Estée Lauder is one of the world’s leading cosmetic companies. 

To date, the company is worth billions and has over 20 brands under its name. 

Today, Estée Lauder sells a large line of products, including skin care, makeup and fragrance, but it didn’t start out that way.

Estée Lauder was started by a female co-founder with knowledge of skin care and a dream. 

1. Who founded Estée Lauder?

Estée Lauder was founded by a woman named Josephine Esther Mentzer, who was raised in Queens, New York, and her husband, Joseph Lauter. 

She grew an early interest in skin care, as her uncle, who lived with her family, created skin creams, according to Estée Lauder’s website. 

Through observing and assisting her uncle, Lauder gained a wealth of knowledge about the beauty space that she would later take with her to launch her own company. 

During the late 1920s, Lauder met the man she would marry, Joesph Lauter. Shortly after they wed, the pair adopted the surname Lauder and moved to Manhattan. 

In Lauder’s early days in the realm of beauty, she started to sell products in beauty salons, demonstrating proper application to women while they were getting their hair done. 

In 1946, Lauder and her husband launched Estée Lauder.