Dubai-Based AÏZA Becomes First Middle Eastern Brand Named To BeautyMatter NEXT50 List
“Arab Beauty has been missing from the global beauty conversation for too long. We believe it deserves to stand alongside Korean Beauty, Japanese Beauty and Ayurveda as one of the world’s defining beauty movements, and we’re building AÏZA to help take it there,” said Shubham Poddar, founder and CEO of AÏZA.
You're reading Entrepreneur Middle East, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.
AÏZA, a Dubai-based beauty brand focused on bringing Arab beauty concepts to global markets, has become the first Middle Eastern brand named to BeautyMatter’s NEXT50 List, an annual selection of 50 emerging beauty and wellness companies.
The brand joins the 2026 NEXT50 cohort, which is largely made up of US-based companies, as the only company selected from the Middle East. The list recognizes brands that are shaping the future of the global beauty industry.
Founded by CEO Shubham Poddar, AÏZA was launched to showcase Arab beauty traditions through modern skincare and haircare products. The brand draws on regional ingredients and rituals, including dates, black seed, saffron, sidr masks, and fragrancing hair with bakhoor, while incorporating science-backed formulations developed with laboratories across Korea, Japan, and Italy.
“Three years ago, I left Sequoia Capital to start Amaani with one conviction: the Middle East had spent decades consuming the world’s best brands. It was time we started building brands the world would fall in love with,” Poddar said. “Not adaptations of Western brands. Not regional alternatives. Original brands, born here, inspired by our culture and built to compete with the very best globally.”
“Being the first Middle Eastern brand selected for the BeautyMatter NEXT50 is an important signal of what is changing. Arab Beauty has been missing from the global beauty conversation for too long,” he added. “We believe it deserves to stand alongside Korean Beauty, Japanese Beauty and Ayurveda as one of the world’s defining beauty movements, and we’re building AÏZA to help take it there.”
Prior to this recognition, AÏZA has expanded beyond direct-to-consumer sales into retail partnerships, including beauty retailer Ulta Beauty and luxury e-commerce platform Ounass.
AÏZA is the debut brand of Amaani, a consumer brand company founded by Poddar and backed by Peak XV Partners (formerly Sequoia Capital India).
RELATED: REVYN Is Betting That Trust Will Unlock The GCC’s Resale Economy
AÏZA, a Dubai-based beauty brand focused on bringing Arab beauty concepts to global markets, has become the first Middle Eastern brand named to BeautyMatter’s NEXT50 List, an annual selection of 50 emerging beauty and wellness companies.
The brand joins the 2026 NEXT50 cohort, which is largely made up of US-based companies, as the only company selected from the Middle East. The list recognizes brands that are shaping the future of the global beauty industry.
Founded by CEO Shubham Poddar, AÏZA was launched to showcase Arab beauty traditions through modern skincare and haircare products. The brand draws on regional ingredients and rituals, including dates, black seed, saffron, sidr masks, and fragrancing hair with bakhoor, while incorporating science-backed formulations developed with laboratories across Korea, Japan, and Italy.
Entrepreneur Middle East Staff
Entrepreneur Staff
