LAUDER, ESTE

born July 1, 1908?, New York, N.Y., U.S. ne Josephine Esther Mentzer American cofounder of a large fragrance and cosmetics company. Josephine Esther Mentzer learned her first marketing lessons as a child in her father's hardware store: assertive selling, perfectionism, 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 as he worked with natural ingredients and helped him to develop new products. She married Joseph Lauder, whom she divorced in 1939, remarried in 1942, and divorced again in 1983. Together they founded Este Lauder, Inc., in 1946. 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. From a company employing five persons and grossing $850,000 in sales in 1958, Este Lauder, Inc., grew to employ 1,000 and earn $100,000,000 in sales by 1973. The company maintained a policy of emphasizing skin care and protection while distributing their products only through department and specialty stores rather than less prestigious outlets. Their best-known products included Youth Dew fragrance and bath oils, added in 1953; Aramis men's products, begun in 1964; Clinique allergy-tested cosmetics, first developed in 1968; and Origins natural cosmetics, introduced in 1990. The company began selling internationally in the 1960s, and Este Lauder products are now sold in more than 70 countries. All stock in the company was owned by the family until the company went public in 1995. The Lauders built three adventure playgrounds in New York City's Central Park. In 1978 Este Lauder was honoured by the French government for her contributions to restoring the Palace of Versailles. In 1985 she published an autobiography, Este: A Success Story. It described some of her basic strategies: opening the Este Lauder counter at each new store in person, offering free promotional items, and remaining personally involved with the company. Este Lauder, Inc., continued to outsell all other department store cosmetic lines in the 1990s.