Deciem

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Deciem

Founded by Brandon Truaxe, Deciem functioned as an umbrella company for more than 10 other brands. Deciem started in 2013 with a very non-traditional approach that’s reflected in Deciem’s tagline: “The Abnormal Beauty Company.” Although Truaxe is an experienced entrepreneur with two previous skin-care brands under his belt, he is nothing like a typical CEO. On his bio on the Deceim website, Truaxe labeled himself as "THE FOUNDER IS SCREWED UP!" [1]

Deciem's multi-brand strategy was driven by a vertically integrated structure: It had its own lab, in-house producing, in-house e-commerce, in-store stores, and restrictive marketing infrastructure.[2]

In August 2016, Truaxe released The Ordinary product offering with 27 items,  combining cutting-edge science with modest price points. It initially sold online, followed by several department stores, and later around 30 company-owned stores opened in Canada, the US, UK, Mexico, South Korea, and the Netherlands. [3]

Black-Targeted Racism

The Troubled CEO

In late 2017, Brandon Truaxe, CEO of Deceim, fired all his marketing team and took over Deceim's social media accounts personally. Ever since his appearance on Deceim's Instagram account, things start to go downhill. On one occasion, Instagram users found Brandon Truaxe to be racist towards a person of color in the comment section. One of the followers, @supermormongirl, commented "Brandon, are you okay??" in one of his posts. The screen capture taken by Affinity shows Traxe's response by saying "Yes but you don't seem so well. Please use Modulating Glucosides when it's out. Goodbye."

Some of the users argued that the product he mentioned (which had not yet been released) might contain Ascorbyl Glucoside, which has a lightening effect on the skin. Hence, Deceim's followers and Instagram users implied that Truaxe was racist by telling a black woman to lighten her skin. This comment was taken as an insult, and many people, both on Instagram and Twitter, are angered by this.

After few days, Truaxe posted a picture of himself with the caption: “Modulating Glucosides calms things down and does not ‘bleach’ the skin. I’m sorry that I may have caused confusion about its function." As an excuse for his commentaries, having no intention to apologize to the customer.[4]

Support to Black Lives Matter

Donation

Deciem, the make of The Ordinary, has asked consumers to join in the conversation on racial inequality. As well as donating US$100,000 to Black Lives Matter and The NAACP Legal Defence & Educational Fund, social media users have been asked to send in a one minute video, or written message, on the subject to voices@deciem.com.

"Our team have been actively sharing their voices in the fight against racism and inequality," the brand wrote. "From tomorrow [1 June], our Instagram Stories will become a dedicated space to continue this conversation."[5]

Open letter to address Black Lives Latter

The CEO of Deciem has written an open letter to consumers detailing the company's internal plans to address Black Lives Matter. Nicola Kilner wrote that there are “no glass ceilings for any human at Deciem" and detailed how she has introduced several initiatives to support black employees, such as:

  • Given all colleagues a paid day off to educate on racism, discrimination, and oppression
  • Allowed paid time off to all colleagues for protesting
  • Set up counselling sessions for all team members who are looking for support in relation to this topic or to process their experiences
  • Inclusion Board, diversity training and a US$120,000 fund to back grassroot charities that support black consumers
  • Managers will receive diversity scorecards as part of their performance evaluations and an anonymous feedback service will be provided for concerned employees
  • Develop a two-way mentorship programme, partnering senior leaders with BIPOC and other minority group employees for two-way mentorship
  • They will also be "more intentional" in promoting staff and hiring new team members.[6]

Targets have been introduced to ensure representation across all management levels. "To everyone who has ever, or feels now, discriminated against or disadvantaged for being them, we are standing up and ready to fight alongside you," said Kilner.[7]

References

  1. Mpinja, Baze. Meet Deciem, the Industry-Changing Company Behind The Ordinary Skincare. December 28, 2017. allure.com. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
  2. "Estée Lauder Companies investiert in DECIEM, The Abnormal Beauty Company". June 16, 2017. onvista.de. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
  3. The Cult Skin-Care Brand Whose Secret Ingredient Is Being Dirt Cheap". January 29, 2018. newyorker.com. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
  4. MacInnis, Tara. After Weeks of Social Media Chaos, Deciem's Other CEO Parts Ways with the Company. February 22, 2018. flare.com. Retrieved March 25, 2021.
  5. Blackout Tuesday: How the beauty industry is supporting the Black Lives Matter cause. June 2, 2020. cosmeticsbusiness.com. Retrieved January 26, 2021.
  6. Deciem CEO writes letter addressing internal Black Lives Matter policies. June 23, 2020. cosmeticsbusiness.com. Retrieved January 29, 2021.
  7. Nothing Changes If Nothing Changes. Deciem. Retrieved January 29, 2021.