Morphe

Morphe is an American color-cosmetics and makeup-tool brand founded in Los Angeles in 2008 by siblings Chris and Linda Tawil, who started by selling affordable professional-quality makeup brushes before expanding into eyeshadow, face and lip products [6]. The company built its name through partnerships with social-media beauty creators, an approach that carried it to a $2.2 billion valuation in 2019 [6] and, after a sharp reversal, into bankruptcy a few years later.

Ownership has changed hands more than once. After its parent company filed for Chapter 11 in early 2023, Morphe was acquired out of bankruptcy by a group of creditors and now operates under that investor group, with its corporate parent still named Forma Brands LLC [4]. The brand continues to trade online and through the retailer Ulta Beauty, though it has closed all of its physical stores.

Morphe was founded in Los Angeles in November 2008 by Chris and Linda Tawil [6]. The brand's own account describes it as "born in 2008 among the artists and influencers of Los Angeles," with an early mission of making "artist-designed, professional-quality brushes affordable and accessible." From that base in brushes and tools, it expanded into eyeshadow, blush, bronzer, lip products and other color cosmetics.

Morphe's growth was closely tied to online beauty culture. The company specialized in direct-to-consumer sales through digital retail and partnerships with social-media influencers, cultivating relationships with creators including Jaclyn Hill, James Charles, and Charli and Dixie D'Amelio. It also ran a collaboration with Coca-Cola in 2020 and 2021.

The brand's commercial peak came in 2019, when the private-equity firm General Atlantic acquired a majority stake at a $2.2 billion valuation and sales were projected to reach roughly $500 million that year [6]. The momentum did not hold. Revenue fell to about $295 million by 2021 [5], a decline attributed to the pandemic's effect on makeup sales and to high-profile creator partnerships that ended in controversy.

The downturn became a crisis in early 2023. Forma Brands closed all of Morphe's U.S. stores in early January, and on 12 January 2023 the parent company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, reporting liabilities between $500 million and $1 billion [5]. In August 2024 Morphe closed its remaining stores in the United Kingdom to concentrate on online sales.

Sources differ on how Morphe's ownership should be described. Wikipedia's infobox lists General Atlantic, the 2019 majority investor, alongside Forma Brands LLC as parent companies [3]. More recent reporting reflects a later change: after the 2023 Chapter 11 proceedings, Morphe's parent Forma Brands was acquired out of bankruptcy by a creditor group made up of the venture-capital firm &vest, Jefferies Finance LLC and Cerberus Capital Management, for $690 million in debt relief [4]. The company emerged from bankruptcy on 12 April 2023 and named Cliff Moskowitz, an operating partner at &vest, as its new chief executive [4]. Forma Brands remains the corporate parent name, while ownership now sits with that investor group.

Several brands have been associated with Forma Brands' portfolio over time, including Morphe 2, Jaclyn Cosmetics and Bad Habit. R.e.m. Beauty, the line tied to Ariana Grande, was separated from the group when its assets were purchased for $15 million.

Morphe positions itself around the line "made for makeup lovers," paired with the claim of "quality without compromise." According to the company, its products combine high-quality ingredients with modern tools intended for long-lasting pigment and easy blending, sold at accessible prices. The brand's tagline is "Dare to Dazzle." Its audience has centered on makeup enthusiasts and younger, social-media-engaged consumers drawn to creator collaborations and affordable, artist-quality products.

The brand's original signature category was its range of artist-designed makeup brushes and tools, which it later extended across face, eye and lip cosmetics. Among its named products are the ChromaPlus 6-Pan Eyeshadow Palette and other eyeshadow palettes, which Morphe says are "powered by our ChromaPlus blend," a proprietary color formulation. The company states that its products are cruelty-free and Leaping Bunny Certified [1].

Several of Morphe's creator partnerships ended amid public criticism. In 2020 the brand cut ties with Shane Dawson and Jeffree Star following online criticism and accusations of racism [3]. In 2021 it ended its partnership with James Charles after he admitted to inappropriately texting two 16-year-old boys when he was in his early twenties [3].

These relationships also surfaced in the 2023 bankruptcy. Among the parent company's outstanding debts were sums owed to former collaborators, including amounts reported as $2 million owed to James Charles and Jaclyn Hill and $1.4 million to Jeffree Star.

Morphe is an operating brand under acquired ownership rather than a defunct one. Following the 2023 bankruptcy and creditor takeover, its parent company is controlled by the &vest, Jefferies Finance and Cerberus investor group [4]. The brand no longer runs physical stores after closing its U.S. locations in 2023 and its U.K. stores in 2024, and it now sells through its e-commerce site and the retailer Ulta Beauty. Reporting after the bankruptcy described early signs of recovery, with rising year-over-year sales and a workforce of around 225 employees.