estee lauder Biography

Josephine Esther Mentzer, daughter of immigrants, lived above her father's hardware store. She started her enterprise by selling skin creams concocted by her uncle, a chemist, in beauty shops, beach clubs and resorts.

In 1948, she persuaded the bosses of New York City department stores to give her counter space at Saks Fifth Avenue. Once in that space, she utilised a personal selling approach that proved as potent as the promise of her skin regimens and perfumes. Even after 40 years in business, Estée Lauder would attend every launch of a new cosmetics counter or shop.

She would give her famous friends and acquaintances small samples of her products for their handbags; she wanted her brand in the hands of people who were known for having "the best".

Estée Lauder loved to hold large dinner parties. She enjoyed "beautiful people", celebrities, the rich and famous, and could invite them to dine with her at a table that could seat 30 without extensions.

In 1953, Lauder introduced her first fragrance, Youth Dew, a bath oil that doubled as a perfume. Instead of using their French perfumes by the drop behind each ear, women were using Youth Dew by the bottle in their bath water. In the first year, Youth Dew sold fifty thousand, by 1984, the figure had jumped to one hundred and fifty million.

Lauder and both her sons are billionaires, with sales going up every year, as Estee Lauder products remain one of the most popular cosmetics lines.

She died of cardiopulmonary arrest on 26 April 2004. She was aged at least 95, though no-one could confirm her actual date of birth and her family believe that she may even have been two years older.