Sara Happ Leaves Namesake Brand

Sara Happ is departing her namesake brand.

The founder, who started making lip products and launched her brand in 2005, revealed in an Instagram post Friday that she would be “stepping away” from the company.

“For 20 years, I have poured my heart and soul into this little brand I started in my kitchen,” Happ said in the video post. “Today, I can no longer, and will no longer, stand behind the brand that had my name on it.”

Happ was an early arrival to prestige lip treatments, which have become one of beauty’s hottest categories of the last five years. More recent entrants, from Rhode to Summer Fridays, have seen success in the segment of the market as well.

As of the closing of its most recent funding in 2023, led by BGM Ventures, the brand was distributed in 22 countries, including 1,500 doors in the U.S.

“We’re a multimillion-dollar company and we’ve done it without any outside capital,” Happ said at the time of the capital raise, saying the company had grown 30 percent every year since its founding. “We cannot keep up supply with demand, and I’ve never had this much retailer and customer demand for our products. That’s why the acquisition is so helpful with scaling.”

The Sara Happ brand said: “Following her sale of a controlling interest, the company required a shift in roles to support the brand’s strategic direction. Sara chose to resign and pursue another path, though she remains on the board of directors and a significant shareholder, and we are hopeful she will continue to seek success alongside us. Our leadership, formulas, manufacturing partners, and product development roadmap remain unchanged. We fully respect the legacy Sara created, and our values have not changed. The company remains focused on product quality, consistency, and the continued advancement of the brand’s long-term vision.”

Happ herself did not comment by press time.

“What I know is that when your values no longer align, you have to choose your own,” Happ said in the video. “For me, that means stepping away from the brand with my name on it so I can stand fully behind whatever I create next.”