e.l.f. co-founder reveals why he became a Catholic priest

Scott-Vincent Borba helped build one of the most recognizable beauty brands in America, e.l.f. Cosmetics. Now, the millionaire entrepreneur is trading makeup for the Catholic priesthood.

Borba, 52, co-founded e.l.f. Cosmetics in 2004 and helped transform the affordable beauty brand into a multimillion-dollar business. But despite financial success, celebrity connections and a luxury lifestyle, Borba said he felt increasingly empty, according to interviews with CBS News and Today.

"Was I created just to work and to party and to repeat and then die?" Borba recalled asking himself during an interview with CBS News.

That question ultimately set him on a path that led away from Hollywood and the beauty industry and toward the altar. After years of wrestling with his faith, Borba was ordained as a Catholic priest by the Diocese of Fresno on May 23 in his hometown of Visalia, California, according to People and Los Angeles-based TV station ABC 7.

"We ran around with the likes of Paris Hilton, and partying with Kardashians and just doing up the Hollywood life," Borba told ABC 7 in May. "I was a poster boy for luxury living. I was not in any which way humble. I was very prideful."

How Borba founded and grew e.l.f. Cosmetics

Borba grew up in a deeply Catholic family and said he first felt called to the priesthood at age 10. But he rejected the idea and instead pursued business opportunities in Los Angeles, according to CBS News.

While working multiple jobs, Borba said he was inspired after seeing shoppers fill their carts with discounted cosmetics at a 99-cent store. The observation led to the creation of e.l.f. Cosmetics, short for Eyes, Lips, Face.

The company quickly found success by offering affordable, cruelty-free beauty products. According to Forbes, the brand reached $100 million in sales by 2014. Borba later became known for a lavish Hollywood lifestyle that included red carpets, celebrity parties and media appearances.

Yet he told CBS News that no amount of success seemed enough.

"I always wanted more. It was never satisfying enough," Borba said. "I couldn't make enough money. I couldn't be on enough red carpets."

Father's death sparks personal crisis

Borba said a turning point came after his father, Anthony Borba Sr., was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and he returned home to help care for him. His father died in 2010, leaving him devastated, he told CBS News.

After his father's death, Borba said he began partying even more in an effort to escape his grief. But during one gathering at his Hollywood Hills home, he experienced what he described as a profound spiritual awakening, looking around at the party and realizing how deeply unhappy he was.

After asking God to help him become the man he was created to be, he told CBS News he experienced a mystical encounter that changed the direction of his life.

Borba says he donated wealth to churches and charities

Following what he described as his conversion experience, Borba said he gave away much of his wealth to charities and churches before entering seminary.

Speaking on Today, Borba said God "can take a broken person and change it," describing himself as having once lived in a "spiritual gutter."

He added that his goal as a priest is to help others facing hardship and suffering.

Weeks after his ordination, Borba celebrated his first public Mass, encouraging others searching for peace and purpose to strengthen their faith.

Reporter Anthony Thompson can be reached at [email protected], or on X @athompsonUSAT.