Beauty influencer who died suddenly days before her 25th birthday 'took her own life after losing Instagram followers'

Misha Agrawal, aged 24, who was the founder of a beauty brand called Mish Cosmetic was died on April 24 - just two days before her birthday.

News of her untimely death was shared with her 359,000 fans on her Instagram page on Friday, (April 25). A further statement was shared on the Mish Cosmetics Instagram page on Monday, (April 28). Now, the cause of her death has been announced by her elder sister.

Writing on Agrawal’s page again this morning (Wednesday April 30), she said: “My little baby sister had built her world around Instagram and her followers with a single goal of reaching one million followers and gaining loving fans. When her followers starting decreasing she became distraught and felt worthless.

“Since April she had been feeling deeply depressed, often hugging me and crying saying ‘what will I do if my followers decrease? My career will be over’. I tried to console her, explaining that this isn’t her entire world, it’s just a side job, and if it doesn’t work out it’s not the end. I reminded her of her talents, I advised her to view Instagram as mere entertainment and not let it consume her.

“I urged her to focus on her happiness and let go of anxiety and depression. Unfortunately, my little sister didn’t listen and became so consumed by Instagram and followers that she left our world forever. Tragically, she became so overwhelmed that she took her own life, leaving our family devastated.”

Alongside the statement, there was also a screenshot of Agrawal’s phone background which showed she had a widget that showed her social media follower count. The caption read: “Her phone wallpaper says everything. Her only aim of life. Instagram is not a real world and followers are not real love, please try to understand this.”

The first post on the late star’s page about her death read: "It is with a heavy heart that we share the heartbreaking news of Misha Agrawal's passing. Thank you all for the love and support you showed her and her work. We are still trying to come to terms with this immense loss. Please keep her in your thoughts and continue to carry her spirit in your hearts."

The statement from the entrepreneur’s company said that she was full of "passion" and had a "dream to make a difference". The statement said: "We are heartbroken to share that our founder, Misha Agrawal, has passed away. She built MishCosmetics.in and Mish Hair Oil with love, passion, and a dream to make a difference. Thank you for standing with us, for your endless love, and for believing in Misha's dream. Let's continue to keep her spirit alive — together."

She started Mish Cosmetics in 2023 after suffering with hair loss. The hair oil she formulated and sold is described as a "complete solution" made of a mix of herbs and spices to help with hair growth.

Talking about her brand previously, she said: "Back in 2023 I started losing a lot of hair, And I cant bear losing hair. That’s when we curated this entirely organic oil made with natural herbs like fenugreek, bhringraj, shikakai, amla and many more, and in just 7 weeks I could see possible hair growth.”

• If you are suffering with suicidal thoughts, you can contact The Samaritans on 116 123 for free, confidential support People with hearing problems or other communication difficulties can text 07889 036 280.