Dubai's Amaani Raises $5 Million Series A Led by BECO Capital to Take AÏZA Across the Gulf
Dubai-based consumer company Amaani, the parent of Middle Eastern beauty and wellness brand AÏZA, has raised $5 million in a Series A funding round led by BECO Capital, with participation from Homegrown Ventures and Peak XV's Surge. This takes Amaani's total funding to $8 million, following a $3 million seed round led by Surge back in 2025.
Here's what makes AÏZA distinct in a crowded beauty market. Launched in December 2024, the brand builds its entire skincare and haircare range around ingredients and beauty practices rooted in the Arab world, think dates, black seed, frankincense, rose and bakhoor, formulated to be vegan, cruelty-free, alcohol-free, and meeting "Clean at Sephora" standards. It's a deliberate bet on cultural authenticity as a competitive edge, going up against established regional players like Huda Beauty and Kayali.
The growth numbers behind this raise are genuinely strong. AÏZA's net revenue grew more than 9X year-on-year in the first half of 2026, as the brand expanded from a purely online-first model into physical retail, it's currently available through its own website, luxury retailer Ounass, and Ulta Beauty in the UAE.
The fresh capital has a clear, near-term roadmap. Amaani plans to expand AÏZA across the GCC, with Saudi Arabia as the immediate priority, the brand is set to launch in Ulta Beauty stores in Jeddah and Riyadh by the end of September, with Kuwait and Qatar planned to follow in the fourth quarter.
The founder story adds context too. Amaani was founded in Dubai in 2023 by Shubham Poddar, with a team that includes people who have previously worked at Huda Beauty, Lenskart, The Giving Movement and Careem, a lineup that blends regional beauty expertise with operational experience from fast-scaling consumer businesses.
From an online-first launch to Ulta Beauty shelves across the Gulf, Amaani's Series A is a bet that the next big beauty brand out of the Middle East will be built on its own heritage, not imported from the West.
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— Sandeep Raiza