Brandon Truaxe, the founder of cult beauty brand Deciem, has died. He was 40 years old.
Employees were notified of his death by the company’s acting CEO Nicola Kilner. In an email reported by Fashionista and obtained by Vox, Kilner said the entrepreneur “passed away over the weekend.
“Heartbroken doesn’t come close to how I, and how I know many of you will be feeling.”
Kilner advised staff to close Deciem stores, offices, and other facilities for the day so employees could “take the time to cry with sadness, smile at the good times we had, reflect on what his genius built and hug your loved ones that little harder.”
The cause of Truaxe’s death has not been revealed.
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Deciem, perhaps best known for its immensely popular skincare line The Ordinary, launched in 2013. The brand soon achieved massive success, thanks to its affordable and customisable skincare regimes.
Makeup magnates Estée Lauder bought a minority stake in Deciem in 2017, signalling the establishment’s faith in the new venture. At time of writing, the Canadian company has a store in both Melbourne and Sydney, and a pop-up in Canberra.
Truaxe, who created much of the branding for his so-called Abnormal Beauty Company, drew attention early last year after a string of confusing and concerning posts on Deciem’s official Instagram page.
The erratic posts continued, culminating in an October 2018 Instagram post in which he alleged unspecified and widespread criminal activity had forced the closure of Deciem stores.
Estée Lauder successfully filed for an injunction barring Truaxe from leading the company, and no criminal activity was confirmed. Kilner, who had previously worked alongside Truaxe at Deciem, was instated as acting CEO. Deciem stores continued operations as per usual.
We’ll update this article with further information as it arises.
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