Uoma Beauty Founder Sharon Chuter Passes Away at 38

The beauty industry is mourning the sudden loss of Sharon Chuter, the Nigerian-born founder of Uoma Beauty, who has passed away at the age of 38.

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner confirmed her death on August 14, a revelation later verified by her representatives to The Business of Beauty, following an initial report in Ahead of the Kirb newsletter by Kirbie Johnson.

Chuter was more than a beauty entrepreneur — she was a fearless disruptor who reshaped conversations around inclusivity, diversity, and equity in cosmetics.

In 2019, she launched Uoma Beauty with a groundbreaking foundation line boasting over 50 shades, stocked in major international retailers including Selfridges in the UK and Ulta Beauty in the US. Her brand stood out as a rallying cry for representation in an industry often accused of marginalization.

In 2020, during the height of global protests over racial injustice, Chuter created the “Pull Up or Sh+t Up” campaign, a movement that forced global beauty corporations to disclose the percentage of Black employees on their staff.

The campaign struck a nerve worldwide, sparking transparency across industries and cementing Chuter as one of the most influential voices of her generation.

But her journey was not without turbulence. In 2023, Uoma’s assets were acquired by MacArthur Beauty and BrainTrust — a move Chuter later contested in court, alleging the sale was unauthorized and severely undervalued.

Despite the legal battle, her unwavering vision for equity in beauty never wavered.

Tributes have begun to pour in from across the globe, with industry colleagues, activists, and admirers hailing her as a “trailblazer,” “revolutionary,” and “a force of nature who gave a voice to the voiceless.”

Though gone too soon, Sharon Chuter’s legacy lives on — in every product shade, in every bold demand for accountability, and in every young Black entrepreneur she inspired to claim space in industries that once shut them out.

She was not just a founder; she was a fighter. And the world of beauty will never be the same again.