Beauty brand Deciem has closed a number of its stores suddenly, following a rambling video posted Monday to social media by its founder and CEO claiming "major criminal activity" within the company.

Brandon Truaxe announced that the Toronto-based brand's stores will be closed "until further notice, which will be about two months" in an Instagram video posted to Deciem's official account.

By Tuesday, several media outlets were reporting that various Deciem stores, both internationally and in the United States, were closed to the public. Calls to the San Francisco location on Grant Avenue went unanswered, and the business was listed as permanently closed via Google.

In the video, Truaxe told viewers, "Almost everyone at Deciem has been involved in a major criminal activity, which includes financial crimes and much other. You have no idea what a soldier I've been for more than 13 years."

The caption to the video invoked a number of names associated with the brand, including makeup company Estee Lauder — who bought a minority 28 percent stake in the company in June 2017 — and a number of hotel and clothing brands, even naming Hollywood actors Ben Affleck, Brad Pitt and George Clooney in the unintelligible diatribe.

An employee email leaked to Cosmopolitan UK instructed employees to shutter the United Kingdom stores immediately, leaving only one branch open, with plans to open again in 2019.

Monday's video is just the latest in a string of incidents involving Truaxe, however, this is perhaps the first time all of its stores have been completely shuttered since the brand's inception. Previously, Truaxe has come under fire after taking over the brand's social media accounts, posting personal content, arguing with people in the comments, sparring with other beauty lines, and even breaking off business partnerships via Instagram.

In addition, an investigation into the company by fashion site Racked had former employees typifying the business as "disorganized," and stating they've heard management yelling at employees, as well as witnessing "inappropriate behavior" from managers, according to the February 2018 article. (The company, in turn, denied these allegations and invited the publication to observe its headquarters in Toronto.)

The cult-favorite brand earned much of its following thanks to one of its affordable beauty product lines, The Ordinary. Kim Kardashian West counts herself as a fan of the company, which was founded in 2013 and owns about 30 store locations globally. The brand was projected to take in $300 million in sales in 2018, according to Elle.

Request for comment on the store closures were not immediately returned by Deciem.

Read Dianne de Guzman's latest stories and send her news tips at ddeguzman@sfchronicle.com.

Start receiving breaking news emails on wildfires, civil emergencies, riots, national breaking news, Amber Alerts, weather emergencies, and other critical events with the SFGATE breaking news email. Click here to make sure you get the news.