Michelle Phan Interview Highlights: Why She Left YouTube at Her Peak

Michelle Phan is widely described as one of YouTube’s original beauty influencers. Years before creator marketing became an industry, she was teaching makeup from a college webcam, signing with Lancôme and turning her audience into a subscription business. Then, near the top, she went quiet.

This post is for creators deciding how hard to push, for marketers who work with creator-founded beauty brands, and for longtime viewers wondering what happened to her. It covers her start, Ipsy and Em Cosmetics, why she left, her advice, brand work and what she’s doing as of October 2026. Most of her interviews about leaving date from 2017 to 2020, so we date every quote.

Who is Michelle Phan?

Michelle Phan is an American makeup artist, YouTuber and entrepreneur, born in Boston in 1987, who helped pioneer the YouTube makeup tutorial and co-founded the beauty subscription company Ipsy.

She was raised in Tampa, Florida, in a family that struggled financially, and her mother worked as a nail technician. She studied at Ringling College of Art and Design but left before finishing because of money; Ringling gave her an honorary doctorate in 2014. She shared makeup tips on a blog and on Xanga as “Ricebunny” before she started posting on YouTube in May 2007. Two of her Lady Gaga tutorials, featured by BuzzFeed in 2009 and 2010, helped carry her past a million subscribers, according to Wikipedia.

How did Michelle Phan get started?

“I filmed my first makeup tutorial because I got turned down at a Lancome beauty counter. I needed a job and they were hiring. I did the whole interview and passed the makeup test, but I wasn’t hired because I didn’t have enough sales experience.”

— Michelle Phan, on the Rock the Boat podcast (abridged transcript), May 2019

Her blog readers kept asking how she did her everyday makeup, so she filmed a full video instead of posting photos, she told Rock the Boat, and she recalled 20,000 to 30,000 views in the first week.

“I uploaded my first YouTube video for fun — but I’m not going to lie and say there wasn’t a strategy behind it. I thought that if I could build a sense of influence and have a following, maybe when I was doing job interviews, they might hire me over someone who didn’t.”

— Michelle Phan, in an essay told to Refinery29, April 2017

The money came slowly. “In the beginning, I was making 25 - 50 cents a day,” she told Rock the Boat, and views only grew once she posted consistently and replied to comments. When the channel reached $20 a day, she quit her waitressing job. Speaking at a Girlboss event in 2019, she said the first thing she paid for with her first Google check was her entire $16,000 of debt. Our guide to how much YouTube pays per 1,000 views explains why early ad income is so small.

The lesson: she answered a question her readers were already asking, and treated the channel as a long bet.

How did Michelle Phan make her videos?

“I’m lucky that video editing is actually a hobby of mine. I love to work with motion graphics, and developed an eye for it.”

— Michelle Phan, Vanity Fair, May 2010

“Anything involved with the processing of content creation. Filming, lighting, styling yourself, scriptwriting, copywriting and editing. Essentially, I had to teach myself how to become my own personal producer.”

— Michelle Phan, Hypebae, May 2021

Vanity Fair reported in 2010 that she was a 22-year-old art student filming with a JVC camcorder and editing in iMovie. Her topics came from viewers: in 2007, she told Rock the Boat, a smoky eye counted as advanced makeup, and requests for one helped her plan what to teach. Her character transformations drew some of her largest audiences; the BBC reported in 2014 that her Barbie tutorial had passed 50 million views.

Because she owned every step from script to cut, her style was hard to copy and easy to recognize. Learn the whole chain, even if you later hand parts of it off.

How did Michelle Phan build Ipsy and buy back Em Cosmetics?

“I was making money off of my videos, but it was based on my human bandwidth. I had to be in the videos. … So I told myself that I need to figure out another revenue stream outside of my bandwidth and that was when I met my ex-business partner of Ipsy.”

— Michelle Phan, Rock the Boat podcast, May 2019

She co-founded Ipsy in 2011 with Marcelo Camberos and Jennifer Goldfarb, FashionNetwork reported, and it opened to the public in September 2012, selling monthly bags of beauty samples. She told Girlboss the idea came from a trip to Thailand, where she watched shoppers buy small samples of expensive brands. In 2015 Ipsy raised $100 million at a valuation of more than $500 million, according to Wikipedia.

Lancôme made her its official video makeup artist in 2010, and in 2013 she launched Em, a 200-product makeup line, with L’Oréal. It was poorly received, Tubefilter reported, with critics calling it overpriced.

“Looking back, the price point was too high for the demographic we were trying to reach — which were my followers in college and high school. And we didn’t have that happy ending we all anticipated.”

— Michelle Phan, in an essay told to Refinery29, April 2017

In 2015 she bought Em back from L’Oréal through Ipsy, and in April 2017 she relaunched it with a $16 lip product and a $15 eyeliner, Tubefilter reported. “I’m actually happy that Em didn’t do well, because I’m happy that I own it,” she told Racked, as quoted by Tubefilter. That September, FashionNetwork reported that her company, Divinium Labs, would acquire Em from Ipsy and that she was leaving Ipsy to run it.

