• Website: esteelauder.com
• Founded: 1946, New York City, United States.
• Founders: Estée and Joseph Lauder
• Owned By: The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.
• Known For: Advanced Night Repair, Double Wear, Re-Nutriv, Youth-Dew, Beautiful
• Category Focus: Skincare, makeup, fragrance, luxury beauty
Estée Lauder is one of the world's most influential prestige beauty brands, renowned for skincare innovation, enduring fragrances, and an approach to beauty built around personal service. Founded in New York City in 1946 by Estée and Joseph Lauder, the brand began with four beauty products before expanding into skincare, makeup, and fragrance.
Known for combining product development with Estée Lauder's talent for demonstrating beauty in person, the brand created signatures that remain part of daily routines. Products including Advanced Night Repair, Double Wear, Re-Nutriv, and Youth-Dew have shaped its identity across generations.
Today, Estée Lauder is the flagship brand of The Estée Lauder Companies, led within the group's luxury beauty portfolio by Justin Boxford and Senior Vice President and General Manager Erica Kwok. The Estée Lauder Companies Inc.
Advanced Night Repair Serum
Double Wear Foundation
Re-Nutriv Skincare
Revitalizing Supreme+ Moisturizer
Pure Color Lipstick
Youth-Dew Fragrance
Beautiful Fragrance
Estée Lauder Pleasures
Estée Lauder's story began in 1946, when Estée and Joseph Lauder launched their cosmetics company in New York City. Estée had already been selling creams in beauty salons, where she demonstrated products directly to customers and developed a personal approach to beauty retail.
A major department store order from Saks Fifth Avenue followed in 1947. The success of Youth-Dew, a bath oil that also served as a fragrance, helped establish the brand beyond skincare. Later introductions such as Re-Nutriv, Night Repair, and Double Wear extended its reputation across luxury skincare and makeup.
Today, Estée Lauder continues to develop skincare, makeup, and fragrance while drawing on its founder's belief in product performance and individual attention.
Key milestones:
• 1946: Estée and Joseph Lauder launch the company in New York with four beauty products.
• 1947: Estée Lauder receives its first major department store order from Saks Fifth Avenue.
• 1953: Youth-Dew launches as a bath oil that doubles as a fragrance.
• 1956: Introduction of Re-Nutriv, the brand's luxury skincare collection.
• 1960: Estée Lauder secures its first overseas account at Harrods in London.
• 1968: The brand introduces Estée, a signature fragrance.
• 1982: Launch of Night Repair, the predecessor to Advanced Night Repair.
• 1995: Estée Lauder Pleasures introduces a lighter floral fragrance style.
• 1997: Launch of Double Wear foundation.
• 2026: Estée Lauder introduces a new generation of Double Wear foundation.
Estée Lauder helped transform beauty retail through personal demonstrations, memorable fragrances, and products designed to become lasting parts of a routine.
“Estée Lauder made luxury beauty feel personal. Its strength lies in pairing memorable products with a lasting understanding of how people discover and use them.”
Estée Lauder matters because it helped shape the way prestige beauty products are developed, demonstrated, and sold.
Its influence can be seen across:
• The growth of luxury skincare routines
• The development of long-wear foundation
• The popularity of fragrance as a personal purchase
• The role of individual service in beauty retail
By combining its founder's entrepreneurial vision with continued product development, Estée Lauder remains a defining name in prestige beauty.
Estée Lauder vs Lancôme
Estée Lauder vs Clinique
Estée Lauder vs La Mer
Estée Lauder vs Shiseido
Lancôme
Clinique
La Mer
Shiseido
