Huda Kattan Is Making Feminine Care Smart and Sexy

HB Angels, a seed investment fund launched by HB Investments, which is chaired by Huda Kattan, is launching KETISH, a new luxury brand ready to shake up the feminine wellness industry, empowering women through luxurious better-for-you products and thoughtful, expert advice. The first startup to launch out of HB Investment’s seed fund and incubator, this e-commerce lifestyle brand wants to help women reclaim the narrative of their own bodies, needs, and desires.

The HB Angels incubator aims to support female entrepreneurs and mission-based start-ups. Following her struggle to raise funds for and expand her own company, Huda always knew that she wanted to help future founders. So, in 2017 she announced a US $10 million fund—via HB Investments—to help exceptional entrepreneurs bring their dream business to life.

Founder Emaan Abbass is the strong female entrepreneur at the heart of the brand. A former product developer at Huda Beauty, Emaan was born and raised in a conservative Arab-American Muslim home in the U.S., where feminine health and sex education was always taboo. During her very first gynecological exam at age 21, she was diagnosed with cervical cancer, which was caused by undetected HPV. Upon receiving the news, Emaan felt overwhelmed with guilt and shame and feared turning to her family for support and comfort, so she went through the nine year healing process alone. KETISH was born from that isolation, designed to free women from shame or stigma and serve as a reclamation of sexual power and agency.

Abbass recognized a gap in the industry in terms of intimate care and feminine wellness.  A lot of products that exist lack credibility or have a stigma of humiliation.  Products by KETISH have been thoughtfully created to cater to women’s needs and desires, and are curated with the body’s most delicate parts in mind. The brand is far bigger than its product line. Emaan’s mission is to help women gain a deeper understanding of their own body: health, self-care, arousal, desire and so much more. “We want to take feminine and sexual wellness outside of the pharmacy — a place that’s typically associated with something being wrong, or feeling sick. We want to elevate that experience and make it a part of your self-love practice. The products are going to be luxurious and effective, developed with wellness in mind. We've transformed feminine care products visually and we've made them really beautiful.” said Emaan Abbass, founder of KETISH.

 “I realized very quickly that this was a topic that so many people had so many issues with. The more I started talking to Emaan, the more I was convinced that she could change the category and make this sexy and empowering. This brand is deep within her. It's very purposeful. It's very powerful. It's very personal.” said Huda Kattan, chairwoman of HB Investments and Founder of Huda Beauty.

"I've personally always been obsessed with feminine hygiene and wellness but I never found a brand that really spoke to me. When Emaan pitched her concept and shared her vision, I fell in love! This will be our first investment under HB Angels and I honestly couldn't be more excited and more proud!” said Mona Kattan, President of HB Investments and Co-Founder of Huda Beauty.

Ultimately, Emaan’s vision for KETISH is to help women recognize how powerful they are, breaking down the shame and stigma associated with feminine and sexual health—especially in the Arab world.