Deciem skincare entrepreneur dies aged 40

The founder of Canadian skincare brand Deciem has died at 40.

Deciem posted a picture of Brandon Truaxe on Instagram, alongside a message: “We can’t imagine a world without you.”

Cosmetics giant The Estée Lauder Companies, a backer in Deciem, said: “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.”

There is no confirmation of the cause of death, but Canadian press said he fell from a Toronto building.

Truaxe was recently removed from his co-chief executive role following months of erratic online behaviour.

In October he announced temporary store closures for Deciem in a rambling video, where he said: “I’ve been made fun of, as a porn actor, and as a f***ing drug dealer and everything, for 13 years and it’s all ending now.”

The brand has London stores and is stocked widely in the UK.