Lady Gaga Takes Over as CEO of Haus Labs After Co-Founder Ben Jones Exits

Lady Gaga has taken over as chief executive officer of Haus Labs, the makeup brand she launched in 2019, effective immediately, The Business of Fashion reported on Thursday, Oct. 29, citing an exclusive confirmation to its beauty publication, The Business of Beauty. The singer and actor, whose given name is Stefani Germanotta, succeeds co-founder Ben Jones, who left the company earlier in October, according to the report.

Under the new arrangement, Gaga adds commercial stewardship of the business to the creative direction and product development she has led since the brand's launch, The Business of Fashion reported. Trade outlets including TheIndustry.beauty and Cosmetics Business followed with reports of the appointment, each attributing the news to The Business of Fashion.

Statements from Gaga and Jones

"Ben and I started Haus Labs together eight years ago, and I'm incredibly proud of what we've built. I'm excited to take on a more active role in the company and work alongside our incredible team to build on everything we've accomplished together," Gaga told The Business of Beauty in a statement. "I have a lot of vision for this brand, and we have so much more we want to do."

Jones also issued a statement, according to the same report. "Stefani and I set out to build a forever brand that stands apart, and I'm incredibly proud of the vision we brought to life. I'm confident she will continue to build on that foundation and take the brand to even greater heights," he said.

The Business of Fashion reported that Jones joined Haus Labs after Michael Yanover, then head of business development at Creative Artists Agency, introduced him to Gaga. Before joining the brand, Jones served for nearly two years as chief digital officer of The Honest Company, the consumer goods business founded by Jessica Alba, and previously held leadership roles in the video game industry, the outlet reported. Brazilian business magazine Exame reported that his gaming experience included time at Zynga.

The leadership change follows another executive departure this year. Chief marketing officer Angela Simpson, who had been with Haus Labs since 2025, left in August to join makeup brand Patrick Ta, The Business of Fashion and Vogue Adria reported.

From Amazon exclusive to Sephora

Gaga first used the Haus Laboratories trademark in 2012 for her debut fragrance with Coty, Fame Eau de Parfum, according to The Business of Fashion. After a Series A funding round led by Lightspeed Venture Partners, the brand launched in 2019 as Haus Laboratories, her first independent business venture and the first beauty line to release exclusively on Amazon, the outlet reported.

In 2022 the company was renamed Haus Labs by Lady Gaga and relaunched with Sephora. At the time, WWD reported that roughly 100 stock keeping units across eye, lip and cheek cosmetics would debut in 25 Sephora doors on June 9 of that year, with plans to expand to more than 500 locations across the United States and Canada, at prices from $22 to $38. Exame, citing the company, reported that revenue grew 400 percent between 2021 and 2022, and that the brand later entered Sephora in the United Kingdom in June 2023, Sephora's European stores in March 2024 and Sephora locations inside Kohl's in August 2024.

The Business of Fashion reported that the Triclone Skin Tech Medium Coverage Foundation, which it described as the brand's hero product, has become a Sephora bestseller, and that Jones said in 2025 the brand had grown "substantially" over the preceding three years. Exame reported that Jones did not disclose numbers at the time.

Bronzer apology earlier in October

The change at the top comes weeks after Haus Labs publicly apologized over the shade range of its Sun Dipped Bronzing Veil. Beauty creator Golloria George criticized the planned six-shade range in a May 29 Instagram video after trying the product ahead of its planned July launch, and the company halted the release, USA Today reported.

In a statement from Gaga posted by the brand on Thursday, Oct. 1, Haus Labs said, "Although we went through our shade development process, at some point the decision was made internally to launch with only six shades. That was the wrong decision." The statement also acknowledged that the company had asked Golloria to remove her post on the grounds that she was under embargo. "This was unkind and not at all how a creator, or any customer's voice, should ever be treated," the statement read, according to USA Today.

"I truly apologize to Golloria and the community for where we fell short. You were 100% right. We will work hard to make sure it never happens again. Personally, I will see to it," Gaga wrote, as quoted by Entertainment Weekly. The brand said it paused the launch and expanded the bronzer from six shades to 11, according to Entertainment Weekly and Cosmetics Business. Fashion business outlet OSF reported that the bronzer has since been released in 11 shades.

Gaga's other beauty-related business, Outer Bio, a skin research company she co-founded with entrepreneur Michael Polansky, publicly introduced itself in August 2026, focusing on skin health through its discovery platform, Yuna, Cosmetics Business and TheIndustry.beauty reported.