Brandon Truaxe, founder of Deciem and The Ordinary, dies age 40

He was a pioneer for affordable beauty and has been labelled a 'genius' by the company in an emotional tribute

Brandon Truaxe, founder of the Deciem skincare company, has died age 40. Brandon Truaxe / Instagram
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The founder of skin care brand Deciem has died at age 40, the company said in a statement on Monday, January 21.

Brandon Truaxe is reported to have fallen to his death from condominium building near Toronto’s downtown, Canadian media reports.

Truaxe was the brain behind Deciem, best known for The Ordinary skincare brand, but was ousted from his position in October.

His removal from the brand came after his increasingly erratic behaviour online, in which Truaxe uploaded a series of controversial and incoherent posts to his Instagram page, culminating in claims of "major criminal activity" at Deciem.

“Please take me seriously,” he said at the time. “Almost everyone at Deciem has been involved in a major criminal activity, which includes financial crimes and much other. You have no idea what a soldier I have been for 13 years.”

The company’s stores and websites were temporarily closed, and Estee Lauder, which owns 28 per cent of Deciem, began legal proceedings against Truaxe, suing him over his claims.

Deciem was founded in Toronto, Canada, and owns multiple skin and haircare brands. The most popular is The Ordinary, which helped to position Truaxe as a pioneer of affordable beauty, disrupting the billion-dollar industry by offering ingredient-driven formulas at a fraction of its competitors’ prices.

The company said it would continue Truaxe’s vision in a statement following his death. “Brandon, our founder and friend. You touched our hearts, inspired our minds and made us believe that anything is possible,” it said in a post on Instagram. “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.”

Estée Lauder also paid tribute to Truaxe, calling him a “true genius”.

"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," the statement said. "This is a profound loss for us all."

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