Leah Kateb, a fan favorite from season six of “Love Island USA,” is taking a new leadership role at Skylar, joining the clean fragrance company as its chief creative officer and official re-founder.
“I’m not an ambassador; I’m not an influencer for the brand. This is mine now. This is my baby,” Kateb, 25, stated, emphasizing her deep involvement beyond a typical celebrity endorsement.
Under her creative direction, Skylar is preparing to launch a series of new fragrances and host in-person events to build a stronger community around the brand. “Something that’s really important to me is connecting with my supporters outside of the phone,” Kateb said. “I really want this to feel like a community… I want people to feel like it’s ours.”
Kateb’s journey to the executive role began after she left her job as a quality control analyst to join the cast of “Love Island USA.” During the show’s sixth season, her candid personality helped it become a massive success, and she emerged as a runner-up with a social media following that had swelled to over 3.6 million.
Since the show, Kateb’s influence has led to partnerships with Skims, Amazon, and Google, and her recommendation of an Eos body lotion caused the product to sell out completely. However, launching a perfume line remained a primary ambition. “One of the first things I mentioned when I had a meeting with a bunch of (talent) agencies was that I wanted my own perfume line,” she explained.
The partnership with Skylar developed organically. Kateb had discovered the brand years ago while searching for a vanilla scent at Sephora and frequently praised its Vanilla Sky perfume to her followers. After Skylar noticed her authentic support, the two parties connected. Kateb also shared a personal affinity for the brand’s hypoallergenic formulas, which, unlike other perfumes, did not irritate her eczema.
Her appointment coincides with a complete reinvention of Skylar, which was originally founded by Cat Chen in 2017. David Dreyer, chief marketing officer of Skylar’s parent company, Starco Brands, said Kateb’s vision was instrumental.
“We initially approached Leah as she was very public about her love for our fragrances. As we started talking further, we just fell in love,” Dreyer said. “She had such a strong command of the category and vision for Skylar, that making her our chief creative officer was a no-brainer.” He added, “Leah is helping us reimagine Skylar from the ground up: bringing us back to our California roots, creating new scents, redefining our vibe and shaping the future of fragrance.”
Kateb is now deeply involved in all aspects of the brand’s creative process. “I tell the team to involve me in absolutely everything,” she noted. “I’m writing up the recipes. I have so many scents that I’ve created that I’m so excited about.”
While details of the new fragrances and their release dates remain confidential, Kateb hinted that a scent inspired by Persian love cake could be a possibility. “There’s just so much in the works,” she added. “Unfortunately, nothing we can leak yet, but it’s going to be a lot of fun.”
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