Josephine Esther Mentzer, later known as Estée Lauder, grew up in Queens. Her parents were not American. Josephine’s father was a native of the Czech Republic. Her mother was originally from Hungary. E. Lauder became famous for her skincare range. She always said every woman can be gorgeous. Working hard and completely immersed in developing lotions and creams, E. Lauder transformed the cosmetics industry. Queenska will tell you more.
How Estée Lauder started her business
The daughter of immigrant parents, Josephine E. Mentzer was born in Queens, New York in 1908.
Her uncle came to visit her family in Queens when Josephine was in high school. He was a pharmacist from Hungary. He made velvety face creams right in Josephine’s kitchen. All this time, the girl watched her uncle’s work. Thus, she became interested in cosmetology.
Later, her uncle had set up a stable laboratory for her. In the improvised lab, she was introduced to cream and lotion making. The girl also understood how to use them properly.
Marriage and Estée Lauder’s appearance
In 1920, in Queens, Josephine met her future spouse, Joseph Lauter. After several years, the couple wed. Then, Estée moved from Queens to Manhattan. Becoming the Lauders, the couple corrected a spelling mistake made when Joseph’s father migrated. He came to the U.S. from Austria and accidentally wrote Lauter instead of Lauder in his documents. That’s how Estée Lauder came to be.
How Estée Lauder became a world-famous brand
E. Lauder entered the cosmetics field with just four skincare items. At first, she distributed her goods in salons. E. Lauder would apply her creams to the faces of salon visitors while they were under hair dryers.
In 1946, Estée and her spouse opened their company. A year later, Saks Fifth Avenue commissioned the couple to make a large order, costing USD 800. It was a lot of money at the time.
Estée was a marketer by nature. She believed that for creams and cosmetics to sell, you need to show the result on the consumers’ faces. This concept was so accurate that the brand’s popularity grew rapidly.
E. Lauder, having a fine sense of taste, chose a light turquoise color for her brand’s jars. She believed that this color conveyed luxury and suited any bathroom decor. The woman was right.
E. Lauder attended the opening of each of her stores. The female entrepreneur also trained beauty consultants on how to sell her brand.
Following skincare products, E. Lauder set her sights on perfumes. She naturally had a “nose” for fragrances. Lauder created her first and highly successful Youth-Dew. This fragrance combined notes of jasmine, patchouli and a mixture of roses. Estée loved risk and it never failed her.
Estée believed women should not have to wait for a man to give them perfume for a holiday but to be able to buy their own fragrances. Therefore, Youth-Dew was originally created as a bath oil and skin perfume. This trend was a milestone in the cosmetics market.
Estée Lauder’s family
Estée took great pride in her brand. But her family always came first. E. Lauder’s children and grandchildren continued her work. This was her greatest achievement. The exceptional E. Lauder died at the age of 96 in 2004. She will forever be remembered as a woman who was a game-changer in cosmetics.
Today, Estée Lauder operates in over 150 countries. Revenues exceed USD 200 million annually.