Uoma Beauty founder and trailblazer, Sharon Chuter dies unexpectedly at 38

Her death comes in the middle of an unresolved lawsuit between her and the new owners of her cosmetics brand, Uoma Beauty.

Sharon Chuter, the founder and former CEO of Uoma Beauty, has died at the age of 38.

According to PEOPLE, the Nigerian-born beauty executive was found dead in her Los Angeles home on August 14. The cause of her death is listed under the Los Angeles Medical Examiner as “deferred,” or under investigation.

Chuter launched her beauty brand, Uoma Beauty, at Ulta stores in 2019. Its claim to fame was its inclusivity of different skin tones, with its “Say What?!” foundation collection that had 51 shades. She was also outspoken about racism in the corporate world. In 2020, she started the viral campaign #pulluporshutup, in reaction to the nationwide protests against the murder of George Floyd by a white police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The hashtag targeted companies that made performative gestures online to address racism without taking concrete steps to address those issues within their own workplaces. Her Pull Up For Change initiative challenged major brands like L’Oreal and Glossier to disclose the number of Black employees in their companies.

In 2023, Chuter stepped down from her position as CEO. On Instagram, she shared that she was ready to leave the “corporate grind” and said that she was hospitalized that year.

“I lost 10kgs in one week, doctors thought it may be stomach cancer but luckily it wasn’t and I’m back ok albeit forced into medical leave which was the true story of my sabbatical,” she wrote in the post.

Her reasons for leaving the brand ended up being even more complicated. In February of this year, Chuter filed a lawsuit against the brand’s new owner, MacArthur Beauty, venture capitalist fund BrainTrust, and Settle Funding. When Uoma Beauty re-launched in 2024 under the new leadership, she told Allure that the reason she stepped down was because “there would’ve been friction” between herself and BrainTrust.

She claimed in the lawsuit that MacArthur and BrainTrust owed her $50 million in stolen assets, and she sought damages for intentional fraudulent transfer. She also accused the new owners of pushing her out while she was on her medical leave in 2023.

The beauty founder continued to speak out about social justice and diversity and inclusion on her personal social media. In the past few months, she had spoken at the University of Southern California and at The Beauty Exchange conference.