Amaani Secures $3M to Scale AÏZA’s Arabian-Inspired Beauty Brand Globally

Malaz Madani

Last updated 16-09-2025

3 min

Amaani, a UAE-based startup, has raised $3 million in seed funding led by Peak XV's Surge.

Launching its beauty brand AÏZA in May 2025, Amaani focuses on Arab heritage and modern ingredients.

With vegan and cruelty-free products, the brand sources formulations from Korea, Japan, and Italy.

The Gulf region's $12 billion beauty market is expanding over 12% annually, attracting investors’ attention.

Amaani aims to scale AÏZA globally, planning more brands inspired by Arabian culture.

UAE-based startup Amaani has secured USD 3 million in seed funding, with Peak XV’s Surge taking the lead. The money is aimed squarely at boosting its debut beauty brand, AÏZA, which only launched online a few months back in May 2025.

Founded by Shubham Poddar, Amaani presents itself as a consumer-focused company set on shaking up the beauty and wellness sector across the Middle East. Its first brand, AÏZA, leans heavily on Arab heritage, weaving in regional staples like dates, black seed, and even bakhoor, while pairing them with modern clinical ingredients. A nice touch, if you ask me. What’s perhaps even more telling is that the products are being whipped up in labs across Korea, Japan and Italy, and the formulations tick off the boxes many buyers now expect—vegan, cruelty-free, alcohol-free.

The backing doesn’t come out of nowhere. According to GV Ravishankar, Managing Director at Peak XV, the Gulf’s beauty space is a $12 billion industry already, and it’s growing at over 12% a year. To put it into perspective, the region also boasts some of the highest levels of beauty spending per person anywhere in the world. No wonder investors are sniffing around.

With fresh capital in hand, Amaani has its eyes on scaling AÏZA, not only across the GCC but into global markets too, both online and in physical retail spaces. And Poddar has made it clear the company isn’t stopping there—more brands built on a modern spin of Arabian culture are on the way. As he put it, Amaani (meaning “wishes and aspirations” in Arabic) is about translating the spirit of a rising region into consumer brands with global appeal.

I reckon it’s a bold move. Building a beauty line is never a walk in the park—it can be a bit of a faff juggling supply chains, retail tie-ups and consumer trust—but striking that balance between heritage and innovation feels spot on for this market. At Arageek, where we often hear from early-stage founders brimming with ideas, it’s always refreshing to see someone take regional culture and give it international legs. Years ago, I spoke with an Omani entrepreneur who told me she struggled to find Arab-inspired products that didn’t feel dated. That kind of gap is exactly what AÏZA seems to be going after.

Of course, only time will tell whether global shoppers warm to ingredients like date extract or bakhoor in their skincare routines. Still, with the numbers behind the GCC beauty market and the appetite from investors, the odds look rather chuffed to bits in Amaani’s favour. And if you ask me, that’s definately one to watch.

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