Estée Lauder (July 1, 1906 – April 24, 2004) was the founder of Estée Lauder Inc., a pioneering cosmetics company.

Lauder was born Josephine Esther Mentzer in Queens, New York, USA, the daughter of Hungarian Jewish immigrants. She married Joseph Lauter in 1930, divorced him in 1939, and re-married him in 1942. The Lauter family changed their surname to "Lauder" in the late 1930s. They remained married until his death in 1982.

Lauder died in her Manhattan home of cardiopulmonary failure at the age of 97.

She was the only woman on Time magazine's 1998 list of the 20 most influential business geniuses of the 20th century. She was also the recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

External links

• Time magazine profile
• CNN report of passing