Leah Kateb Is Using What She Learned on 'Love Island Usa' to Make Skylar Cooler
As Chief Creative Officer of the fragrance brand, the star talked to us about the new “Fated Flame” Eau de Parfum.
Long before Leah Kateb joined Skylar as its Chief Creative Officer and “Re-Founder,” the Love Island USA star says she was an avid consumer of the fragrance brand. Over a year after joining, Kateb has no plans to completely reinvent the brand. Rather, she’s working to establish a sharper brand identity — one that she hopes feels “bigger, cooler and more culturally relevant.”
There’s no denying that the celebrity beauty brand category has become especially crowded in recent years. But Kateb’s work with Skylar was never meant to be just an endorsement. Scent has always been personal for the influencer, and that instinct now shapes her creative leadership role. Drawing from both her personal passion and a few surprising takeaways from her time on reality TV, Kateb is continuing to grow with the brand.
That sentiment of evolution rather than stagnation is what drives Kateb’s fourth signature perfume with the brand, “Fated Flame.” While Kateb’s previous three fragrances lean into classically gourmand scent profiles, “Fated Flame” is a clear symbol of Skylar’s new era — where sweet hints of cherry and chocolate ganache turn complex and mature thanks to a sensual oud base. “The scent is familiar enough that you immediately want to smell it, but there’s something darker and more unexpected underneath,” Kateb tells Hypebae. Although the perfume feels like a slight departure from the brand’s lineup, its addictive quality is what makes it unmistakably Skylar.
For Kateb, “Fated Flame” is just the beginning. In addition to crafting entire visual words fueled by scent, the star says she wants to push the brand into unexpected territory — the kind that leaves fans waiting in the wings before anything new is even announced. “2027 will be our biggest year yet, and it’s insane that we already have it fully mapped out,” she teases.
Ahead, we speak to Leah Kateb about dreaming up “Fated Flame” and how her vision for Skylar has evolved over time.
On the Inspiration Behind “Fated Flame”
“Fated Flame” started with the idea of wanting something really addictive and sensual, but not in an obvious way. I just turned 27 and I’ve wanted a sexier, more mature scent that’s still Leah. Cherry can go very sweet, chocolate can go very dessert and oud can go very heavy, so the challenge was making those three things feel sexy and elevated together. We played with the balance a lot until it had that instant “Wait, what are you wearing?” effect. That’s always the goal.
On Why She Joined Skylar
I’ve always loved fragrance because it’s so emotional. You can smell something once and suddenly you’re back in a place, with a person, in a whole different version of your life. It’s also such a mood booster. I instantly feel sexier when I have fragrance on and the best compliment to me is, “You smell good!” Skylar already had such a strong foundation, but I saw so much room to make the brand feel bigger, cooler, more culturally relevant and honestly just more fun. I didn’t want to just put my name on something, I wanted to actually help build it.
On the Brand’s Evolution
My first thought was: Skylar should feel like the coolest version of itself. I never wanted to completely change what people already loved about the brand. I wanted to sharpen it and introduce new audiences to the brand I already loved by playing with more unexpected scent combinations, better visual worlds and more personality. If anything, the vision has just gotten bigger. I’m constantly thinking about how every fragrance, campaign and touchpoint can feel unmistakably Skylar.
On the Link Between Reality TV and Beauty
They sound like completely different worlds, but there’s actually a lot of overlap. Reality TV taught me very quickly how people connect with things – what feels real, what feels forced, what people actually talk about after they see it. I bring that instinct into Skylar all the time. I also have a unique experience because I was a consumer of Skylar before I became a part of the brand. Beauty can sometimes take itself very seriously, and I think being outside the traditional industry track gives me permission to ask, “Okay, but would people actually care about this?”
On Who Skylar Is For
Honestly, Skylar is for everyone. Miguel wears it, my mom wears it, my nieces wear it, my best friends wear it, and somehow we all have completely different favorite scents. I love it. I never wanted fragrance to feel like it had to fit into one age, gender, or “type” of person. It’s really about mood and personality. Some days you want something sweet and flirty, some days you want something clean, sexy, woody, weird, literally whatever. Skylar is constantly evolving, just like humans are, and that’s what I love about it. There are no limits.
On the Future of Skylar
[I'll] probably get in trouble for saying too much, so I’ll behave. But we’re pushing the fragrance direction into more unexpected territory, building much larger creative worlds around launches, and making Skylar feel like a brand you want to follow even before you know what we’re dropping. There are a few scents (and other products wink, wink) coming that I’m already obsessed with and some of them are definitely going to surprise people. I’m trying to step out of the gourmand box and really push boundaries.
