Sephora is responding to the backlash facing Huda Beauty after founder Huda Kattan claimed Israel was to blame for World War 1, World War II, the September 11 terrorist attacks and Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7.
After Kattan, 41, shared a video via TikTok in July and falsely claimed that Israel was responsible for a number of wars and terrorist attacks, people called for Sephora to remove her products from their shelves.
Sephora commented on the matter on Wednesday, August 7, telling journalist Elizabeth Wagmeister, “Sephora is driven by its mission to create a welcoming and inclusive shopping experience for all. We recognize that comments from one of our brand partners have raised concerns and want to be clear: promoting hate, harassment, or misinformation does not align with our values or code of conduct.” Sephora confirmed to Us Weekly that the statement is accurate.
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The company’s statement continued, “We take this matter very seriously and can confirm we are actively reviewing this issue internally, including working with the brand.”
Per CNN, in a since-removed TikTok, Kattan claimed, “All of the conspiracy theories coming out and a lot of evidence behind them — that Israel has been behind World War I, World War II, September 11, October 7 — they allowed all of this stuff to happen. Is this crazy?”
“But they keep with the same rhetoric: ‘bring the hostages home.’ What about the Palestinian hostages? There’s thousands of Palestinian hostages that have been in your custody for so long — children. What about all the pedophilia that Israel’s been hiding and all the pedophiles they’ve been hiding? Are you seeing what I’m seeing?”
She added, “Like, I had a feeling — I was like, ‘Are they behind every world war?’ Yes.” (World War 1, which took place from 1914 and 1918, and World War II, which started in 1939 and concluded in 1945, both occurred before the State of Israel was established in May 1948.)
TikTok confirmed to CNN that they removed the video because it violated the community guidelines. “In a global community, it is natural for people to have different opinions, but we seek to operate on a shared set of facts and reality. We do not allow misinformation that may cause significant harm to individuals or society, regardless of intent,” the guidelines state.
The TikTok representative told BBC that the Anti-Defamation League said Kattan’s comments were “irresponsible and dangerous.”
“These dangerous and historically baseless accusations echo some of the oldest and most pernicious antisemitic tropes,” the statement reads.
Social media users shared their thoughts on the matter via X. “Please remove Huda Beauty from your shelves,” one wrote while tagging Sephora. “Otherwise, Sephora risks being tied to open antisemitism, damaging its image and trust. In the long run, this could cost the brand everything, including financial collapse. Silence is complicity.”
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Another added, “I am boycotting HUDA Beauty products,” while a third commented, “THROW Huda Beauty OUT..SHE IS CANCELED.”
More so, over 7,000 people have signed a petition on Change.org to urge Sephora to drop Huda Beauty.
Us Weekly reached out to Huda Beauty for comment but did not immediately hear back.
