Michelle Phan
Michelle Phan (born Phan Tuyết Băng; April 11, 1987) is an American entrepreneur, YouTuber, and makeup artist who is widely recognized as one of the pioneers of influencer marketing and the creator economy. As one of the first beauty content creators to achieve mainstream success on YouTube, Phan helped establish the template for influencer-to-entrepreneur transitions that countless creators have since followed. She is the co-founder of Ipsy, a beauty subscription service valued at over $1 billion, and the founder and CEO of EM Cosmetics, a makeup brand she originally launched with L'Oréal and later relaunched independently.
Born to Vietnamese refugee parents who fled their homeland following the Vietnam War, Phan grew up in poverty in Tampa, Florida, experiencing multiple evictions and relying on food stamps during her childhood. She discovered makeup as a form of creative expression while spending time at her mother's nail salon and began posting tutorials online in 2005, initially on Xanga and later on YouTube. Her tutorials, which combined accessible technique explanations with aspirational storytelling, attracted millions of viewers and helped establish YouTube as a platform for beauty education.
Phan's viral success—particularly her Lady Gaga makeup tutorials in 2009 and 2010—led to a groundbreaking partnership with Lancôme in 2010, making her the company's first Vietnamese-American spokesperson and first YouTube-based brand ambassador. Building on her audience and expertise, she co-founded Ipsy (originally called MyGlam) in 2011 with Marcelo Camberos and Jennifer Jaconetti Goldfarb, creating a monthly beauty subscription service that would grow to serve millions of subscribers and achieve a valuation exceeding $800 million by 2015.
In 2013, L'Oréal partnered with Phan to launch EM Cosmetics, a makeup brand targeted at her young fanbase. The initial launch struggled due to pricing and distribution issues, and the partnership ended with Phan buying back the brand in 2015 through Ipsy. She relaunched EM Cosmetics independently in 2017 with a streamlined product line and more accessible price points, finding success through direct-to-consumer channels and eventually becoming one of the top performers on TikTok Shop.
Phan's journey has not been without challenges. In 2015, at the height of her fame, she abruptly disappeared from social media, later revealing that she had experienced severe burnout, depression, and anxiety from the pressures of maintaining her online presence. Her two-year hiatus and subsequent return in 2017 and 2019 became a widely discussed case study in creator mental health and the unsustainable demands of influencer culture. She has since become an advocate for mental health awareness and the importance of stepping back from digital platforms when necessary.
Early life
Family background
Michelle Phan was born on April 11, 1987, in Boston, Massachusetts, to Vietnamese immigrant parents who had fled their homeland as refugees following the end of the Vietnam War in 1975. Her Vietnamese name, Tuyết Băng, translates to "snow exploding" or "avalanche"—a name that would prove somewhat prophetic given her eventual explosive impact on the beauty and digital content industries.
Her parents' journey to America was marked by the harrowing circumstances typical of Vietnamese boat people. Her father spent three months hidden on a ship traveling to Hong Kong, while her mother fled Vietnam by boat amid gunfire. The two met by chance on an airplane after arriving in the United States, fell in love, and married. The young couple then moved across the country seeking stability and opportunity, starting in Boston before eventually settling in Tampa, Florida.
Childhood hardships
The Phan family's early years in America were marked by significant financial struggles. Michelle has spoken publicly about the family experiencing up to ten evictions in a single year and relying on food stamps for basic necessities. The poverty was compounded by her father's gambling addiction, which consumed family resources and created instability at home.
When Michelle was six years old, her father left the family. The abandonment was sudden and traumatic for the young girl, who struggled to comprehend why her father, who had always been present, was suddenly gone. The experience left lasting emotional impacts that Michelle would later address through therapy and public discussions about mental health.
Following the departure of Michelle's biological father, her mother eventually remarried. However, Michelle has described her stepfather as controlling and dictatorial, creating a difficult home environment. Despite these challenges, her mother worked tirelessly to support the family, eventually opening her own nail salon after years of working as a nail technician and holding other low-wage jobs—remarkable achievements for someone who had arrived in the United States with less than $20 and no English language skills.
Finding escape through creativity
Growing up surrounded by the beauty industry through her mother's nail salon, Michelle developed an early fascination with makeup and aesthetics. She spent hours reading beauty magazines and teaching herself techniques from books, developing skills that would later become the foundation of her career.
