Youmna “Youmi” Khoury

Youmna Khoury has turned a large social-media following into a growing regional beauty business, while drawing on a personal story shaped by resilience.

The Lebanese entrepreneur, who has spoken about spending 12 years of her childhood in an orphanage, founded Youmi Beauty in 2017, initially selling coloured contact lenses online.

After pausing the business towards the end of 2019, she spent roughly two years reworking the brand and sourcing products before relaunching it in December 2022.

The company subsequently shifted its base from Beirut to Dubai and expanded beyond lenses. The company has since evolved from a single-category online business into a broader beauty platform spanning coloured lenses, lashes, hair extensions, styling tools, haircare and body care. The company works with manufacturers across Italy, South Korea and China and has built a regional customer base across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Lebanon and the wider GCC. Its expansion has also moved into more personalised beauty products, including haircare developed and manufactured in Italy.

Youmi Beauty works with manufacturers in Italy, South Korea and China, while Khoury has also built a sizeable digital audience around the brand.