS Staff, (Israel Hayom via JNS)

Published August 24, 2025

Huda Beauty’s Iraqi-American Huda Kattan. Screenshot: @huda/Instagram.

Global personal care and beauty products chain Sephora has decided to remove Huda Beauty from its upcoming fall “Experts” campaign, according to the media website Puck.

The decision comes after Huda Kattan, founder and CEO of Huda Beauty, found herself in early July embroiled in a media storm after she shared a video on her TikTok account in which she made false claims that Israel was responsible for World War I and World War II, the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and the Hamas massacre on Oct. 7, 2023.

The video aroused criticism among Jewish communities and international organizations, including the Anti-Defamation League, which responded sharply and called for exposing the antisemitic narratives being spread. Following numerous reports, TikTok removed the video for “violating platform rules.”

Sephora, owned by luxury goods giant LVMH, initially maintained ambiguity and a cautious response. In early August, it published an official statement saying it was examining the situation and working in cooperation with the brand, and later updated that it had opened an internal investigation and clarified that promoting hatred, harassment or false information stands in complete opposition to its values.

Two weeks ago, Kattan published a lengthy response video in which she claimed her words were misinterpreted and that the original video was criticism of Israeli policy only, not about Jews or Judaism. According to her claim, she removed the video herself after seeing that its content had been altered, and she accused her critics of spreading a defamation campaign against her.

HUDA Beauty and owner Huda Kattan have been CUT from Sephora’s high-profile fall “Experts” campaign, which spotlights major names like Patrick Starr, Gucci Westman, & Mario Dedivanovic.

This is a significant first step, but it’s not enough.

Advocates and customers – including… pic.twitter.com/xE0XKoJu9X

— StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) August 21, 2025

According to American watchdog StopAntisemitism, while cutting Huda Beauty from Sephora’s fall campaign is a “significant first step,” the French multinational retailer has yet to completely sever ties with Kattan’s empire.

Until it does, the U.S.-based NGO stated it will not buy from Sephora, urging others to boycott the chain as well.

Kattan, born in the U.S. to parents of Iraqi origin, established the cosmetics brand in 2013 that became an international empire with an estimated value of about $1.2 billion. Although the brand is also sold on leading international websites such as Harrods and Indian retail company Nykaa, in North America it relies almost entirely on exclusive distribution through Sephora.

This is an edited version of an article that first appeared in Israel Hayom.