Art and creativity became Michelle's primary escape from the difficulties of her childhood circumstances. She has described herself as constantly creating during this period—writing stories, drawing comic books, and building her own imaginative universe. This creative outlet provided not only emotional relief but also developed the artistic sensibilities and storytelling abilities that would later distinguish her YouTube content.
Education
Michelle attended Tampa Bay Technical High School before enrolling at Ringling College of Art and Design, a prestigious art school in Sarasota, Florida, known for its programs in computer animation, illustration, and fine arts. However, due to the same financial constraints that had plagued her family throughout her childhood, Michelle was unable to complete her degree and left the college before graduating.
The decision to leave school was difficult but ultimately redirected her energy toward the emerging digital platforms that would make her famous. In 2014, in recognition of her achievements as an entrepreneur and influencer, Ringling College awarded Michelle an Honorary Doctorate of Arts degree—a validation of her unconventional path to success.
Career
Early blogging and YouTube beginnings
Michelle's journey into digital content creation began in 2005, when she started a personal blog where she posted makeup tutorials and beauty advice. The positive response from readers, who requested more content and video demonstrations, encouraged her to expand into video formats.
She began posting tutorial videos on Xanga under the username "Ricebunny," developing her format and building a small but engaged following. In May 2007, she made the transition to YouTube, which was then just two years old and had not yet established itself as the dominant video platform it would become. The timing proved fortuitous—Michelle was among the first wave of beauty creators on the platform, giving her an early-mover advantage that would prove crucial to her success.
Her early videos were notable for their accessible approach, clear explanations, and aspirational quality. Unlike traditional beauty content from magazines or television, Michelle's tutorials felt personal and attainable—she was a relatable young woman sharing her knowledge, not a distant celebrity or professional makeup artist. This authenticity resonated with viewers, particularly young women seeking affordable beauty advice.
Viral breakthrough
Michelle's breakthrough to mainstream visibility came in 2009 and 2010, when BuzzFeed featured two of her tutorials demonstrating how to recreate Lady Gaga's distinctive eye makeup looks. The features helped the videos go viral, introducing Michelle to millions of new viewers and pushing her subscriber count past one million—a significant milestone in the early YouTube era.
The Lady Gaga tutorials exemplified what made Michelle's content effective: she took aspirational, celebrity-driven looks and made them accessible to everyday viewers through step-by-step instruction, affordable product recommendations, and engaging presentation. This formula—combining aspiration with accessibility—would influence an entire generation of beauty content creators.
Lancôme partnership
Michelle's growing influence attracted the attention of major beauty brands seeking to reach younger, digitally-native consumers. In 2010, Lancôme, the prestigious French cosmetics house owned by L'Oréal, made Michelle their official video makeup artist after she featured several of their products in her tutorials.
The partnership was groundbreaking in multiple ways. Michelle became Lancôme's first Vietnamese-American spokesperson, representing both diversity and the emerging importance of digital creators in beauty marketing. More significantly, she became one of the first—if not the first—YouTube creators to secure a major brand ambassadorship, helping to legitimize influencer marketing as a viable channel for luxury brands.
The Lancôme relationship demonstrated the commercial potential of YouTube beauty creators and helped establish the template for brand-influencer partnerships that would become standard practice across the industry.
Founding Ipsy
Building on her success as a creator and her understanding of what beauty consumers wanted, Michelle co-founded MyGlam in 2011 alongside Marcelo Camberos, who joined as CEO from Funny or Die, and Jennifer Jaconetti Goldfarb, who came from Bare Escentuals. The company launched a monthly beauty subscription service, sending curated bags of sample and full-size beauty products to subscribers for a low monthly fee.
The business model was inspired by the success of subscription services like Birchbox and leveraged Michelle's massive audience to drive initial subscriber acquisition. The service launched publicly in September 2012 after a beta period and was subsequently renamed Ipsy.
Ipsy differentiated itself through its connection to beauty influencers and its community-building approach. The company sponsored the Generation Beauty conference and created networks that connected subscribers with beauty content creators. Michelle's involvement gave the brand authenticity and access to her millions of followers, while the subscription model provided predictable recurring revenue.
The company grew rapidly, raising $3.8 million in seed and Series A funding early on. In September 2015, Ipsy raised a $100 million Series B round from TPG Growth and Sherpa Capital, achieving a valuation of approximately $800 million. By this point, the service had millions of subscribers and had established itself as one of the leading players in the beauty subscription market.
In October 2020, Ipsy announced its acquisition of BoxyCharm, the largest subscription provider of full-size beauty products, for $500 million. The deal created a new parent company called BFA (Beauty for All) Industries to oversee both brands, with the combined company valued at over $1 billion.
