Several beauty industry trailblazers passed on in 2022. Some were celebrities in their own right, others were celebrities in the world of cosmetics, fine fragrance and skincare. Here’s a rundown of beauty industry executives lost in the past year.

January

Thierry Mugler, 73

French Fashion Designer Manfred Thierry Mugler, died on January 23. He was 73. Mugler, born in Strasbourg, France, started designing in the 1970s. He was known for his dramatic, avant-garde designs. Mugler's first perfume, Angel, debuted in 1992. Composed of notes of praline, chocolate and patchouli, Angel was the first gourmand fragrance. The iconic, faceted star-shaped bottle, was created by the Brosse Master Glassmakers. Fans of the fragrance include Diana Ross, Barbara Walters, Eva Mendes and Hillary Clinton.


I n 1996, Mugler followed up Angel with a male version named Angel Men. This fragrance includes notes of caramel, coffee, vanilla, patchouli and honey. In 2005, Alien was created. In 2006, Mugler completed a project for the launch of Tom Tykwer's film Perfume. In collaboration with IFF, Mugler created a box set of 15 fragrances During 2007, Mugler launched Mirror, Mirror, a collection of five fragrances, created as “perfume-trickery” to “enhance one's presence.” Angel and Alien have combined sales of about $280 million. In 2010, the fragrance Womanity was released by the House of Mugler. Angel Muse was launched in 2015; Angel Nova debuted in 2020.

March

Tova Borgnine, 80

Tova Borgnine, the Norwegian-born cosmetics entrepreneur and home-shopping star who was known not just for selling beauty products but also for being the fifth wife and most enduring relationship of the actor Ernest Borgnine, died on February 26 at her home in Chester County, PA. She was 80. Her death was announced by Michele Uram, president of Tova Beverly Hills, Borgnine’s company. She did not cite a cause.

Borgnine was a redheaded beauty with a makeup boutique that catered to Las Vegas showgirls. In 1971 she was introduced to Ernest Borgnine by comedian Marty Allen. The couple married in 1973. In a time when matrimony sidelined many women’s careers, Borgnine’s marriage didn’t slow her business projects. Concerned that the Las Vegas heat was making her customers look older, Borgnine badgered actress Merle Oberon into revealing the secret to her dewy complexion. Turns out, Oberon credited her complexion to a mask based on an ancient Aztec formula involving cactus, made by a family in Mexico, who agreed to sell Borgnine the formula.


When Ernest Borgnine plugged the mask in an interview, the couple received hundreds of letters and $56,000 in checks from consumers eager to purchase the beauty product. Tova 9, a play on their last name, was born.
Tova Borgnine was an early star of home shopping channel QVC. She joined in 1991 and sold her beauty line and her perfume, Tova Signature, there for the next three decades. Later, she also sold jewelry. Tova Beverly Hills’ pre-pandemic annual sales approached $20 million. 

AJ Crimson, 27

AJ Crimson, celebrity makeup artist and founder of AJ Crimson Beauty, died on March 30. He was 27. No cause of death was given.

During his career, Crimson worked with a range of celebrities, including Fergie, Hilary Duff, Brandy, Raven-Symone, Angela Bassett and Missy Elliot. His eponymous line was billed as vegan-friendly luxury cosmetics brand designed to be inclusive. The range includes foundations, powders, lipsticks/glosses with prices ranging from $20 to $150.

According to Crimson, the line was born out of necessity.

“I wanted to create a product inclusive of women of all ethnicities, a product all women could find ownership in and believe in. So often, makeup has been designed with a one size fits all mentality, and with black women and women of color my cosmetic line contains shades for women of every ethnic background and skin tone,” he said.

April

Durk Jager, 78

Durk Imke Jager, former chairman of the board, president, and chief executive officer at Procter & Gamble, has died on April 3. He was 78.

The first CEO of P&G born outside the United States (a Netherlands native who settled in Kiawah, SC), Jager led the company during what P&G officials called a “volatile transition” from the 20th to the 21st centuries.

Jager began his tenure with the company in 1970 working as a brand assistant in P&G Holland. Driven by a passion for innovation and a proponent of democracy, he later led the business in Japan and Asia before the US. He used his zest for globe-trotting and emotional intelligence to understand the consumers, customers, culture and competitive environment to achieve success. As a result of such gumption, P&G’s business in Japan grew from seven brands to 25 national or test-market products in the years that followed.

According to the company, Jager once remarked, “Thinking globally will make us better professionally, but if we learn to understand and appreciate other people's cultures, their thoughts, it will make each of us better, richer people.”

With that attitude, spirit and sense of leadership, the exemplary Jager, who the company said derived zeal from his colleagues and clients from dynamic backgrounds, was appointed chief operating officer in 1995 and CEO in 1999.