“When it comes to creating something small, if you want a cult following you have to have as much ownership. If you don’t have ownership, there’s too many cooks in the kitchen, too much red tape. You can’t grow authentically and you lose sight of the original intent.”

— Michelle Phan, Rock the Boat podcast, May 2019

Compare our Huda Kattan interview: another creator who built a beauty brand, then bought back an investor’s stake. If a product carries your name, control over price and design matters more than a partner’s reach.

Why did Michelle Phan leave YouTube?

“Who I was on camera and who I was in real life began to feel like strangers. Money can bring out the worst in people, and I was no exception. My insecurities got the worst of me. I became imprisoned by my own vanity, and I was never satisfied with the way I looked.”

— Michelle Phan, in her video Why I Left, as quoted by Allure, June 2017

Accounts of when she stopped differ: The Cut and Wikipedia date her disappearance to 2015, while Inside Edition reported that her last tutorial went up in July 2016. On June 1, 2017, she explained the absence in Why I Left, an 11-minute illustrated film that had 13 million views by 2019, The Cut reported. In it she describes a girl with dreams who “became a product, selling, smiling, and selling”. Allure reported that a few high-profile lawsuits finally pushed her to take a break. Ultra Records had sued her in 2014, alleging she used about 50 of its songs without permission; she said the label had agreed to let her use the music and countersued, and the case settled out of court in 2015 on undisclosed terms.

“You can see through my timeline, 10 years of filming and producing and replying to comments, it’s just a nonstop Internet shop. It never closes — it’s 24 hours, like a hospital.”

— Michelle Phan, in an essay told to Refinery29, April 2017

In the same essay she described taking a run of online depression quizzes, then buying a one-way ticket to Switzerland. During the break she saw a therapist for what she called symptoms of depression, she told Inside Edition in 2020. She also warned that when a video misses its numbers, “that begins this obsession of compromising your own integrity to hit these numbers.”

Money made the exit possible. She told the Girlboss audience that “because I made the right investments in building a company and having my YouTube channel, I could take a break. A lot of my YouTube colleagues still have to film.” The Cut reported that her channel earned $60,000 a month at its peak.

“I was burnt out. I was just tired. I accomplished everything I could ever want — even more so! I didn’t come onto YouTube to become a star.”

— Michelle Phan, The Cut, September 2019

She says she chose the moment: “I want people to remember me at my peak,” she told Rock the Boat. She came back gradually in 2019, starting with a music live stream promoting Thematic, a music-licensing marketplace she co-founded, Variety reported. For other creators’ answers to the same question, see our Lilly Singh interview and Emma Chamberlain interview.

Burnout, in her telling, arrived with success. If your income depends on you appearing on camera every week, build some that doesn’t before you need a break.

What mistakes does Michelle Phan say she made?

“I think a lot of the mistakes I’ve made in my career was because I made a reactive decision. But you also don’t want to be too logical because you have to take into account human emotion. Finally, take the time before you make a decision. You don’t have to say yes to everything, take a beat.”

— Michelle Phan, Rock the Boat podcast, May 2019

Had she known how big YouTube would become, she told Refinery29 in 2017, “I probably would’ve made a lot of changes early on because I made a lot of mistakes. Everything was accidental and I had to learn on the way.” Em’s first launch, priced beyond her young audience, is the clearest example. In 2024 she told Glossy she regretted staying silent, on her PR agency’s advice, after a critical article covered below. The habit to copy is slowing down before you say yes.

What does Michelle Phan say works online now?

“What I’m learning is that video-focused podcasts just perform better than audio only, and it’s just easier to clip [for social media promotion] … It’s all about clips. Everyone wants podcast clips because they outperform [any other promotional content].”

— Michelle Phan, Glossy, August 2024

She expected early on that platforms would fade, comparing them in 2017 to hot clubs that people eventually leave for the next one.

Two practical points follow. Film long conversations on video so they can be cut into clips, and keep a way to reach your audience that no platform controls.

What advice does Michelle Phan give new creators?

“The first advice I give to any women who want to become an entrepreneur is find a problem that you see in any industry, and if you’re very passionate about it, find a solution … We have to see potential in something that no one is looking at.”

— Michelle Phan, in an interview for TIME’s Firsts series, as reported by Money, September 2017

“It’s just not healthy in the long run, being this character to appease your viewers. You have to learn how to separate that character from yourself.”

— Michelle Phan, Rock the Boat podcast, May 2019

Asked by Hypebae in 2021 for advice to aspiring entrepreneurs, she kept it short: “Don’t be afraid to experiment and challenge your own ideas. Choose the more interesting choice.” The through line: solve a specific problem, and keep the persona on camera separate from the person behind it.

What does Michelle Phan say about working with brands?

“People follow me because they see me as a real person rather than a model, rather than an actress, rather than a brand. I’m a real person. If I had to get a mascara recommendation, who would I believe? A spokesperson model or my best friend? I would believe my best friend.”