FAWN and ICON Network
In 2012, Michelle launched FAWN, a YouTube multi-channel network (MCN) that partnered with YouTube as an advertising platform. The network aimed to help other beauty and lifestyle creators build their audiences and monetize their content, extending Michelle's influence beyond her own channel.
In May 2014, Michelle announced a partnership with Endemol Beyond USA to build a talent network featuring YouTube creators and producing content for millennials. The resulting ICON network launched in March 2015, dedicated to "beauty, lifestyle and entertainment" content. The network was available online and through Roku, representing an early effort to bring YouTube-style content to television platforms.
EM Cosmetics: The L'Oréal years
On August 15, 2013, L'Oréal launched EM Cosmetics by Michelle Phan, a cosmetics line that Michelle dedicated to her mother in honor of her sacrifices and support throughout Michelle's life. The brand represented one of the first major beauty launches specifically created around a digital influencer's personal brand.
However, the initial EM Cosmetics launch did not succeed as hoped. The product line launched with approximately 200 SKUs at price points that many of Michelle's young followers found too high. Additionally, while Michelle had creative input on colors and concepts, she had limited control over business decisions, leading to misalignments between the brand and her audience's expectations.
The failure of the initial EM Cosmetics launch was personally painful for Michelle, who had invested years of effort into the partnership. She later described the experience as a crucial learning moment that deepened her interest in the business aspects of beauty entrepreneurship.
EM Cosmetics: The relaunch
In April 2015, Michelle bought back L'Oréal's share of EM Cosmetics through Ipsy, which she confirmed publicly in December 2016. She subsequently acquired the company from Ipsy entirely and resigned from Ipsy to focus exclusively on rebuilding EM Cosmetics.
Michelle relaunched EM Cosmetics in April 2017 with a dramatically different approach. Instead of hundreds of products, she focused on just three core items: blush, lip gloss, and eyeliner. The price points were lowered to approximately $15, making the products accessible to her original audience. The aesthetic was refined to be more elegant and timeless, reflecting the mature vision Michelle had developed during her time away from the spotlight.
The relaunched EM Cosmetics found success through direct-to-consumer channels and social media marketing, building a loyal customer base that appreciated the brand's quality and Michelle's authentic involvement. The company has continued to grow, with Michelle recently finding significant success on TikTok Shop, where EM Cosmetics was named one of the platform's top three most efficient shops.
Book publication
In October 2014, Michelle published Make Up: Your Life Guide to Beauty, Style, and Success—Online and Off through Random House. The book combined beauty advice with broader guidance on personal branding, career development, and success in the digital age.
The publication represented an extension of Michelle's influence beyond video content and positioned her as a thought leader on topics including entrepreneurship, personal branding, and navigating the emerging creator economy.
Other ventures
Michelle has pursued diverse business interests beyond beauty. In September 2014, she partnered with Cutting Edge Group to launch Shift Music Group, entering the music industry.
In 2017, she launched a webtoon (digital comic) titled Helios: Femina, returning to the creative writing and comic-making that had been her escape during childhood.
In 2018, Michelle founded Thematic, a platform that allows digital creators to license music from artists in exchange for promotion—addressing a pain point she had experienced personally when Ultra Records sued her for copyright infringement related to music used in her YouTube videos.
In 2021, she lent her voice to Blackberry Cookie, a character in the video game Cookie Run: Kingdom, though the role was uncredited in-game.
Controversies
Ultra Records lawsuit
In July 2014, Ultra Records filed a lawsuit against Michelle in the United States District Court for the Central District of California, alleging copyright infringement related to music used in her YouTube videos. Ultra sought up to $150,000 in damages per infringement for up to 50 alleged instances, potentially totaling $7.5 million.
Michelle's representatives stated that she had received permission from Ultra to use the music, and she filed a countersuit against Ultra Records in September 2014. Both the suit and countersuit were dropped in August 2015 when the parties agreed to settle out of court; the terms of the agreement were not made public.
The lawsuit highlighted the legal risks faced by digital creators regarding music licensing and motivated Michelle's later founding of Thematic, a platform designed to solve this problem for creators.
Michael Avenatti embezzlement
Michelle was among the clients affected by the criminal activities of disgraced attorney Michael Avenatti, who was convicted of embezzling funds from clients. Avenatti allegedly embezzled approximately $4 million from Michelle—a significant financial loss that represented a substantial portion of her earnings.
