Image Source: Huda Beauty
For Mona Kattan, there’s a direct correlation between her love of perfume and the way she views herself. “I’ve been into fragrances since I was a kid,” Kattan tells POPSUGAR. “When I look back, I think it had a lot to do with me being a highly sensitive person.”
It’s a different sensorial experience than other beauty categories, which is what she loves about the space. “There’s a common denominator that I’m finding with people who truly appreciate good fragrances. They tend to be quite emotional. We’re big softies.”
This intuition and love of the “juice,” as she refers to it colloquially, is what led Kattan to launch Kayali Fragrances in 2018. Regularly going viral on TikTok, it’s not uncommon for fans of the brand to create videos showing off all of the scents they’ve collected. Keep reading to learn the creative process behind building Kayali and how a rocky start eventually made way for a beauty empire.
POPSUGAR: What was Kayali’s first fragrance launch?
Mona Kattan: We first launched a collection of four scents because I wanted to promote the concept of layering your fragrances. My cultural background is Middle Eastern, but I was born in the United States, so I didn’t know much about it until I moved to Dubai. It was then that I realized how normal it was for people to wear multiple fragrances at once. This experience inspired Kayali’s first perfume, which was Elixir, and it also came with three “toppers,” which were vanilla, musk, and citrus.
POPSUGAR: Where did the name Kayali come from?
MK: The name actually means “my imagination” in Arabic. This brand is inspired by Middle Eastern heritage rituals, and I wanted to keep something that was tied culturally to that area, but I also wanted people to use their creative muscles when using a scent from this brand. I’m pushing consumers to think of any perfume mixture that they want to wear as a tool, because you can truly use fragrance to create your mood. So it all ties back to culture, imagination, and feelings.
POPSUGAR: What were some roadblocks that you’ve faced when building Kayali?
MK: When we first launched, honestly speaking, it wasn’t a hit. It was very challenging to sell fragrance via social media. In the beginning, we were telling retailers we launched this brand around layering and mixing your fragrances, and they looked at us like we had 10 heads. So I was thinking of giving up at one point. Still, this forced me to become very creative with content and work on building our community. It took a few years to understand how I could do things differently. Thankfully, now we’re doing really well, especially in North America. There are so many content creators in fragrance now, and I think they’re the reason why the fragrance industry continues to be disrupted.
POPSUGAR: How has your understanding of fragrances changed as you’ve continued your career in perfumery?
MK: I’m getting more experimental. I’m learning so much and still have a lot to understand, but what I know now at five years in is leaps and bounds more than I did when I first started. It’s definitely been reflected in the perfumes that I make. For example, I thought I hated notes like violet and aldehydes, but Kayali’s latest launch, the Eden Sparkling Lychee ($89), has a candied-violet note that I absolutely love. So I’ve been more open-minded and welcoming when it comes to experimenting with all notes, because you never know what magic that can be created.
POPSUGAR: What’s your favorite Kayali scent?
MK: I love Sweet Diamond ($100). It’s a spicy floral rose with a sweet dry down, but it’s more sentimental to me because it was my first fragrance that I launched after my therapy journey. I feel like I became more expressive and creative after that period, plus the pepper note is supposed to evoke the feeling of love, which, as a hopeless romantic, I’m obsessed with.
POPSUGAR: What are you looking forward to regarding the future of Kayali?
MK: I’m hoping that by the time we hit our 10th anniversary, which is 2028, we’re still around and thriving as a company. I hope we’re still pioneering and disrupting. One day, I want the brand to outlive me, and I’d love to leave a legacy the way Estée Lauder or Jo Malone has.
