Deciem founder Brandon Truaxe has died, aged 40. The cause of his death has yet to be publicly confirmed.

The beauty entrepreneur, who was the brain behind cult skincare lines such as The Ordinary and NIOD, left the company back in October following a series of erratic social media posts announcing that the brand was ceasing operations, sparking alarm among both fans and minority investor Estée Lauder Companies. The latter sought an injunction to have him removed from his post as CEO, and he was replaced by Nicola Kilner.

Deciem paid tribute to the entrepreneur with an Instagram post that read: "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."

The Estée Lauder Companies issued a statement that read: "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. This is a profound loss for us all, and our hearts are with Nicola Kilner and the entire Deciem family."

Truaxe founded Deciem in 2013, expanding it to incorporate different skincare and makeup lines that were an instant hit with beauty fans globally. Despite his recent erratic behaviour, Deciem appeared to have weathered the storm, and relaunched at Sephora in the US and Canada this month after a brief hiatus.