Ousted skincare founder Brandon Truaxe has been found dead at 40 following concerns over his drinking and troubling Instagram posts.
Acting Deciem CEO Nicola Kilner confirmed the news in an email to staff, writing: ‘I can’t believe I am typing these words’.
She called Truaxe a ‘genius’, adding: ‘I can’t believe I am typing these words. Brandon has passed away over the weekend. Heartbroken doesn’t come close to how I, and how I know many of you will be feeling.’
Kilner confirmed all offices, warehouses, factories and stores were closed Monday, Vox reports.
Ousted skincare founder Brandon Truaxe has been found dead at 40 following concerns over his drinking and troubling Instagram posts
Deciem’s now acting CEO Nicola Kilner, pictured with Brandon, who had been with the company since the year it was created, was fired before being reinstated. She confirmed the founder’s death
She added: ‘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.’
Truaxe founded Deciem, parent company of The Ordinary, in Canada in 2013 but after displaying increasingly erratic behavior on social media he was ousted from the company.
He announced he was taking over Deciem’s social media accounts, only to share a series of bizarre updates.
The beauty giant Estée Lauder, which acquired a minority stake in the company in 2017, took legal action after he claimed his firm was shutting down in October 2018.
A spokesman had said: ‘The Estée Lauder Companies is a minority investor in Deciem, and, as such, we do not control the company’s operations, social media or personnel decisions.
‘We are deeply concerned by the material that has recently been posted on social media and will defend our rights as a minority investor.’
Deciem was founded by Brandon in 2013 in Toronto, Ontario, and currently has nine brands under its control, including The Ordinary, which previously went viral. Truaxe was said to have been hospitalized for mental health and drug issues
The viral skincare brand founder had a series of public meltdowns on Instagram
He announced he was taking over Deciem’s social media accounts, only to share a series of bizarre updates
The Ordinary acquired a cult following with products that included a $7 foundation earning rave reviews and a 25,000-person wait list in 2017
Acting CEO Nicola Kilner called Brandon, pictured, a genius following his death
Truaxe said in an occasionally unintelligible video clip, filmed in the backseat of a moving car: ‘Hi everyone, this is the final post of Deciem [after] which we will shut down all operations until further notice… about two months.’
Truaxe was ousted and Kilner, who her had earlier been fired, was brought back.
The founder had said he had ‘terminated employment of several people at Deciem who do not subscribe to my peaceful values’.
Kilner, who had been with Deciem since the year of its creation, was the reinstated as acting CEO and Truaxe was hospitalized for mental health issues, according to reports. He is said to have also had problems with drug use.
He last posted four videos to Instagram on Saturday from his penthouse in Toronto. Fans appeared concerned about his drinking, after he claimed to be drinking tequila. One wrote: ‘BE SAFE.’
The Ordinary acquired a cult following with products that included a $7 foundation earning rave reviews and a 25,000-person wait list in 2017.
For confidential support call the National Suicide Prevention Line on 1-800-273-8255.