A self-professed proud Friesian, Jager was born on April 30, 1943 in Haskerland, the Netherlands. He was the son of the late Oene Jager and Meintje Jager, and preceded in death by his brother, Jolle. He is survived by his wife, Ingrid Jager-Baart; brother, Jan-Hessel; two sons, Maarten and Menno and their spouses, Alessandra and Heather; several nieces and nephews and six grandchildren.

July

Paul Brown, 74

Paul Brown, founder of Paul Brown Salons, died July 6. He was 74. The master hairstylist and businessman was renowned for his salon techniques and beauty products.

In January, Brown was diagnosed with glioblastoma, an aggressive type of brain cancer. He died on July 7, 2022.

Brown spent more than 50 years in the professional beauty industry. He opened his first hair salon in Honolulu in 1971 and made his mark with an unprecedented thermal hair straightening system and flat iron that revolutionized the industry.
In the 1980s, Brown developed a successful hair care, skincare, and makeup line that bears his name, using his industry experience to create products with plants native to Hawaii.

Katherine Malecha, Paul Brown Salons managing director, said “he touched so many people. It’s kind of overwhelming today, all of the love and support we’re getting with the news just barely hitting.”

VG Nair

VG Nair, director and CEO of the Sami-Sabinsa Group, died on July 6 due to complications from covid-19.

“We offer our sincere condolences to the grieving family, friends and loved ones of Mr. Nair,” said Sami-Sabinsa Group Founder, Chairman and Managing Director Dr. Muhammed Majeed. “In addition to his hard work and talents that helped make Sabinsa so successful, he was a kind and thoughtful man, and will be deeply missed by us all.”

Nair’s many contributions to the Sami-Sabinsa Group began decades ago as a supplier helping secure Sabinsa’s stock of Garcinia cambogia, Sabinsa’s first blockbuster ingredient product. After joining the company, Nair played a significant role in establishing Sabinsa’s consistency in supply, manufacturing and exports.

Ivana Trump, 73

Ivana Trump, one of the ex-wives of President Donald Trump, died on July 14. She was 73.  She died at her home in New York City. Donald and Ivana were married from 1977 to 1992 and had three children (Donald Jr., Ivanka and Eric).

During their marriage, she worked alongside her husband on several of his early signature projects, including Trump Tower in Manhattan and the Trump Taj Mahal casino in Atlantic City. She was vice president for interior design for his company, the Trump Organization, and managed one of his most prized properties, the Plaza Hotel, while raising their three children.

The couple divorced in 1990, but she relied on her business prowess to develop a line of clothing, jewelry and beauty products. All of them were promoted via outlets like the Home Shopping Network and QVC.

October

Joseph Gubernick, 88

Former Estée Lauder Cos. executive Joseph “Joe” Gubernick died on October 15. He was 88. The cause of death was not reported.

Gubernick held many posts during his career at Estée Lauder, most notably in research and development. He is credited with formulating such best-selling skincare products as Estée Lauder’s Night Repair and Fruition, and Clinique’s Turnaround Cream. He also played a key role in the development of Origins.

In a statement, the Estée Lauder Board said, “As an early founder of our R&D group in Melville, NY, Joe was at the helm of many breakthroughs, guiding our company to success with patented products that remain popular today. When Joe came to our team in 1972, he was deemed a genius. He was that and so much more. Joe was a great man who will be missed by many. Our deepest sympathies are with his family and loved ones.”

Gubernick joined ELC from Revlon in 1972 as senior vice president of R&D. He held that position until 1985, when he focused on creating the Origins brand, which launched in 1990. In 1991, he rejoined ELC R&D until 2000, when he assumed responsibility for the corporate product innovation group. In 2008, he was named chief marketing officer of the Estée Lauder brand.

In a LinkedIn post, long-time colleague Harvey Gedeon wrote, “A better man, a more compassionate man, a smarter researcher and scientist, the world and the cosmetic industry lost a giant who changed specially the skin care business for the better. So many memories and so many great adventures with this giant of a man!”

After leaving ELC, Gubernick created In Ventures. Most recently he was lead adviser to I-On Skincare, founded by Dr. Xi Huang, which is said to have a proprietary technology that removes and neutralizes various forms of iron in the skin.

“Joe will forever be remembered as an iconic trailblazer in the beauty industry,” wrote Huang in a LinkedIn post. “He was a genius researcher and scientist whose mind worked wondrously surpassing convention and boundaries to invent the extraordinary, forever changing the cosmetic skincare landscape. Joe was passionate about life and science for the greater good and reverently supportive of my own scientific endeavor, I-On Skincare. His charm, kindness and compassion, and eccentric humor were contagious and will be dearly missed.”