From Josephine Mentzer to Beauty Pioneer: The Life of Estée Lauder

Estée Lauder was born Josephine Esther Mentzer on July 1, 1908, in Queens, New York. The daughter of Hungarian Jewish immigrants, she adopted the name “Estée” early in life and added an accent to give it a French flair when she launched her own beauty line. In 1946, she and her husband opened the first Estée Lauder shop on Madison Avenue. She revolutionized fragrance marketing in 1953 with Youth-Dew, a bath oil that doubled as a perfume and sold millions of bottles worldwide. Her career earned her global recognition. In 1978 she became the first woman knighted in France’s Legion of Honour. She was later inducted into the U.S. Business Hall of Fame and awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Estée and Joseph Lauder raised two sons, Leonard and Ronald, both of whom took leading roles in the family company and in public service. She died in Manhattan on April 24, 2004, at age 95, leaving a lasting legacy in cosmetics and entrepreneurship.

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