Estée Lauder (businesswoman) Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Estée Lauder
Lauder with a customer in 1966
Born	Josephine Esther Mentzer (1906-07-01)July 1, 1906 Corona, Queens, New York City, U.S.
Died	April 24, 2004(2004-04-24) (aged 97) Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
Occupation	Businesswoman
Known for	Co-founder of Estée Lauder Companies
Spouse(s)	Joseph Lauder (m. 1930; div. 1939) (m. 1942; died 1982)
Children	2
Parent(s)	Max Mentzer Rose Schotz-Rosenthal

Estée Lauder (born Josephine Esther Mentzer; July 1, 1906 – April 24, 2004) was a famous American businesswoman. She started her own makeup and skincare company, Estée Lauder Companies, with her husband, Joseph Lauder. She was so successful that Time magazine named her one of the 20 most important business leaders of the 20th century.

Estée Lauder's Early Life
Growing Up and Learning Business
Starting a Beauty Empire
Awards and Honors
Family Life
Death
Images for kids
See also

Estée Lauder's Early Life

Estée Lauder was born in Corona, Queens, New York City. Her parents, Rose and Max Mentzer, were immigrants from Hungary and what is now Slovakia. Estée was their second child.

When she was born in 1906, her parents wanted to name her Eszti. This was after her mother's favorite aunt. But they decided to stick with the name "Josephine." However, everyone called her "Estee" as she grew up.

Later, when she started her beauty company, she added an accent mark to her name. This made it look more French. She also started saying it with a French sound.

Growing Up and Learning Business

Estée went to Newtown High School in Elmhurst, Queens. Her family often struggled to make ends meet. She worked at her family's hardware store. This was where she first learned about business and how to sell things.

Her childhood dream was to become an actress. She imagined seeing her name in bright lights. But her path led her to the world of beauty.

As she got older, Estée started helping her uncle, Dr. John Schotz. He was a chemist who owned a company called New Way Laboratories. They sold beauty products like creams and lotions. Estée was very interested in his work. She loved watching him create new products. He also taught her how to care for her skin.

Starting a Beauty Empire

Estée began selling her uncle's products. She named one of his creams "Super Rich All-Purpose Cream." She sold these creams to her friends. She also sold them to beauty shops and resorts.

One day, she was at a hair salon. The owner, Florence Morris, noticed Estée's perfect skin. Estée told her about her uncle's creams. She later returned to the salon to show how the creams worked. Morris was so impressed that she asked Estée to sell her products at the salon.

In 1953, Estée Lauder launched her first perfume. It was called Youth-Dew. This was a special bath oil that could also be used as a perfume. Before this, women usually used French perfumes sparingly. But with Youth-Dew, they could use it more freely in their bath water.

Youth-Dew was a huge success. In its first year, 50,000 bottles were sold. By 1984, that number had grown to 150 million bottles!

Estée Lauder once explained her success. She said, "I have never worked a day in my life without selling. If I believe in something, I sell it, and I sell it hard."

Awards and Honors

Estée Lauder received many important awards.

In 1978, she received the Knight class of the Legion of Honour from France. This is a very high honor.
In 1988, she was added to the Junior Achievement U.S. Business Hall of Fame.
In 2004, she received the Presidential Medal of Freedom. This is one of the highest awards a civilian can get in the United States.

Family Life

Estée met Joseph Lauter when she was in her early 20s. They got married on January 15, 1930. Later, their family name was changed from Lauter to Lauder.

Their first son, Leonard, was born in 1933. Estée and Joseph separated and divorced in 1939. But they realized they missed each other. They remarried in 1942. Their second son, Ronald, was born in 1944.

Estée and Joseph Lauder stayed married until Joseph passed away in 1982. Estée later said she regretted their divorce. She realized Joseph was "the sweetest husband in the world."

Their sons also became very successful. Leonard became the chief executive of Estée Lauder Companies. Ronald worked in the government. He was a U.S. Ambassador to Austria. Today, he is the president of the World Jewish Congress.