The company was started in 1946 by Estee Lauder (born Josephine Ester Mentzer) and her husband Joseph. Their first product was a skin cream developed by her uncle who was a chemist by training and just two years later in New York they had the prestigious Saks Fifth Avenue department store as a customer. With a focus on high quality and constant innovation the company grew rapidly and launched their breakthrough product, Youth-Dew, in 1951. This was a bath oil with a lingering fragrance that doubled as a perfume. Their marketing techniques included a focus on product sampling, to give potential customers a direct experience of their range, and restricting distribution to high-end department stores boutiques and other prestige outlets.
Estee Lauder then began a rapid international expansion and after gaining Harrods of London as a customer established a presence throughout Europe, South America, Asia and Australia. An indication of their creative stature was that in 1964 they launched the one of the first lines of male fragrance: Aramis for Men. Today it is the world's largest privately owned cosmetics company with revenues over one billion dollars. The Estee Lauder brand covers the full range of cosmetics products including skincare, makeup, fragrances for men and women. The company's other brands include Aramis, Clinique, Prescriptives, Origins, MAC, Bobbi Brown essentials, Tommy Hilfiger, Donna Karan and Aveda.
