Zaiie, a new beauty brand founded by former Estée Lauder global director of makeup marketing Reema Shihadeh, launches direct-to-consumer on Thursday with three products infused with olive oil from her family's groves in the West Bank.

The opening lineup carries a $38 Lip Press tinted gloss, a $40 The Marble highlighting blush balm and a $68 Olive Melt makeup remover. Every formula contains olive oil sourced from groves owned and operated by Shihadeh's family, including a 15-acre site in Beit Ijza and a 14-acre site in Biddu.

The name Zaiie is Arabic for "like me."

"Olive oil has always been a part of my life," said Shihadeh, who grew up in the U.S. and spent summers with extended family in the West Bank. "We're familiar with olive oil in skin care, hair care and even body care, but I was particularly interested in what it could bring to the color cosmetics space."

What does the formula offer?

Each product features the Olv+ Complex, a blend of five ingredients including olive oil, olive squalane and ceramide NP (a lipid that supports the skin barrier). The complex targets skin moisture and barrier strength.

Shihadeh positioned the range as multifunctional. "The products have skin care benefits, but they're also multifunctional; you can use your fingers, you can use a brush, your hand," she said.

Celebrity makeup artist Mollie Gloss helped develop the shades:

• Lip Press: Red Thread, Mishmish and Rose Milk
• The Marble blush balm: Toasted and Plucked, two reddish-brown and peachy tones

How does the brand tell its story?

The launch includes a zine exploring Zaiie's origins and the broader experience of diaspora and cultural preservation. Writers Danya Issawi, Zeba Blay and Evelynn Escobar contributed. The zine ships free with purchase to the brand's first few hundred customers.

"As I started sharing Zaiie with people, I realized how many people have their own version of this experience — from different backgrounds, different traditions — but this similar desire to feel connected to where we come from and to share those stories," said Shihadeh. "My story is the impetus for the brand and its ingredient story, but I want Zaiie to be a lot larger than myself."

For the zine and creative materials, Shihadeh hired a photographer and a videographer based in the West Bank. They captured scenes of daily life across Jerusalem and Bethlehem, plus footage of the family and their groves.

"I wanted to be able to show small moments of joy," said Shihadeh.

What happens if demand outgrows the family supply?

Shihadeh said she would potentially partner with other Palestinian olive growers if Zaiie scales beyond what her family's groves can sustain.

"[We can] give back to the community beyond just giving back to my own family," she said. Her near-term plan is "to build awareness and introduce Zaiie to as many people as possible — not just through our products, but through our story and the philosophy behind the brand."

"Zaiie begins with my Palestinian heritage, and the idea is to kind of create space for other stories and traditions and perspectives," she said. "I want Zaiie to be as much about what we learn from other people as what we share about ourselves."

By Daniel Okafor