If you were on the internet back in 2015, you probably remember that one video. You know the one. A young woman sitting in front of a camera, casually dabbing bright red MAC lipstick under her eyes to cancel out dark circles. It was one of those "wait, does that actually work?" moments that defines an era. That woman was Deepica Mutyala.
Fast forward to 2026, and she isn't just "the red lipstick girl" anymore. She is the founder and CEO of Live Tinted, a brand that basically forced the prestige beauty industry to finally acknowledge the "in-between" shades. But when people start digging into Deepica Mutyala net worth, they often miss the actual mechanics of how she built her wealth. It wasn't just a lucky viral strike. It was a very calculated, very "scrappy" transition from corporate climber to influencer to a powerhouse CEO.
The Reality Behind the Numbers
Honestly, pinning down an exact "net worth" for a private founder is always a bit of a guessing game, but we can look at the math that actually matters. By early 2026, Deepica’s financial standing is rooted in a company that has raised over $15 million in venture capital.
Most recently, Live Tinted closed a $10 million Series A round led by Monogram Capital Partners. Now, in the world of venture capital, raising money doesn't mean that money goes into the founder's pocket. It goes into the business. However, as the founder and CEO of a brand that is currently the fastest-growing prestige name at Ulta Beauty, Deepica’s equity is where the real wealth lives.
Estimates often put her personal net worth in the $3 million to $7 million range. This reflects her significant ownership stake in Live Tinted, her historical earnings from massive brand deals with titans like Estée Lauder and LVMH, and her diversified investments.
Where the Money Actually Comes From
- Live Tinted Equity: This is the "big" one. With the brand expanding into Sephora Canada and maintaining a dominant presence in Ulta, the valuation of the company has skyrocketed since its 2018 inception.
- Legacy Influencer Income: Before she was a full-time CEO, Deepica was a top-tier beauty influencer. We’re talking six-figure contracts for long-term ambassadorships.
- Consultancy and Speaking: She’s a regular on the speaker circuit, sharing the "how-to" of building a community-first brand.
- Media Partnerships: High-profile collaborations, including a historic partnership with Mattel to create the first South Asian CEO Barbie, add both brand equity and financial gain.
It Wasn't Always "Prestige" and Private Jets
Deepica’s journey is kinda the ultimate "pivot" story. She started at the University of Texas at Austin, obsessed with the business side of beauty. Her original plan? Work at L’Oréal, get an MBA from Harvard, and then—maybe—start a brand.
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But life had other ideas. L’Oréal actually rejected her for a full-time role after her internship, saying she wasn't a "strong enough marketer." Talk about an awkward plot twist.
She ended up at Birchbox during its "it-girl" startup phase, which is where she really learned how to build a community. When that red lipstick video hit 10 million views, she didn't just sit there. She quit her job and moved to L.A. to become an influencer. But she has been very vocal about the fact that she used the "influencer years" as a three-year focus group. She wasn't just posting selfies; she was asking her community what they actually needed.
The answer was the Huestick. It launched in 2019 and sold out almost immediately, creating a 10,000-person waitlist. That was the moment her net worth shifted from "content creator" to "enterprise builder."
Scaling Live Tinted in 2026
Scaling a brand is expensive. Deepica has often spoken about how hard it was to get that initial funding. Only a tiny fraction of venture capital—we're talking less than 1%—goes to women of color.
To bridge the gap, she leaned on a "cap table" of industry heavyweights. We’re talking about early checks from people like Bobbi Brown, Andy Dunn (Bonobos), and Payal Kadakia (ClassPass). These aren't just names; these are people who provide the strategic "know-how" to turn a viral product into a sustainable retail machine.
By 2025 and moving into 2026, the brand's revenue streams have diversified. While the Huestick is the hero, products like the Hueguard (a mineral SPF that doesn't leave a white cast) have become cult favorites.
Recent Business Milestones
- Ulta Beauty Dominance: Live Tinted moved from a digital-only platform to being one of the most profitable South Asian-owned brands on Ulta’s shelves.
- Global Expansion: Launching in Sephora Canada was a massive milestone for 2024/2025, signaling the brand's ability to travel across borders.
- Revenue Growth: While many DTC (direct-to-consumer) brands struggled in 2024, Live Tinted’s move into "prestige retail" shielded them from the rising costs of social media advertising.
What Most People Get Wrong About Her Wealth
There is a big misconception that once you have 100k+ followers and a brand in Ulta, you’re flying private and living a "Rich Kids of Beverly Hills" life. Deepica has been refreshingly honest about the "hustle and grind."
For years, she was her own PR agent, lawyer, and editor. She has talked about the "heaviness" of being a purpose-driven founder. When you represent a whole community, a bad business move feels like a personal failure. In 2025, she finally started stepping back from the day-to-day "scrappy" tasks, hiring a leadership team to take over operations so she could focus on being the visionary. This transition is usually when a founder's "paper wealth" starts to become "liquid wealth."
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Actionable Lessons from Deepica’s Rise
If you're looking at Deepica Mutyala net worth because you want to replicate her success, here is the actual blueprint she used:
- Build the Audience Before the Product: She spent years building "Tinted" as a community platform before she ever asked anyone to buy a lipstick.
- Solve a Specific Pain Point: She didn't just launch "another makeup brand." She solved the hyperpigmentation issue that the big brands were ignoring.
- Use Your Day Job as School: Her time at Birchbox was her "MBA." She learned the logistics of beauty boxes and influencer marketing on someone else's dime.
- Network Vertically and Horizontally: She didn't just hang out with other influencers; she sought out mentors who had scaled billion-dollar companies.
The story of Deepica Mutyala isn't just about a high net worth. It’s about the fact that in 2026, "representation" isn't just a buzzword—it's a massive, multi-million dollar business opportunity. If you want to follow her path, start by finding the hole in the market that everyone else is too "prestige" to notice.
To dive deeper into the business of beauty, you should research "cap table structures for beauty startups" or look into the "Series A funding requirements for 2026" to see what investors are currently looking for in the next big brand.