Promotion of pseudoscience
Michelle has received criticism for promoting alternative medicine products and beliefs based on pseudoscience. She has publicly expressed belief in various alternative health concepts that lack scientific support, leading to concerns about her influence on her young audience regarding health and wellness topics.
The hiatus
Disappearance from social media
In 2015, at what appeared to be the peak of her career—having been named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 and Inc. 30 Under 30 lists, secured major brand partnerships, and co-founded a company valued at hundreds of millions of dollars—Michelle abruptly disappeared from social media.
Her YouTube channel, Instagram, and Twitter went dormant without explanation, leaving her millions of fans confused and concerned. The sudden silence from one of the internet's most prominent creators sparked widespread speculation about what had happened.
Burnout and mental health struggles
Michelle's 2015 disappearance was driven by severe burnout and mental health challenges. After nearly a decade of constant content creation, brand obligations, and business responsibilities, she had reached a breaking point.
She later described feeling disconnected from her authentic self, struggling to maintain the image and meet the expectations that came with being a public figure. The pressure of producing content consistently, managing businesses, dealing with online criticism, and living up to her own standards had become overwhelming.
Michelle experienced symptoms of depression and anxiety, eventually seeking help from a therapist. Her mother's experience with post-traumatic stress disorder following her traumatic escape from Vietnam may have provided some family context for understanding mental health challenges.
"Why I Left" video
In June 2017, Michelle returned to YouTube with a video titled "Why I Left," which has since accumulated over 13 million views. In the video, she opened up about the pressures of fame, her struggle to remain authentic in an intense industry, and the toll that constant content creation had taken on her mental health.
She discussed the legal troubles from the Ultra Records lawsuit, the failure of the initial EM Cosmetics launch with L'Oréal, and her issues with self-image as contributing factors to her decision to step away.
Extended hiatus and return
Despite the "Why I Left" video, Michelle did not immediately return to regular content creation. Her hiatus continued as she focused on rebuilding EM Cosmetics and continuing her personal healing process.
She officially returned to regular YouTube content in September 2019 with a video titled "Hello :)" featuring footage of her cat and behind-the-scenes content from an EM Cosmetics shoot. The low-key return signaled a more balanced approach to content creation, prioritizing authenticity over the high-production demands that had contributed to her burnout.
Advocacy for mental health
Michelle's public discussion of her mental health struggles and the pressures of influencer life has made her an important voice in conversations about creator wellness. Her experience predated and foreshadowed broader industry discussions about YouTube creator burnout that would emerge in subsequent years.
She has since advocated for the importance of taking breaks from digital platforms, seeking professional mental health support, and maintaining boundaries between public persona and private self.
Personal life
Relationship with Dominique Capraro
Michelle has been in a long-term relationship with Dominique Capraro, a Swiss model and actor, since 2010. The couple met in a cafe in Paris when Michelle, visiting the city for work, was struggling to order from a French-language menu. Capraro approached her and offered to help translate.
The two began a long-distance relationship that lasted approximately two years. They reunited in Paris after this period and shared their first kiss at the Eiffel Tower. Capraro eventually moved to Los Angeles to be with Michelle.
The couple was publicly open about their relationship during Michelle's active YouTube years, appearing together in videos and answering personal questions from fans. Since Michelle's hiatus and reduced public presence, information about their relationship has become more private, though they are reported to still be together and residing in Los Angeles.
Legacy and influence
Michelle Phan is widely credited as one of the founders of the modern creator economy and influencer marketing industry. Her success demonstrated that digital creators could build sustainable businesses, secure major brand partnerships, and transition from content creation to entrepreneurship.
The path she pioneered—from YouTube creator to beauty entrepreneur—has been followed by countless others in the years since, including many of the most successful beauty influencers of subsequent generations. Her influence extends beyond those who directly imitated her model to the broader acceptance of influencer marketing as a legitimate marketing channel.
Ipsy's success as a billion-dollar company demonstrated the potential scale of businesses built on creator audiences and community engagement. The company's model influenced numerous subsequent subscription services and creator-led brands.
Michelle's public discussion of burnout and mental health challenges also contributed to important conversations about the sustainability of creator careers and the human costs of maintaining large digital audiences.
Awards and recognition
- Forbes 30 Under 30 (2015)
- Inc. 30 Under 30 (2015)
- Honorary Doctorate of Arts, Ringling College of Art and Design (2014)
Published works
- Make Up: Your Life Guide to Beauty, Style, and Success—Online and Off (Random House, 2014)
See also
References