Brandon Truaxe, the founder of beauty company Deciem, is confirmed to have passed away at 40.
According to Vox, acting CEO Nicola Kilner informed Deciem staff of Brandon’s passing. In a company-wide E-mail, she asked that all Deciem offices, warehouses, factories, and stores halt operations for the day to “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.” Nicola added that she is “heartbroken” and “We are all in disbelief and shock but I will be in touch again very soon.”
Brandon is best known for his brainchild Deciem, a beauty company first launched in 2013, which has since gained a major cult following. With the release of their affordable skin care brand Ordinary, the company reportedly amassed $300 million in sales. He is considered personally responsible for engineering the company’s messaging, calling it the “Abnormal Beauty Company.”
However, in early 2018, he became controversial when he “began to act erratically both on- and offline, instigating months of drama at the company,” The Cut reports. In mid-October, he was ousted as CEO after Estée Lauder, which owns 28 percent of Deciem, filed a lawsuit over his behavior. Following this, reports of Brandon being hospitalized under suspicion of severe mental health issues began to surface, though Brandon firmly denied this and asserted he was not mentally ill.
In light of the news of his passing, the Estée Lauder Companies sent the following statement to Vox: “Brandon Truaxe was a true genius, and we are incredibly saddened by the news of his passing. As the visionary behind Deciem, he positively impacted millions of people around the world with his creativity, brilliance and innovation. This is a profound loss for us all, and our hearts are with Nicola Kilner and the entire Deciem family.”
Through their official Instagram account, the Deciem family further mourns his loss, writing that “Whilst we can’t imagine a world without you, we promise to take care of each other and will work hard to continue your vision,” adding that “May you finally be at peace.”
As of writing, no further information has been released to reveal the cause of Brandon’s death. We will update this space as soon as any development emerges.
Photo courtesy of Deciem’s Instagram acount
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