Estée Lauder

Estée Lauder, the founder of the company that bears her name, was a visionary and a role model. She was a challenger who proved that anything was possible — if you dared to dream it and had the guts and gumption to go for it. Ahead of her time in every way, she created and ran one of the world’s most prestigious and innovative companies while serving as a wife, mother and a loyal friend to many. And she did it all with charm, humor and exquisite style. She loved beauty with a passion and believed wholeheartedly in its power.

Estée got her start selling skin care and makeup in beauty salons, demonstrating her products on women while they were sitting under hair dryers. In 1946 she and Joseph Lauder officially launched the Company, and a year later they got their first major order: $800 worth of products from Saks Fifth Avenue.

Mrs. Estée Lauder started her business with four skin care products and a simple premise: that every woman can be beautiful. Armed with that philosophy, plus perseverance, creativity and passion, she changed the face of the cosmetics industry.

Once the Estée Lauder brand began to advertise, she insisted that the print images be both aspirational and approachable and selected one model to represent the face of the brand at any given time. She picked the pale turquoise color for the brand’s jars, believing it conveyed a sense of luxury and matched all bathroom decors.

Estée attended the opening of virtually every new store and stayed for a week to instruct her beauty advisors on sales techniques and merchandise display. Always stylish and well dressed, she crossed the country to meet with store buyers and beauty editors and to talk to consumers. She was a one-person research department.

Decades before social media became mainstream, Estée ran word-of-mouth campaigns. Her oft-repeated mantra was “Telephone, Telegraph, Tell a Woman.” She believed that women who liked her products would spread the word.

She revolutionized how products were introduced with her now-famous “Gift With Purchase” — later copied by other cosmetic companies and currently a standard industry practice.

Estée had innate instincts for what women wanted and was the consummate saleswoman and marketer. She believed that to make a sale, you had to touch the consumer, show her the results on her face and explain the products. That was the start of the Company’s personal High-Touch service.

As a visionary businesswoman, Estée Lauder was honored with many awards during her career. Receiving the French Legion of Honor was one of the high points in her life. She supported numerous civic and cultural programs and other charitable causes, including the restoration of the palace at Versailles and the building of several playgrounds in New York City’s Central Park.

Estée Lauder was an iconic American entrepreneur. She was always in the know about fashion trends, and founded her namesake brand at a time when Givenchy, Chanel, Dior, Balenciaga and other designers were shaping the latest fashions. She loved New York City and drew inspiration from its sophisticated, vibrant, stylish culture. In the middle of the 20th century, New York was the global center for art, architecture, innovation and entrepreneurship. Although Estée's heart was in New York, she had homes in the South of France, London and Palm Beach, among other locales. She traveled the world and loved to visit museums and art galleries, attend fashion shows and learn about her customers and their respective cultures.

Estée Lauder, the founder of the company that bears her name, was a visionary and a role model. She was a challenger who proved that anything was possible — if you dared to dream it and had the guts and gumption to go for it. Ahead of her time in every way, she created and ran one of the world’s most prestigious and innovative companies while serving as a wife, mother and a loyal friend to many. And she did it all with charm, humor and exquisite style. She loved beauty with a passion and believed wholeheartedly in its power.Estée got her start selling skin care and makeup in beauty salons, demonstrating her products on women while they were sitting under hair dryers. In 1946 she and Joseph Lauder officially launched the Company, and a year later they got their first major order: $800 worth of products from Saks Fifth Avenue.Mrs. Estée Lauder started her business with four skin care products and a simple premise: that every woman can be beautiful. Armed with that philosophy, plus perseverance, creativity and passion, she changed the face of the cosmetics industry.Once the Estée Lauder brand began to advertise, she insisted that the print images be both aspirational and approachable and selected one model to represent the face of the brand at any given time. She picked the pale turquoise color for the brand’s jars, believing it conveyed a sense of luxury and matched all bathroom decors.Estée attended the opening of virtually every new store and stayed for a week to instruct her beauty advisors on sales techniques and merchandise display. Always stylish and well dressed, she crossed the country to meet with store buyers and beauty editors and to talk to consumers. She was a one-person research department.Decades before social media became mainstream, Estée ran word-of-mouth campaigns. Her oft-repeated mantra was “Telephone, Telegraph, Tell a Woman.” She believed that women who liked her products would spread the word.She revolutionized how products were introduced with her now-famous “Gift With Purchase” — later copied by other cosmetic companies and currently a standard industry practice.Estée had innate instincts for what women wanted and was the consummate saleswoman and marketer. She believed that to make a sale, you had to touch the consumer, show her the results on her face and explain the products. That was the start of the Company’s personal High-Touch service.As a visionary businesswoman, Estée Lauder was honored with many awards during her career. Receiving the French Legion of Honor was one of the high points in her life. She supported numerous civic and cultural programs and other charitable causes, including the restoration of the palace at Versailles and the building of several playgrounds in New York City’s Central Park.Estée Lauder was an iconic American entrepreneur. She was always in the know about fashion trends, and founded her namesake brand at a time when Givenchy, Chanel, Dior, Balenciaga and other designers were shaping the latest fashions. She loved New York City and drew inspiration from its sophisticated, vibrant, stylish culture. In the middle of the 20th century, New York was the global center for art, architecture, innovation and entrepreneurship. Although Estée's heart was in New York, she had homes in the South of France, London and Palm Beach, among other locales. She traveled the world and loved to visit museums and art galleries, attend fashion shows and learn about her customers and their respective cultures.The only thing more important to Estée than the Company was her family, and she was thrilled that her children and grandchildren joined the family business. Estée retired in 1995 and passed away in 2004.tThe only thing more important to Estée than the Company was her family, and she was thrilled that her children and grandchildren joined the family business. Estée retired in 1995 and passed away in 2004.

Read More About her story here: https://www.elcompanies.com/who-we-are/the-lauder-family/the-estee-story