Though Bella Hadid has been in the spotlight for over a decade, there’s still something refreshingly open about the Palestinian-Dutch supermodel. When we meet over Zoom on a Monday afternoon, she’s bare-faced, hair swept back with a simple black cloth headband. After the pleasantries that come along with meeting any person for the first time, we get personal – fast.
“One day, I woke up and just saw something on Instagram,” she shares, not revealing the catalyst for what many now see as her wellness transformation. “I knew I needed to make changes in my life to become happy with myself, so I chose to go through this journey. I went through a lot of things mentally, and at one point it got pretty dark. I’m a sensitive person and going through pain is the only way to grow.” Too relatable – in the past decade, there have been countless studies dedicated to the negative effects of social media on mental health.
Through the pain and her ongoing battle with Lyme disease (and the host of physical and cognitive symptoms that come along with it), Hadid began to focus on things that helped her feel grounded, made her happy, and in her words, helped her “remember who I am”. Right before our call, she was actually doing one of those grounding practices. “I don’t have a cold plunge here, but I have a little pool and it’s freezing. I jumped in before I started my calls and I feel a lot better.”
Another one of those practices is essential oils, which led to her new beauty venture Orebella, out on 2 May. She says that, while on a trip two years ago to visit Palestinian relatives living in Washington, DC, “my dad and I were playing backgammon by the fireplace when I discovered my uncle Mahmoud used to make essential oils. I had no idea.” Things were already in motion for the yet-to-be-named Orebella, which combines a play on the translation of the model’s surname into English (Hadid means iron), and her first name.
Hadid believes in signs, kismet, and the like – and learning this fact about her family’s entrepreneurial history made her feel as though, “I have my aunties and my amos [uncles in Arabic] all with me and blessing me all the time.”
Orebella’s first collection is a trio of fragrances: floral Window2Soul, tropical Blooming Fire and woody-marine Salted Muse, all inspired by Hadid’s life. Salted Muse, which has notes of sea salt, pink pepper and olive oil, pays homage to her family. “Whether you are Palestinian or just Arab, our families put olive oil on everything. That was, for me, something I could put in that was special and an ode to my heritage.”
The scent itself is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. “It’s the first-ever non-alcoholic, essential oil-based, bi-phase perfume,” she tells me proudly. Fragrance is something she’s been sensitive to her entire life because of her health issues, so she sought to find a solution: something gentle, wearable, but still complex. Before you apply, you shake the crystal-shaped bottles to combine the oil and fragrance layers and “activate” the scent. Other personal touches include her initials and the angel numbers 222 etched into the top of each flacon, and the specific shade of the gold lids, “inspired by the raw gold of Arab culture and heritage”, she says.
Recently, Hadid started adding her middle name, Khair, to her moniker. The word translates to “good”, and feels symbolic of where she’s at in life. She says the pathway to happiness is more clear – and accessible – than ever before. “For the first time in my life, I just want to focus on being happy.” And she’ll smell fantastic while doing it.
Orebella is available on 2 May here and on Ulta.com on 10 May.
Featuring: Bella Hadid
Director: Vivian Kim
Director of Photography: Mike Lopez
Editor: Darnell Depradine
@directordarnell
Creative Producer:Leandra Behrens
Producer, On Set: Jordin Rocchi
Assistant Camera: Jack Kelly
Gaffer: Billy Voermann
Audio: Gabe Quiroga
Hair Stylist: Jimmy Paul
Makeup Artist: Fara Homidi
Localisation Editor: Jasjeet Singh
Production Coordinator: Ava Kashar
Production Manager: Natasha Soto-Albors
Line Producer: Romeeka Powell
Senior Director, Production Management: Jessica Schier
Global Talent Casting Director: Ignacio Murillo
Director of Content, Production: Rahel Gebreyes
Senior Director, Programming: Linda Gittleson
VP, Digital Video English: Thespena Guatieri
Senior Programming Lead, Vogue Italia: Iacopo Caravaggi
Production Manager, Central Team: Nikki Hopkins
Senior Lead, Central Team: Tom Sandford
With Thanks To: Bella Hadid