Youthforia was a beauty brand known for its plant-based makeup and viral social media presence. It gained additional attention after founder Fiona Co Chan appeared on Shark Tank in 2023. On the show, Chan secured a deal for $400,000 from Mark Cuban.
After the show, Youthforia was worth an estimated $6 million at its peak but the company is no longer in business. In August 2025, the company announced that it had decided to shut down and would be winding down operations, closing its website and selling remaining inventory at a discount.
Fiona Co Chan’s Background
Fiona Co Chan is an Asian-American beauty entrepreneur based in Miami, Florida. Despite having a strong interest in makeup, she initially studied economics at Dartmouth College.
After getting her bachelor’s degree, she sold advanced software for data centers. Her job required her to stay in cities with bad air pollution and always wore an N95 mask to sleep.
Like many women, she had a tendency to fall asleep wearing makeup which was harmful to her skin. This gave her the motivation to change how makeup was made.
Founding Youthforia
Chan started her beauty venture during the pandemic. The entrepreneur learned that traditional makeup was made up of fossil fuels, which are bad for the skin. Instead, she wanted to make skincare products that could serve as an extension of skincare.
Chan slept in the lab samples she created, trying to observe how her skin reacted to each of them. In 2021, she came up with the BYO Blush, which became famous for transforming the wearer’s skin tone.
After Shark Tank
Youthforia’s episode aired in March 2023 and the brand got a huge surge in sales. Youthforia served over 70,000 customers and March 2024, Youthforia’s lifetime sales had surpassed $15 million.
Pre-TV, Youthforia was doing about $6,500 in daily sales with just 2 employees; nine months after the episode aired, daily sales jumped to $15,000 and headcount rose to 10.
The deal with Cuban closed and Fiona revealed to beautymatter.com, that he has been supportive and great to work with. In April 2023, Fiona also closed a seed funding round with True Beauty Ventures and Willow Growth Partners.
Foundation Shade Controversy
Youthforia’s growth was challenged in 2024 after the launch of its Date Night Skin Tint Serum Foundation. The initial rollout offered only a limited shade range, leading to criticism that it did not provide truly inclusive options for deeper skin tones.
Subsequent extensions of the shade range included a very dark tone that drew significant backlash online, with one influencer comparing it to “black face paint.” Retailers such as Credo Beauty, Thirteen Lune, and Revolve pulled the brand from their assortments amid the controversy.
Despite efforts to apologise and adjust formulations, the foundation launch damaged Youthforia’s reputation and consumer trust. Industry experts noted that the brand’s response and product development strategy failed to address core inclusivity concerns, leading to broader disengagement from key audiences
Closure in 2025
On August 4, 2025, Youthforia officially announced that it was shutting down after four years in business. Founder Fiona Co Chan shared a message expressing gratitude for the journey and acknowledging that closing the brand was a difficult decision.
The company’s website went into closing-sale mode, offering remaining inventory at discounted prices, but confirmed that no products would be restocked once sold out
What Youthforia Customers Should Know
- The official Youthforia website now requires a password and is only functioning to sell remaining stock at marked-down prices; products are not being restocked.
- Some third-party sellers (e.g., Amaz on) may still have remaining inventory available at the seller’s discretion.The brand will not launch new products or resume normal operations.
