Amaani, the Dubai-based consumer company behind beauty and wellness brand AÏZA, has raised $5 million in a Series A funding round led by BECO Capital, with participation from Homegrown Ventures and Peak XV’s Surge.
The latest investment brings Amaani’s total funding to $8 million. The company had previously raised $3 million in seed funding from Peak XV’s Surge last year.
The fresh capital will support AÏZA’s expansion across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), with Saudi Arabia emerging as its immediate focus. The brand is set to enter Ulta Beauty stores in Jeddah and Riyadh by the end of September, followed by planned launches in Kuwait and Qatar during the fourth quarter.
Founded in Dubai in 2023 by Shubham Poddar, AÏZA entered the market in December 2024 with a beauty proposition rooted in the ingredients, rituals, and cultural heritage of the Arab world. Its skincare and haircare range draws on ingredients including dates, black seed, frankincense, rose, and bakhoor, while its formulations are developed across laboratories in Korea, Japan, and Italy.
Among AÏZA’s key products are the Sukkar Rush lip treatment, Scent Storm hair mist, and Date Setter brow and lash serum. The brand positions its formulations around vegan, cruelty-free, and alcohol-free products, while also meeting Clean at Sephora standards.
AÏZA has also been expanding beyond its online-first roots into physical retail. According to the company, its net revenue grew more than ninefold year-on-year during the first half of 2026, as its retail presence expanded.
The brand is currently available through its own website, Ounass, and Ulta Beauty in the UAE. Amaani claims AÏZA ranks among the top 10 brands at Ulta Beauty UAE, across a portfolio of more than 300 global and regional brands.
With its GCC expansion underway, AÏZA is entering a competitive beauty market that includes established regional and global names such as Huda Beauty, Kayali, and The Giving Movement. The new funding is expected to help the company deepen its presence in the region while building AÏZA as a beauty brand with a distinctly Middle Eastern identity.
-By Muskan Dengra
