Deciem founder Brandon Truaxe dies

By

Gabriella Lacombe

Published
Jan 21, 2019

Brandon Truaxe, founder of Deciem, has died. The entrepreneur, behind skincare lines including the highly successful The Ordinary, was 40 years old.

Deciem employees were notified of Truaxe’s passing in a company-wide email sent by current Deciem CEO Nicola Kilner, according to Vox. No official cause of death has been released.

Truaxe served as Deciem’s co-CEO until October of 2018, when he was ousted from his role for erratic behaviour. Estée Lauder, which holds a minority stake in Deciem, filed the injunction to remove him from the management role following posts by Truaxe on Deciem’s social media accusing company members of being involved in criminal activities and ordering the closure of Deciem.

Deciem paid homage to the founder in an Instagram post, writing: "Brandon, our founder and friend, you touched our hearts, inspired our minds and made us believe that anything is possible. Thank you for every laugh, every learning and every moment of your genius. 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. May you finally be at peace. Love, (forever) your Deciem." 

A spokesperson for Estée Lauder said in a statement, “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.”

In addition to founding Deciem, Truaxe also created skincare brand The Ordinary, which gained rapid popularity for its quality ingredients and low prices.