Crossword Dictionary
Estée Lauder
Estée Lauder, née Josephine Esther Mentzer, (July 1, 1908?- April 24, 2004) was an American businesswoman who cofounded (1946) Estée Lauder, Inc., a large fragrance and cosmetics company.
She learned her first marketing lessons as a child in her father’s hardware store: assertive selling, perfectionism, promotion of quality products, and, above all, attention to outward appearance. Drawn to fashion and beauty at an early age, she learned the secrets of making lotions and skin creams from an uncle, a European skin specialist who came to stay with her family at the outbreak of World War I. She apprenticed herself to her uncle, who worked with natural ingredients, and helped him to develop new products.
She married Joseph Lauter (last name later changed to Lauder), whom she divorced in 1939 and remarried in 1942. Together they founded Estée Lauder, Inc. Their first six beauty products included skin treatments, a rouge, and a makeup base. When no agency would handle their small $50,000 advertising budget, the Lauders spent the money on samples, which they gave away at fashion shows and in mailings. Their strategy succeeded. Estée Lauder, Inc., grew to employ 1,000 people and earn $100,000,000 in sales by 1973. Estée Lauder, Inc., began selling cosmetics and fragrances internationally in the 1960s.
The company maintained a policy of emphasizing skin care and skin protection while selling its products only through department and specialty stores rather than less prestigious outlets. In the 1990s and early 2000s, the company acquired a number of beauty-related firms, including Bobbi Brown Essentials, Aveda, Make-Up Art Cosmetics (M∙A∙C), Stila (which it sold in 2006), Darphin, and Ojon.
Among their philanthropic endeavors, the Lauders funded the construction of three adventure playgrounds in New York City’s Central Park. In 1978 Estée Lauder was honored by the French government for her contributions to restoring the Palace of Versailles. In 1985 she published an autobiography, Estée: A Success Story.