Morphe Cosmetics, also known as Morphe Brushes, legally known as Morphe Holdings (stylized as MORPHE), is a

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

cosmetics and beauty manufacturer founded in 2008. The company specializes in the digital retail direct-to-consumer distribution of beauty and personal care products using partnerships with

social media influencers An Internet celebrity (also known as a social media influencer, social media personality, internet personality, or simply influencer) is a celebrity who has acquired or developed their fame and notability through the Internet. The rise of social m ...

. Morphe has cut ties with multiple partners after many influencers became embroiled in controversy. In August 2019, Morphe Holdings announced the company had formed new partnership with

General Atlantic General Atlantic (also known as "GA") is an American growth equity firm providing capital and strategic support for global growth companies, headquartered in New York, United States. The firm was founded in 1980 as the captive investment team for ...

, who would acquire a majority stake. Additional terms of the deal were not disclosed, however, Morphe's existing shareholders would continue to be investors in the company. On January 5, 2023 Morphe announced on social media that all stores in the US would close immediately after facing criticism for employee working conditions, and to focus more on their digital storefront. Seven days later, on January 12, 2023, Morphe′s parent company Forma Brands filed for

Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code (Title 11 of the United States Code) permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Such reorganization, known as Chapter 11 bankruptcy, is available to every business, whe ...

. At the time, Morphe owed YouTube stars and beauty gurus

Jaclyn Hill Jaclyn Roxanne Hill (''née'' Eilers; born July 20, 1990) is an American entrepreneur and internet personality who gained popularity via her YouTube channel. Early life Jaclyn Eilers grew up near Mineral, Illinois on a farm that had been in he ...

$2 million and

Jeffree Star Jeffree Star (born Jeffrey Lynn Steininger Jr., November 15, 1985) is an American YouTuber, makeup artist, and former singer-songwriter. He is the founder and owner of Jeffree Star Cosmetics. In 2009, Star released a studio album, ''Beauty Kill ...

$1.4 million, respectively, in unsecured claims. That March, Morphe′s main creditors bought Forma for $690 million.

Partnerships

Morphe partnered with

Shane Dawson Shane Lee Yaw (born July 19, 1988), better known as Shane Dawson, is an American YouTuber, actor, fimmaker, writer, and musician. One of the first people to rise to fame on YouTube, he began making videos in 2008 at the age of 19 and garnered ...

and

but cut ties in 2020, amid online criticism of the brand after the two became embroiled in a feud between beauty vloggers

Tati Westbrook Tatiana Aleksandra Westbrook (née Krievins, born February 14, 1982) is an American YouTuber and makeup artist. Career YouTube Westbrook, a former image consultant turned makeup artist, created her YouTube channel GlamLifeGuru, later renam ...

and

James Charles James Charles Dickinson (born May 23, 1999) is an American beauty YouTuber and makeup artist. While working as a local makeup artist in his hometown of Bethlehem, New York, Charles started a YouTube channel, where he posts makeup tutorials. ...

and, in Star's case, accusations of

racism Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one race over another. It may also mean prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism ...

. Morphe partnered with Charles in 2017, producing two palettes of eyeshadows, but cut ties in 2021 amid online calls for a boycott after Charles admitted to inappropriately texting two 16-year-old boys when he was 20 or 21. Other partnerships include Manny Gutierrez,

Nikita Dragun Nikita Nguyen (born January 31, 1996) known professionally as Nikita Dragun, is a YouTuber, make-up artist, and model. Early life Nikita Nguyen was born in Belgium and attended high school in Virginia, United States. She is of Vietnamese and Me ...

Maddie Ziegler Madison Nicole Ziegler (; born September 30, 2002) is an American actress and dancer. She was initially known for appearing in Lifetime's reality show ''Dance Moms'' from 2011 (at age 8) until 2016. From 2014, she gained wider recognition for ...

Avani Gregg Avani Kiana Gregg (born November 23, 2002) is an American social media personality and make-up artist. She first developed a following on TikTok. Gregg plays Gemma in the web series ''Chicken Girls''. She received the Shorty Award for TikToker of ...

Madison Beer Madison Elle Beer (born March 5, 1999) is an American singer. Born in New York, she began posting covers to YouTube in early 2012. Beer gained substantial media coverage when Justin Bieber posted a link to one of her covers. She released her d ...

Jackie Aina Jacquelyn Lonje Olayiwola Oyeshola Bolayemi Aina (born August 4, 1987), better known as Jackie Aina, is an American beauty YouTuber. She was born to an African-American mother and a Nigerian father of Yoruba descent. She is a social influence ...

Charli D'Amelio Charli Grace D'Amelio ( ; born May 1, 2004) is an American social media personality. She was a competitive dancer for over 10 years before starting her social media career in 2019, when she started posting dance videos on the video-sharing pl ...

Dixie D'Amelio Dixie Jane D'Amelio ( ; born August 12, 2001) is an American singer and social media personality known for her videos on TikTok. She is the elder sister of Charli D'Amelio. She was born in Norwalk, Connecticut. In 2020, she starred in the You ...

, and

Bretman Rock Bretman Rock Sacayanan Laforga (born July 31, 1998) is a Filipino-American beauty influencer and social media personality based in Honolulu, Hawaii. He rose to fame as a creator on YouTube and Vine after one of his contouring videos went vir ...

. In 2020, and 2021, Morphe collaborated with

Coca-Cola Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. Originally marketed as a temperance drink and intended as a patent medicine, it was invented in the late 19th century by John Stith Pemberton in Atlanta ...

References

{{Cosmetics Companies based in Los Angeles Cosmetics companies of the United States Cosmetics brands 2008 establishments in the United States Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2023 Retail companies disestablished in 2023 2023 disestablishments in California