— Michelle Phan, Rock the Boat podcast, May 2019

She told Rock the Boat that Lancôme spent heavily on its own YouTube videos and got a few thousand views while one of her webcam videos drew 800,000. By 2015 The Hollywood Reporter listed endorsement contracts with Endemol, L’Oréal and Dr Pepper. The contracts had a cost.

“I signed certain contracts where I had to promote certain things … I started to feel like a walking billboard.”

— Michelle Phan, Inside Edition, January 2020

When she returned to YouTube in 2019, she told Inside Edition, she dropped the crew and the brand sponsorships. Some of her later uploads name skincare brands such as Medicube and Mixsoon in their titles.

Not all recent coverage has been positive. In 2022 Rolling Stone published a critical article centered on her account of a Joe Dispenza meditation retreat in San Diego, where, she had told followers, she saw a man who arrived in a wheelchair walk for the first time in years, Glossy reported. Wikipedia describes her as a believer in alternative medicine who has promoted products and beliefs based on pseudoscience. She told Glossy in 2024, “I actually lost so many brand deals because of that article,” and said claims by gossip channels that she had joined a cult were untrue. She also said there should be options beyond seeing a psychiatrist and taking medication, such as meditation or breath work.

If you’re a brand, review a creator’s recent posts as well as their reach; our guide on how to vet a YouTube creator covers what to check. If you’re a creator, disclose every paid post clearly, as our guide to disclosing affiliate links and sponsorships explains.

What is Michelle Phan working on now?

“I have this thing where I just don’t have any expectations [anymore]. I have intentions. I want this to inspire people. … [But] if it flops, it’s totally fine”

— Michelle Phan, on launching her podcast, Glossy, August 2024

In August 2024 she launched Afterglow, a video podcast about meditation, wellness and internet culture, with The Roost Podcast Network; Glossy reported she would edit it herself. She said her creator career “came at a cost” to “my mental health, my spiritual health and my emotional health”. Apple Podcasts lists a season finale with Rosanna Pansino on December 17, 2024, and we found no newer episodes as of October 2026.

Em Cosmetics, which Glossy reported in 2024 she owns in full, is still selling: as of October 2026 its website presents a six-product routine. In May 2026 VidCon named her to its Hall of Fame with Markiplier, Philip DeFranco and Cassey Ho, and BizBash confirmed the induction at VidCon Anaheim that June.

The thread from Why I Left to Afterglow is one she gave The Cut in 2019: “I can save myself, and when I show people how I saved myself, and I share how I did it, that can save them, too.”

What creators can learn from Michelle Phan

Sources

• Viral Videos: Michelle Phan’s Rise to YouTube Stardom, Vanity Fair, May 2010
• YouTube star Michelle Phan sued over copyright breach, BBC News, July 2014
• YouTube Star Michelle Phan Settles Dispute With Dance Label Ultra Records, The Hollywood Reporter, August 2015
• YouTube Star Michelle Phan Prepares To Re-Launch Her Em Makeup Line (That She Bought Back From L’Oréal), Tubefilter, April 2017
• Michelle Phan: Why I Had To Leave Everything & Start Over, Refinery29, April 2017
• Michelle Phan Returns To YouTube After A Yearlong Hiatus To Explain Why She Left, Allure, June 2017
• YouTube Sensation Michelle Phan Founded a $500 Million Company. Here’s Her Advice to Aspiring Entrepreneurs, Money, September 2017
• Michelle Phan acquires EM Cosmetics from Ipsy, FashionNetwork, September 2017
• Episode 12: Michelle Phan | A Second Act, Rock the Boat, May 2019
• Michelle Phan Relaunches YouTube Channel After Two-Year Hiatus, Variety, June 2019
• Michelle Phan Was YouTube’s Biggest Beauty Star. Then She Vanished., The Cut, September 2019
• Michelle Phan Is Back — And Dishing About the Industry, Inside Edition via KSAT, January 2020
• Michelle Phan on Her Journey into Entrepreneurship, Surviving Burnout, and Recharging, Girlboss (recorded at the 2019 Girlboss Rally), November 2020
• Beauty Mogul Michelle Phan Has Come a Long Way Since Her Days on YouTube, Hypebae, May 2021
• Exclusive: Michelle Phan’s new ‘Afterglow’ podcast will be a counterculture ode to consciousness, personal development and internet culture, Glossy, August 2024
• VidCon Names Markiplier, Philip DeFranco, Michelle Phan, and Cassey Ho as 2026 Hall of Fame Inductees, NetInfluencer, May 2026
• VidCon 2026: See the Creative Booths, Lounges, and Activations From This Year’s Event, BizBash, July 2026
• Afterglow with Michelle Phan episode listing, Apple Podcasts, October 2026
• Michelle Phan’s YouTube channel and the EM Cosmetics website, October 2026
• Michelle Phan and Ipsy, Wikipedia, October 2026

What to do next

If Michelle Phan’s story changes how you judge creators, look past subscriber counts to who owns the business and how the creator is doing now. Our methodology explains how we check creators, and our creator lists put it into practice.

For the same questions put to other creators, browse more creator interviews, including our NikkieTutorials interview on the next generation of YouTube beauty tutorials.