Brandon Truaxe, Founder of Deciem, Referred to a Judge of Canada

The founder of the Canadian skin care brand, Deciem, was removed from office by a judge after months of erratic online behavior and grueling layoffs.

The Ontario judge sided with beauty giant Estée Lauder, a minority investor in Deciem, to remove Brandon Truaxe from his role as co-CEO.

This legal action comes after Mr Truaxe's shock announcement that Deciem stores would be temporarily closed.

The company is best known for its cult line The Ordinary.

Estée Lauder on Thursday asked the court to temporarily replace Mr. Truaxe with Nicola Kilner, co-CEO of Deciem.

She also requested that Mr. Truaxe be removed from Deciem 's Board of Directors, prohibiting him from hiring or firing employees and issuing statements on the accounts of the Company. company on social networks.

What is Deciem?

Deciem is a beauty and skin care company founded in Toronto in 2013.

The company, whose slogan is "the abnormal beauty company", has several brands focused mainly on the care of skin and hair.

The most popular and best known is The Ordinary, a skincare line that most often offers products associated with expensive creams and serums.

Most of The Ordinary's products, for example, cost only a few dollars and there are many satisfied fans of Deciem's ​​offer.

It has been considered one of the brands of skin care escape of recent years.

This has attracted a cult, many beauty awards and the attention of major companies in the sector, such as Estée Lauder, who bought a stake in 2017.

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Deciem storefronts have appeared in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and South Korea. According to reports, its sales are expected to reach 300 million dollars (228 million pounds sterling) this year.

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What is happening at Deciem?

The expansion of Deciem was motivated in part by the buzz of social media around its extremely popular line, The Ordinary.

But the problems began when Truaxe decided to take over the company's accounts on social media in January. He began to publish personal messages, sometimes disturbing and bizarre, often accompanied by legends disjointed, confusing fans of the brand.

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He also used the social platform to publicly break ties with his associates and take on online commentators.

Then come Ms. Kilner's dismissal – which he re-engaged in July – and the resignation of the company's chief financial officer.

After months of public chaos, the situation worsened on Monday.

Truaxe posted an unseen video on Instagram, saying the stores would close in the foreseeable future, saying "almost everyone at Deciem has been involved in a major criminal activity, including financial crimes."

He did not elaborate.

In his ruling on Friday, Justice Michael Penny of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice said: "Urgent help is needed to save this business."

The judge also accepted Estée Lauder's request to appoint PricewaterhouseCoopers to investigate Mr. Truaxe's allegations of criminal activities.

What was the reaction?

Mr. Truaxe's behavior has raised fears among fans about his mental health, speculation about whether his behavior is actually a publicity stunt, and a concern for the future of the company.

Some customers have chosen to abandon the brand, although Deciem has continued to prove itself by opening new stores and expanding its product lines.

And after the shops close, some rushed to stock up online or try to find what they call "dupes" of their favorite serums, The Ordinary.

Until recently, Estée Lauder had refused to comment on the controversies, even when Truaxe had published e-mails to and from some of the conglomerate's leaders on social media.