Fans Say It's 'Performative' As Huda Beauty Drops Huda Mustafa Over Racial Slur Scandal

Huda Beauty has severed ties with Love Island alumna Huda Mustafa after a clip of her laughing when a caller used a racial slur about fellow contestant Olandria Carthen went viral, prompting widespread condemnation and a swift corporate response.

The brief clip, taken from a livestream hosted by Mustafa's partner Louis Russell on 27 October 2025, shows an unknown caller using a derogatory racial term while discussing Carthen; Mustafa and Russell can be seen reacting with nervous laughter before ending the call.

The footage circulated rapidly across social platforms, drawing sharp criticism from viewers and fellow cast members and triggering an official statement from cosmetics house Huda Beauty that it had ended its partnership with Mustafa and removed related content.

Brand Severs Ties: Statement From Huda Beauty

On 31 October 2025, Huda Beauty posted a succinct statement on its official Instagram account announcing that it had ended its collaboration with Mustafa. The company said it was 'truly disappointed' by the livestream and stressed that it takes 'all forms of racism very seriously', adding that related content would be removed from its channels and in-store displays.

The message framed the move as one of accountability, saying the influencer's behaviour and the way the situation was handled did not reflect the brand's values.

The decision marks a rapid corporate calculus in an era when beauty brands, which trade heavily on inclusivity, face intense scrutiny from consumers and staff when partners are implicated in racist incidents.

Huda Beauty's public distancing underscores how quickly commercial relationships can dissolve when social media controversy collides with corporate reputations.

The Livestream Clip and Mustafa's Response

The original clip, uploaded by third parties to video platforms, shows the moment an anonymous caller uses the slur while on a live call to Russell's stream; both Russell and Mustafa appear startled, then laugh before terminating the call.

Viewers captured and reposted the exchange across TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, which is how it gained traction.

Mustafa responded publicly on 29 October 2025 via her social channels with a posted apology in which she said she did not condone the language, claimed she had been taken off guard, and described her initial reaction as 'nervous' and 'inappropriate'.

She indicated she would make a personal donation to the NAACP and sought to draw a line under the incident, but critics have argued the apology was belated and insufficient.

Voices From The Island and The Public Backlash

Olandria Carthen, the target of the slur, addressed the episode in her own Instagram Stories, condemning the language as 'unacceptable' and urging that words 'carry generations of pain'.

She used the moment to call for accountability and encouraged donations to organisations that support and educate Black communities. Fellow Love Island cast members publicly backed Carthen and criticised the perceived casualness of the livestream reaction.

Social media reaction was swift and polarised: many fans described Mustafa's laughter as 'performative' and emblematic of a deeper pattern of ignoring the consequences of language that harms marginalised groups. Others accepted her apology as genuine.

But in commercial terms, the moment proved costly; Huda Beauty's move to remove content and end the partnership demonstrates how public condemnation can translate almost immediately into financial and reputational consequences.

The immediate fallout has centred on three questions: whether Mustafa's apology will satisfy those offended; whether she will take further, demonstrable steps beyond a single donation; and how brands and talent managers will manage reputational risk going forward.

Huda Beauty's decision to cut ties came less than a week after the livestream clip circulated — a reminder of how quickly social outrage can translate into corporate action in the digital age.