Mona Kattan has earned her place among beauty's most celebrated female founders. The Kayali co-founder was named a 2026 CEW Visionary Awards honoree, and her announcement came packed with gratitude, pride, and the warmth that Kayali fans have come to expect. She spoke about standing beside inspiring women and gave heartfelt thanks to everyone who supported her journey — a milestone that brings fragrance, female leadership, and passion together in one major beauty-world moment.
A Beauty Milestone With Real Heart
Mona made the announcement sound personal and genuinely emotional. She described the honour as bigger than herself, pointing to the women who create, lead, and pour their hearts into their work. That framing gives the whole milestone a larger meaning: it puts the spotlight not just on the trophy, but on the community of women who turn ideas into something people connect with deeply. The message landed as grateful, excited, and full of joy — which is exactly how Kayali fans know her.
The eighth annual CEW Visionary Awards ceremony took place on 7 May 2026 at The Maybourne in Beverly Hills. Kattan was recognised alongside founders behind five other female-led brands: Sarah Creal Beauty, Odele, Danessa Myricks Beauty, Dieux Skin, and Kitsch.
Kayali Started From Pure Passion
She also brought the story back to Kayali, the fragrance brand she helped launch in 2018 as part of Huda Beauty. She has described its beginning as a love for storytelling in scent — an idea that gives the brand its emotional core. That framing matters, because fragrance has always carried a deeply personal pull. A scent can bring back memories, set a mood, or become part of someone's identity. Kayali fans know that feeling well; the brand speaks to people who treat perfume as an act of self-expression.
By 2025, Kayali's pioneering scent-layering concept had fully caught on, and the brand became the No. 1 fragrance brand at Sephora. In the same year, Kattan and private equity firm General Atlantic took majority control of Kayali, setting the stage for its next chapter. Recognition from the CEW Visionary Awards makes that journey even sweeter.
Women Leading With Heart
Her message also gave a strong shoutout to women who create and lead from the heart. She made the celebration about community, sisterhood, and the kind of leadership that comes from passion rather than ambition alone. Her words make the honour feel inclusive — she thanked supporters openly and lovingly, giving fans a sense that they were part of this win too. That proud, community-driven spirit has always been central to what Kayali stands for.
A Fragrance Story Fans Can Celebrate
Kattan also hinted at what comes next, asking the question that drives Kayali forward: "What do we do to keep the growth up and keep it sustainable and interesting and still be very innovative?" It is a telling line — one that shows the CEW Visionary Award is not a finish line but a launchpad. Kayali began from a passion for scent storytelling, and this honour confirms that those stories have reached people in a powerful way.
This recognition has everything Mona Kattan fans love: gratitude, fragrance, emotion, and a milestone worth celebrating. For anyone who follows female founders in beauty, or who simply loves Kayali's world of layered scent, the 2026 CEW Visionary Awards honour is a moment that deserves all the applause.
