Beauty mogul Huda Kattan opens up about having plastic surgery: 'I'm dealing with so many insecurities'

The entrepreneur says she felt 'like an outsider' growing up

Beauty mogul Huda Kattan has opened up about having plastic surgery, revealing she still deals with insecurities from when she was a child.

Kattan, the founder of cosmetic company Huda Beauty, is one of the most influential women in the beauty industry - she has 32m Instagram followers - thanks to her eponymous range of internet-breaking products.

But, in a recent interview with Cosmopolitan, the businesswoman revealed that her journey to success hasn’t come without its difficulties.

The 35-year-old explained that she felt “like an outsider” growing up but that ultimately it helped shaped her into the person she is today.

“From the beginning, I didn’t feel as though I fitted in. Some kids went out of their way to make me feel like an outsider,” she said.

“They didn’t invite me to things and made fun of me for being hairy ‘like a monkey’. I didn’t know how to react because I just wanted to be liked.”

Kattan, who moved from the US to Dubai after university said she had always “felt like an Arab in America”.

“It was a feeling of not belonging anywhere. I had this sense of not being good enough…I’m happy I went through it, because honestly it’s shaped me.”

Kattan also revealed that she still deals with the insecurities she had as a child today, despite people thinking she’s “perfect”.

“I was talking to someone who said, ‘You seem so perfect,’ and I was like, ‘Oh my God, I’m so flawed!’”, she explained.

“People don’t realise I’m dealing with so many insecurities all the time; that part of my drive comes from all of these ridiculous insecurities that I’ve had since I was a child.”

Huda Kattan is this month’s Cosmopolitan cover star (Cosmopolitan/Matthew Eades)

The beauty mogul also spoke about her relationship with plastic surgery, admitting she’s not ashamed of going under the knife.

“I did my nose and my boobs together, when we launched the brand, because I had breast-fed and felt ashamed to show them to my husband,” she said.

“I was scared when I went to do it, but I’m really happy [with the results]. I know a lot of celebrities deny they’ve had work but I don’t understand why you would lie.”

Kattan says she deals with insecurities, despite people thinking she’s 'perfect' (Cosmopolitan/Matthew Eades)

In the interview, Kattan also opened up about her recent decision to dissolve the cosmetic fillers she had in her cheeks, face and lips, revealing she wanted a “more natural” look and to encourage people to celebrate their flaws.

“I think it’s really important to celebrate flaws. But first our goal is to create a look. Then hopefully we’ll get people to embrace more and more of who they are, slowly but surely.”

The full interview appears in the March 2019 issue of Cosmopolitan, on sale 31 January.