Ever since she was a little girl, Sheena Zadeh was drawn to color cosmetics. Growing up, she turned her passion towards beauty into a thriving makeup brand–Kosas. Described as “makeup for skincare freaks,” Kosa’s products are packed with skin-nourishing ingredients, making them a must-have on your beauty shelf.
As the brand makes its debut in the region, we caught up with Sheena Zadeh to explore her personal journey into beauty, the inspiration behind her products, and how Kosas is set to redefine beauty standards, especially in the Middle East.
You were fascinated by makeup from an early age. Do you recall what sparked your interest? Was it a particular product or a beauty regimen?
It wasn’t like a particular moment––I believe I was just drawn to it. It felt more like a calling. I am naturally drawn to materials and colors. I love to live in possibility. And I think makeup is like paint or the stuff you’d find at the hardware store. It is essentially raw materials that you can use to create something. And I think that is probably the thing that draws me to it the most.
What’s your very first memory of makeup?
My mom worked at the makeup counter at the mall ever since I was born, but I remember my own first makeup––the first time I actually got to buy my own makeup was when I was nine or ten years old. I wanted this very pale ballet pink-colored lip gloss from Lancôme. I loved how it looked in the tube, it was the most beautiful, perfect satin slipper color, and I was so excited to get it. But, unfortunately, when I put it on, it never looked good on me. What I was expecting was that it would just look natural. But because of my skin tone and how olive I am, those types of shades that are super light or those that were designed to look natural on lighter skin tones never worked on me.
Did you always plan to start your own beauty plan? When did you decide to turn your passion for beauty into a business?
It had always been a dream of mine, but it was hard to achieve. I grew up during a time when huge legacy brands saturated the market. There weren’t a lot of options for indie brands. There was no e-commerce or social media at that time, deifnitely not the way we have it today. If you wanted to have a beauty brand, you’d have to open a store. That was really the only option. It was always my dream, but as time went on and the world changed, it moved from being a dream to being a possibility for me. And that’s when I was able to do it.
What does “Kosas” mean? Why did you choose this name? How does this reflect in your brand/products?
Kosas was born from my belief that the beauty industry often sent the wrong message — that something needed to be fixed or hidden. Growing up, I loved makeup, but I never resonated with any brand because the focus was always on flaws. I never believed in that, and I felt most women didn’t either. When you feel happy and great, you’re motivated to get up, put on makeup, and look your best. We love adorning ourselves as women, and I wanted to tell that story through my brand.
I came across this word, which is derived from a Sanskrit word. The Sanskrit word is koshas. Vedic philosophy has been a big part of my overall wellness journey. When I discovered this concept, I understood that the koshas are the layers of the self, like an onion with five layers. The outer layer is just your appearance, but inside, you have your thoughts, feelings, emotions, and your soul — your essence. In this philosophy, the way you look is an expression of your true, authentic self. As soon as I heard that, it resonated with me. It was exactly how I felt, and that was the story I wanted to tell with Kosas.
Do you recall a moment or moments in your entrepreneurial journey where you felt like you’ve finally made your dream come true?
It’s just a part of my DNA to continually improve and evolve. I have moments where I feel a win or a celebration or moments that have been extremely exciting in my career, but by no means do I feel like I’m finished or that I’ve made it. There’s always more to achieve.
I actually try to live in a place of non-attachment from those things because there are both highs and lows in the entrepreneurial journey.
If you take the highs seriously, you almost have to take the lows seriously, too, and I choose not to live there. There’s a lot of luck and chance involved in all of those areas, and there’s a lot out of your control.
You define your products as “makeup for skincare freaks.” Can you please elaborate on some of the skincare benefits of Kosas products?
Each Kosas product is designed to replace a step in your skincare routine. For example, the under-eye concealer replaces your eye cream, ‘BB Burst’ replaces your moisturizer, and any of our lip products replace lip treatments. All of our brow products also have active ingredients, so they can replace brow serums. The makeup itself is important — it needs to be transformational, with pigment, payoff, glow, and color. It’s makeup, but at the same time, it replaces a part of your skincare routine.
Can one skip their skincare products entirely?
I do — for daytime, I rely on my Kosas products as my skincare routine. I prep my skin with the serum spray. It’s a water texture, so it doesn’t interfere with your makeup. Layer a lot of skincare and then makeup on top of it can make your skin appear patchy.
How do you define “clean beauty,” and what standards does Kosas uphold?
Clean beauty, to me, is about being intentional with every ingredient. If an ingredient is in a product, there’s a reason for it, and I need to know what that reason is. If I have a choice between two ingredients, I’ll choose the one that feels better, works better for my skin, and is higher quality.
What is the one Kosas product that is a must-try for everyone?
I would say a must-try product is the Kosas ‘Revealer Concealer.’ But it is a complexion product. If you’re looking for a must-try from the color range, I’d recommend the Kosas blush. It’s special because all of our powders are baked, not pressed. The process starts like cake batter, and we add skincare ingredients before baking them in an oven on terracotta plates. It’s a labor-intensive, handmade process, resulting in a powder that has the essence of a cream. You get all the luminosity without the oiliness or sliding around.
I encourage people to try our color products, especially here in the Middle East. The shade ranges of our lip liners, eyeliners, lipsticks, and blushes are perfectly matched for Middle Eastern skin tones.
How does it feel to launch the brand in the Middle East?
It’s been a long time coming, and I’m so happy to be doing it now. We finally have enough products and product lines to show up as a full brand. It’s exciting to be in this region. I’m Middle Eastern, and I’ve been creating these products for my skin tone. They’re finally going to find their home here.
How do you view the beauty landscape in the Middle East compared to other markets?
In the Middle East, we learn about aesthetics and beauty at a young age. It’s inherent to the culture—adorning yourself and presenting yourself well is deeply ingrained. That resonates with me and is part of why I created a makeup brand.
Middle Eastern features are naturally beautiful, with stunning eyes, eyebrows, and lips, so it makes sense to want to enhance those. We already come to the table with a lot to work with. Products like the Kosas ‘Soul Gazer’ eyeliner are perfect for the Middle East because they accentuate the beauty of Middle Eastern eyes.
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