Who is Estee Lauder?
Estee Lauder has been an icon in the beauty industry for decades, particularly in connection with quality fragrance and makeup products for women. The woman behind the name was honored by Time magazine as one of the 20 most influential people in business of the 20th century in 1998, and was the only woman to make the list. Eventually, Estee Lauder would grow to become a $10 billion dollar business. However, that business had humble beginnings, as did Estee Lauder herself.
Estee Lauder has been an icon in the beauty industry for decades, particularly in connection with quality fragrance and makeup products for women. The woman behind the name was honored by Time magazine as one of the 20 most influential people in business of the 20th century in 1998, and was the only woman to make the list. Eventually, Estee Lauder would grow to become a $10 billion dollar business. However, that business had humble beginnings, as did Estee Lauder herself. Born in 1906 in the Corona section of Queens in New York City, Estee came into the world as Josephine Esther Mentzer. Growing up in a traditional Italian neighborhood, Estee was exposed to a variety of cultural backgrounds and values. Her father, Max Mentzer, was a Czechoslovakian who eventually abandoned his trade as a tailor to open a hardware store. Her mother, Rose (Schotz Rosenthal), was of French and Hungarian descent. While Rose was Catholic, Estee was raised in the faith of her Jewish father.
