Estée Lauder was an American entrepreneur. Together with her husband she created the biggest independent company in the cosmetics business. Her birth name was Josephine Esther Mentzer, she was born in the New York neighbourhood of Corona officially in 1906, although her family claims it was 1908.
Her parents were two Hungarian immigrants: Max Mentzer, a Jew and with Czechoslovakian roots, who owned a hay and seeds shop, and Rose (Schotz Rosenthal) Mentzer, a catholic with French origins.
As a young girl, Estée Lauder was known for having a wonderful skin and for paying much attention to her looks. That was a habit she probably took from her mother, that used to protect her skin from the sun with an umbrella. From her father she took an attitude towards business.
The roots of her future empire are to be found in the twenties, when she started to handcraft facial creams and oils using the gas oven of her aunt John, a chemist. She then would sell her products herself, going door to door and in New York’s markets. Those were the years of the Great Depression. Her main product at that time was an novelty in the world of cosmetics: an oil to strengthen the nails. Also, she would hold demonstrations in various beauty salons, while customers were sitting under the hair dryers.
In 1930, she got married to Joseph Lauter, a textile entrepreneur, and she changed her surname to Lauder. In 1933 their first son, Leonard Allen was born. The couple divorced in 1939, but re-married three years later. In 1944 their second son Ronald was born.
The company was officially founded in 1946, although the couple had already used the name Estée Lauder for some years to sell the products. Josephine was in charge of the production and marketing, whereas Joseph took care of the financial aspects. In the meantime their son Leonard was getting familiar with the business.
The first major breakthrough came in 1948 when an important boutique, Saks on the 5th Avenue, and a high end beauty salon, Florence Morris, started to sell Estée Lauder’s products. At the beginning of the sixties, they hired a famous photographer, Victor Skrebneski for an advertising campaign with stunning models, wearing Estée Lauder’s make-up products. By that time, the company had already launched their first fragrance, Youth Dew (1953), which was followed by other important perfumes: Esteé (1968), Azuree (1969), Aliage (1972), Private Collection (1973), Beautiful (1985) and Pleasures (1995).
Also, a line of products for men was launched, such as Clinique, Origins, Prescriptive and, most of all Aramis, created in 1965 and re-launched in 1967.
The success of Youth Dew marked the company’s expansion. A new branch in Dallas was opened, and 1960 was the year of their first shop outside the United States, at Harrod’s in London. The line of cosmetic products was launched in 1964 and the company expanded in more and more countries.
Lauder died of cardiopulmonary arrest, aged 97, her husband had died in 1942. The Lauder family still controls the majority of the company.
Emma is a fashion and perfume enthusiast. She has a perfume and cologne review blog. You can visit this informative page ror a review of Beautiful perfume, one of the most important fragrances by Estée Lauder