Estee Lauder was born in 1908 and grew up in New York, working in her father's store and learning about business. She established Estee Lauder Inc. in 1946, making creams in a restaurant kitchen and selling them. Her innovative strategies like free gifts with purchases and in-store counters were successful. Her Youth Dew fragrance launched the company into becoming the 3rd largest cosmetics company, selling in over 118 countries. Lauder was driven to inspire women and known as the "Queen of Beauty".
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Estee Lauder
1.
2. Background
• Born in 1908, daughter of European immigrants
• Grew up in Queens, New York
• At a young age worked at her father’s store and got a
sense of entrepreneurship and business
• Recognized her true path in life when started working
for Uncle Schotz, a chemist trying to make facial
creams
• Selling her uncle’s creams helped her experience the
world of marketing and merchandising
4. Business Strategies
• Made wise marketing decision to sell products at well
known department stores
• First big break: Saks Fifth Avenue‐ her creams sold out
immediately
• Targeted big department stores‐ became a “traveling
salesperson dedicated to penetrate every fine
department store in the United States.”
5. Business Strategies Cont.
• Persuaded store owners to feature
her cosmetic products
• Set up counters at each store with
elegant and refined salespeople to
attract customers
• Enticed clients and buyers by
offering free gift with any purchase
• Gave makeovers at counters to
convince buyers of her products’
great quality‐personal selling
approach
• Traveled around stores praising her
products
“To sell a cream, you sold a
dream in the early days.”-
Estee Lauder
6. “Free Gift with a
Purchase”
• Revolutionized selling
by her concept of free
gift with each
purchase‐ later
became a common
business practice
• Accounted for her
success‐ became
company trademark
• Attracted many
customers and clients
7. Turning Point
• Introduced first
fragrance‐Youth Dew
• Was affordable for
women and yet
luxurious
• Sales grew‐in 1950’s
Youth Dew was 80%
of total sales
• Became multimillion
dollar industry
9. Sweet Success
• Company grew in 1980’s and 1990’s to become
third largest cosmetics industry in U.S.
• Controls 45% of U.S. cosmetics market
• Sells in more than 118 countries
• $3.6 billion in sales in the last year alone
• Owns shares worth $6 billion
10. Aim and Ambition
• Wanted to inspire
women‐ send the
message that every
woman could be
beautiful with Lauder’s
beauty creams
• Lauder’s creams
symbolized “jars of
hope” for women
trying to find
everlasting youth
• Wanted her products
to be used by the very
“best”‐celebrities,
famous and important
people
11. Estee Lauder: Queen of
Cosmetics
• “I was a woman with a mission
and single‐minded in the pursuit
of my dream”‐Estee Lauder
• Named as a classic entrepreneur
• Driven by ambition to become
successful and inspire women
around the world
• Known as one of the cosmetics
industry’s most influential people
• Known as the “Queen of Beauty”
13. Work Cited
• Epstein, Rachel. Estee Lauder: Beauty Business
Success. New York: Franklin Watts, 2000.
• Estee Lauder. The Sweet Smell of Success. 8 Feb.
2010 <http://www.entrepeneur.com>
• Grace, Mirabella. "Beauty Queen: Estee Lauder."
Time, 8 Feb. 2010; 155‐156
• Severo, Richard. "Estee Lauder, Pursuer of Beauty
and Cosmetics Titan, Dies at 97." New York Times.
26 April 2004:A1