Sharon Chuter, the visionary behind Uoma Beauty, has tragically passed away at 38, just six months after launching a multimillion-dollar lawsuit claiming she was unjustly ousted from her own company. The Nigerian-born entrepreneur, celebrated for revolutionizing inclusivity in the beauty industry, was found dead on a patio in Los Angeles on August 14, 2025, leaving behind a legacy of innovation and advocacy. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner has yet to determine the cause of her death, listing it as “deferred” while investigations continue.
Chuter founded Uoma Beauty in 2019, launching with a groundbreaking 51-shade foundation line that set a new standard for diversity in makeup. The brand, carried by major retailers like Ulta, Nordstrom, and Selfridges, aimed to champion “radical inclusivity.” In 2021, she expanded her vision with Uoma by Sharon C., an affordable line sold at Walmart and later CVS, which saw sevenfold growth in 2022. Her success was backed by $3.5 million in funding from investors like Unilever Ventures and BrainTrust Fund, cementing her status as a trailblazer in the beauty industry.
Beyond her business achievements, Sharon Chuter was a fierce advocate for change. In 2020, she launched Pull Up for Change, a movement that challenged beauty brands to disclose their Black employee numbers, exposing widespread inequities. Her 2021 Make It BLACK campaign pushed dictionaries to redefine “Black” positively and raised nearly $1 million for Black-owned businesses through her Impact Fund. In 2023, her “We See You” campaign celebrated racial differences, further solidifying her influence.
However, Chuter’s journey took a tumultuous turn in 2023. After a health scare that led to significant weight loss and a suspected cancer diagnosis, she took medical leave in January. She announced her resignation as CEO and board member in May 2023, intending to stay on as a creative visionary and shareholder. But by September, she was locked out of her company email, and in October, she received an offer from a holding company to buy her shares, which she saw as an attempt to push her out entirely.
The situation escalated in February 2025 when Chuter filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court against MacArthur Beauty, BrainTrust Fund, and Settle Funding. She alleged that BrainTrust took control of Uoma Beauty during her medical leave, halting operations without her consent and orchestrating a below-market sale of the company’s assets to MacArthur Beauty in December 2023 to settle a $6.2 million loan. Chuter claimed this was done without her approval, stripping her of her role and assets worth nearly $50 million. MacArthur and BrainTrust countered that Uoma was insolvent and that they tried to contact Chuter to address the financial crisis, a claim she disputed.
Sharon Chuter’s death comes amid this unresolved legal battle, raising questions about the pressures she faced. Her final Instagram post on May 21, 2025, showed her speaking at a beauty event, full of energy and passion. The timing of her passing and the ongoing lawsuit regarding Uoma Beauty have sparked speculation, though no evidence links the two. The beauty industry mourns a pioneer whose work reshaped standards of inclusivity and accountability.
