Brandon Truaxe, the founder of skincare label Deciem, has passed away at the age of 40. The cause of death has not been confirmed.
According to Vox, the company’s acting CEO Nicola Kilmer sent the below email to all staff confirming the news:
“I can’t believe I am typing these words. Brandon has passed away over the weekend,” she wrote. “Heartbroken doesn’t come close to how I, and how I know many of you will be feeling. All offices, warehouses, factories and stores please close today and 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.
“We are all in disbelief and shock but I will be in touch again very soon. I love you all incredibly much, as did he.”
Deciem, also known as ‘The Abnormal Beauty Company’, is the parent company of a number of brands including The Ordinary, Hylamide and The Chemistry Brand. Last October, Truaxe was ousted as the company’s CEO bu a judge.
It was a rocky year for the company and its founder. In early 2018 Truaxe started gaining negative publicity for the company when he started posting bizarre and troubling messages on the company’s Instagram. Estée Lauder, a minority investor in the company, took legal action against Truaxe in October 2018 after he posted on Instagram that the company should immediately be shut down because of “financial crimes” he said had been committed. There is yet to be any proof publicised on the case.
An attorney for the cosmetics giant told a judge that Truaxe “has essentially lit the company on fire,” according to a report by the CBC. The judge ousted Truaxe as CEO, and appointed Nicola Kilner as acting CEO (Kilner previously had been co-CEO, then was fired by Truaxe, but had been recently reinstated at the company). A few days later, a judge issued a restraining order against Truaxe after the founder sent emails to Estée Lauder chairman emeritus Leonard Lauder and other executives that were viewed as threatening.
A December report by Canada’s Financial Post revealed that Truaxe had been hospitalized under suspicion of mental health issues. Truaxe denied having been diagnosed with a mental illness, but did admit to using various drugs. Truaxe had been posting erratic videos and messages on his personal Instagram page for the last few weeks.
Our thoughts are with Brandon’s friends and loved ones and everyone at Deciem during this sad time.
This article originally appeared on InStyle Australia.
