The encyclopedia · Advertising & PR · Marketing decision · 2025
Huda Beauty ended its partnership with Huda Mustafa after a slur livestream
Nine days after a viral clip showed Mustafa laughing at a racial slur, the brand ended the collaboration and removed her content.
Huda Beauty · 2025-10-31
What happened
Huda Mustafa, a Love Island USA contestant, partnered with Huda Beauty in September 2025 as part of the cosmetics brand's creator collaborations.
On October 27, 2025, a caller on a livestream hosted by her partner Louis Russell used a racial slur about fellow islander Olandria Carthen. Mustafa was seen reacting with nervous laughter before the call ended, and the clip circulated rapidly across social platforms.
Mustafa apologised publicly on October 29, saying she did not condone the language, that she had been taken off guard, and that her reaction was nervous and inappropriate. She pledged a personal donation to the NAACP.
On October 31, Huda Beauty posted an official statement on Instagram ending the collaboration. The company said it was 'truly disappointed' and that it takes all forms of racism very seriously, and removed related content from its channels and in-store displays.
Why it happened
- Nine days from clip to cut: the brand's official statement came with the content removal already done, leaving no second-chance window.
- A public apology did not save the deal — the laughter was the story, and no follow-up post could reframe a reaction caught on camera.
- Huda Beauty's own values language did the work: once the company says it 'takes all forms of racism very seriously', keeping the ambassador would contradict the statement.
- The risk was one video: a single livestream clip ended a partnership that had existed for about two months.
The lesson
Huda Beauty cut Huda Mustafa nine days after she laughed at a racial slur. A brand that takes racism seriously cannot keep an ambassador whose reaction reads as complicity; the apology came late.
Aftermath
On October 31, 2025, Huda Beauty announced it had ended its partnership with Huda Mustafa, saying it was 'truly disappointed' and takes all forms of racism very seriously; content was removed from its channels and stores. The clip came from her partner Louis Russell's October 27 livestream, in which a caller used a racial slur about castmate Olandria Carthen while Mustafa laughed nervously. Mustafa apologised on October 29, calling her reaction nervous and inappropriate, and pledged a donation to the NAACP. Reactions split between accepting the apology and calling it performative.
Sources
- theGrio — Huda Beauty cuts ties with Love Island USA star after viral racial slur controversy
- IBTimes UK — Fans say it's 'performative': Huda Beauty drops Huda Mustafa over racial slur scandal
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