{"id":50777,"date":"2026-05-18T08:40:20","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T12:40:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/idolchatter\/?p=50777"},"modified":"2026-06-09T08:59:47","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T12:59:47","slug":"cosmetics-mogul-leaves-luxury-life-behind-to-become-catholic-priest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/idolchatter\/2026\/05\/cosmetics-mogul-leaves-luxury-life-behind-to-become-catholic-priest.html","title":{"rendered":"Cosmetics Mogul Leaves Luxury Life Behind to Become Catholic Priest"},"content":{"rendered":"
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LisaChi \/ Shutterstock.com | Inset: RomanCatholicDioceseOfFresno \/ Facebook<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A former billionaire beauty executive who once helped build one of the world’s most recognizable cosmetic brands is preparing for a dramatically different chapter of life \u2014 serving God as a Catholic priest.<\/p>\n

Scott-Vincent Borba, the California entrepreneur and co-founder of e.l.f. Cosmetics is set to be ordained as a priest on May 23 by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fresno after walking away from the luxury lifestyle that once defined him.<\/p>\n

Borba, who is currently a deacon and seminarian at St. Patrick’s Seminary, spent years immersed in the high-profile world of wealth, celebrity culture, and business success. The company he co-founded in 2004 grew into a cosmetics powerhouse generating more than $1.3 billion in annual revenue.<\/p>\n

But despite achieving the kind of financial success many people dream about, Borba says his life felt spiritually empty.<\/p>\n

In a past interview with KSEE<\/a>, Borba reflected honestly on the lifestyle he once pursued.<\/p>\n

“[God] not only blessed me with money and awareness, and just every business I had, He allowed me to have success with it,” Borba said. “Then I decided, you know, what is wrong with me? I was vapid. I had a perverse life. I went to LA, I got sucked into the Hollywood lifestyle.”<\/p>\n

He admitted that his pursuit of fame and luxury eventually left him feeling disconnected from God.<\/p>\n

“It was almost to a point where I was trying to sell my soul for all of the riches of the world, which is not what we’re supposed to be,” Borba explained. “We’re supposed to be living for our Lord and Lady. I was living for myself. I was idolizing myself. I was idolizing everything else out there that was luxury. I was a poster boy for luxury.”<\/p>\n

Borba said the call to the priesthood had actually been present throughout much of his life. He recalled a moment from childhood when his mother first asked whether he could imagine himself serving at the altar.<\/p>\n

“At Mass, she asked me to look up at the altar, and if I wanted to be the man in the robes,” Borba told OSV News<\/a>. “Whoever the priest was, his robes at that moment were shimmering like glitter \u2026 And I knew God was placing on my heart to become a priest.”<\/p>\n

Over the past decade, Borba has steadily embraced a much simpler lifestyle, reportedly giving away much of his wealth and possessions as part of his spiritual journey back to the Catholic faith.<\/p>\n

“I am trying to do everything to show our Lord that He gave me everything in His divine providence,” he said. “He has taken care of me all my life, and now I am to give it all back and to show Him that He is going to take care of me the rest of my life.”<\/p>\n

For many Christians following his story, Borba’s transformation serves as a reminder that worldly success cannot replace spiritual fulfillment \u2014 and that sometimes the greatest calling requires leaving everything behind.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A former billionaire beauty executive who once helped build one of the world’s most recognizable cosmetic brands is preparing for a dramatically different chapter of life \u2014 serving God as a Catholic priest. Scott-Vincent Borba, the California entrepreneur and co-founder of e.l.f. Cosmetics is set to be ordained as a priest on May 23 by…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":516,"featured_media":51176,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-50777","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-television"],"yoast_head":"\nCosmetics Mogul Leaves Luxury Life Behind to Become Catholic Priest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"e.l.f. 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Cosmetics co-founder Scott Borba left luxury and wealth behind to answer God's call to become a Catholic priest.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/idolchatter\/2026\/05\/cosmetics-mogul-leaves-luxury-life-behind-to-become-catholic-priest.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Idol Chatter\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-18T12:40:20+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-06-09T12:59:47+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/wp-media.beliefnet.com\/sites\/87\/2026\/05\/Cosmetics-Mogul_credit-LisaChi-Shutterstock-Inset-RomanCatholicDioceseOfFresno-Facebook.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"900\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Beliefnet Contributors\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Cosmetics Mogul Leaves Luxury Life Behind to Become Catholic Priest","description":"e.l.f. 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