Been digging into the makeup supply chain in the Gulf for the last few months and it's wild how fragmented it is. Most of what's viral on TikTok/Instagram right now — glass-skin bases, K-beauty tinted balms, blush sticks — takes 3-6 weeks to reach Kuwait through resellers, if it arrives at all before the trend dies.

The gap isn't demand. Young women here are just as online and just as trend-aware as anywhere else. The gap is logistics: most beauty brands don't localize shipping or pricing for the GCC, so everything gets marked up 2-3x through middlemen by the time it's on a shelf in Salmiya or Kuwait City.

Started Souk Beauty to close that gap directly — sourcing the actual viral pieces (not dupes) and getting them into Kuwait fast, at a fair price, no middleman markup. If you're into the space or have run into the same import headaches, curious to hear what's worked for you.