jasmine, vetiver and patchouli, took
Estée Lauder sales from a volume
of $400 US a week to $5000 in the
early ’50s. In many ways, it was the first
American perfume. “Youth-Dew was
super influential, both for its fragrance
and for its revolutionary idea that
women might buy scents for
themselves,” perfume critic Angela
Sanders told The Guardian. When
Youth-Dew was released in 1953,
perfume wasn’t just prohibitively
expensive – it was also considered
uncouth for women to purchase it
themselves. Fragrance was a tool of
seduction, so for a woman – especially
an unmarried one – to buy a bottle
was a crass declaration of sexual
availability. Lauder conveniently
sidestepped this issue by marketing
Youth-Dew as a bath oil that could also
be worn on the skin and by selling it
at an accessible price point. The
packaging would be a turquoise shade
Lauder believed denoted luxury, and
complemented bathroom wallpapers.
Travelling the country to train
salespeople and meet with beauty
editors, Lauder pioneered the “gift
with purchase” sales tactic that is
now an industry standard, after
being told that her budget was not
sufficient for an advertising campaign.
She was often present at launches to
evangelise customers one-on-one, and
insisted that each counter be “a tiny
shining spa” within the store.
As business grew, so did the
Lauders’ lifestyle. Joseph joked his
wife’s epitaph should read, “Here lies
Estée Lauder, who made it and spent
it.” They kept homes in the South of
France, Palm Beach and London,
and were renowned for hosting lavish
parties. The Lauders pursued a range
of philanthropic endeavours, helping
to set up playgrounds in Central Park
and to restore the Palace of Versailles.
In 1978, Lauder received the French
Legion of Honour, with the consul
general of France commenting she
[has] “what we French admire most
about Americans – brains and heart”.
Both sons joined the family
business as adults and helped oversee
rapid international expansion, with
the company continuing to adapt tomarket demands. In 1964 they
launched a male range, Aramis,
and then later Clinique, which
catered to customers who sought
a more scientific approach to beauty.
Likewise, Prescriptives and Origins
were a response to the ’90s penchant
for more natural ingredients. They
also acquired other cult and prestige
brands – M.A.C, Bobbi Brown,
Aveda, Le Labo, Becca, La Mer,
Jo Malone and many other beauty
companies now fall under the
Estée Lauder umbrella.
When the company went public
in 1995, it was worth an estimated
$5 billion US. Today, the Lauder family
fortune is worth more than $34 billion
and Estée Lauder products are sold in
more than 150 countries around the
world. “I didn’t get there by wishing
for it or hoping for it, but by working for
it,” said Lauder, who continued to be
heavily involved in the business until
health issues forced her to step back.
When she died in 2004, aged 97
at her New York home, her legacy was
secured. Though she started life with
aspirations of European nobility, what
she achieved was something far more
impressive: the American dream. She
was living proof that with vision and
hard work, a girl from Queens could
become a titan of industry.CLOCKWISE
FROM LEFT
Lauder with her
granddaughter
Aerin; watching
a polo match in
Windsor with
Princess Diana;
being honoured
in 1978 by the
government of
France for her
philanthropic
endeavours;
and promoting
her brand with
model Paulina
Porizkova in-
store in 1988.LIFE STORIES