Mirror Review
June 16, 2025
Summary:
- Leonard A. Lauder, son of Estée Lauder founders and former CEO of The Estée Lauder Companies, passed away on June 14, 2025, at the age of 92.
- He died surrounded by his family, according to a company statement.
- Known as the driving force behind Estée Lauder’s global rise, Leonard served the company for over six decades.
- His estimated net worth was $9.7 billion at the time of his passing.
On Saturday, June 14, 2025, Leonard A. Lauder, son of Estée Lauder founders and former CEO of The Estée Lauder Companies, passed away at the age of 92.
Leonard Lauder wasn’t just the heir to a beauty empire—he was the builder of it. From packing boxes as a young boy to leading one of the world’s most powerful beauty companies, his story is a mix of vision, kindness, and business brilliance.
“My father was a remarkable man… His legacy is vast, not only in the beauty industry, but in the countless lives improved by his charitable efforts,” said his son, Gary Lauder.
As the world remembers Leonard Lauder’s death, here’s a closer look at the company he shaped and the values he lived by.
12 Rarely Told Stories About Leonard Lauder and The Estée Lauder Companies
1. It All Started in a Kitchen
Estée Lauder and her husband Joseph, began the company in New York City in 1946. With just four skincare products, including the Super-Rich All Purpose Creme, they sold through beauty salons and hotels.
Leonard later recalled how she “cooked up facial creams on the stove,” and he grew up watching and learning.
“We had a little tiny factory, and I would go there after school for 25 cents an hour and I’d work,” Leonard once said in a 2020 interview with CBS News.
He later captured this deep connection in his memoir: “The company and I grew up together… It has always been more than a family company: it was — and continues to be — my family.”
2. A Personal Touch Changed Everything
Estée believed beauty should be personal. She pioneered the “High-Touch” approach —demonstrating products directly to women. She also introduced the now-common “gift with purchase,” helping customers feel seen and appreciated.
Leonard not only inherited this philosophy but also scaled it.
He explained his strategy to David Rubenstein in 2021: “At the beginning, we never advertised … we gave out samples… If you give a customer a sample of a product and they like it, they come back and buy it again and again and again— that’s what builds the business.”
3. A Fragrance That Made History
In 1953, Youth-Dew, a bath oil that doubled as perfume, became a cultural shift. It empowered women to buy fragrance for themselves, not wait to receive it as a gift.
It was this single product that helped the company grow into a multi-million-dollar business!
Leonard remembered how Youth-Dew “changed everything” because it was something “women bought for themselves — and felt good about it.”
This innovation was a main reason for the company’s explosive growth, shifting it from a small operation to a major player in the cosmetics industry.
4. Leadership Passed Smoothly to the Next Generation
After joining the company in 1958, Leonard learned directly from his mother, Estée, for years.
Estée formally passed the leadership to him in stages; he became President in 1972 and then CEO in 1982, a role he held until 1999.
Leonard led the company through decades of change and growth. He kept his mother’s vision alive while adding his own strategic leadership.
In his memoir, The Company I Keep, Leonard once wrote, “The company and I grew up together, our lives as closely paired as twins.”
5. Leonard A. Lauder Took the Brand Global
Leonard took Estée Lauder public in 1995 and expanded globally across Europe and Asia.
He also set up the company’s first R&D lab, focusing on innovation and professional management at every level.
Under his leadership, annual sales grew from under $1 million to over $15 billion.
CEO Stéphane de La Faverie, acknowledged his contribution, stating, “He challenged the status quo and created a culture of innovation.”
“He was a visionary who made the company truly global,” added former New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg, calling his legacy “enduring.”
6. The Brand Family Got Bigger
A core part of Leonard’s strategy was growth through acquisition. In its official press release, the company agreed to this by describing him as a “legendary brand builder.”
Leonard was an accomplished dealmaker. He led the acquisition of now-iconic brands like MAC, Clinique, Bobbi Brown, Aveda, Jo Malone London, and La Mer.
It was these moves that helped the company connect with different customer bases while maintaining its prestigious image.
7. The Man Known as “Chief Teaching Officer”
After stepping down as CEO in 1999, Leonard became chairman emeritus but remained an important presence.
He proudly took on the unofficial role of the company’s “Chief Teaching Officer,” dedicating himself to mentoring employees and focusing on their growth.
Leonard was also constant fixture at the global headquarters, always ready to share wisdom with a new generation of leaders.
The company noted that this was perhaps the role he was “most proud of,” further adding, “He believed that a company’s wealth is its people and focused on mentoring and fostering growth within the company’s diverse talent pool.”
8. Spotting Trends Before They Go Mainstream
Leonard possessed a sharp and insightful understanding of consumer behavior.
He famously coined the term “Lipstick Index” after the 2001 economic downturn, observing that women often purchase affordable luxuries like lipstick when they cut back on more expensive items.
Then, in the fall of 2001, U.S. lipstick sales indeed increased by 11%.
The “Lipstick Index” later became a widely recognized economic indicator, proving Leonard’s ability to see meaning in even the smallest consumer patterns.
9. A Businessman Who Gave Back
Leonard’s impact was far beyond the world of business. He was a monumental philanthropist, particularly in the arts and healthcare.
His most famous act of giving was a 2013 pledge of his 78-piece collection of Cubist art to New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art—the largest single philanthropic gift in the museum’s history.
10. Doing Good While Doing Business
The Estée Lauder Companies is renowned for its commitment to social causes, a focus deeply championed by Leonard.
He was an Honorary Chairman of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, an organization founded in 1993 by his late wife, Evelyn H. Lauder. He also co-founded the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation with his brother, Ronald, to support critical research.
His brother, Ronald Lauder, Chairman of Clinique Laboratories, said, “His legacy will be felt for generations to come thanks to his tireless philanthropy, advocacy, and creativity in tackling some of the world’s greatest challenges. The number of lives he touched and positively impacted across all his endeavors is immeasurable.”
Moreover, Leonard’s son William explained his father’s philosophy, stating: “He was the most charitable man I have ever known, believing that art and education belonged to everyone, and championing the fight against diseases such as Alzheimer’s and breast cancer.”
11. Still Going Strong
Today, the Estée Lauder Companies is a global leader, with products sold in approximately 150 countries and a portfolio of over 25 prestigious brands.
The Lauder family remains the company’s biggest shareholder, with three family members serving on the board, ensuring that its founding principles endure.
The company also highlighted the culture Leonard stuck to, saying, “The values that continue to set the company apart are the values he so strongly believed in and embodied, most notably generosity of spirit and kindness toward all.”
12. A Lifetime of Honors and Impact
Leonard’s contributions were recognized with countless awards, including the prestigious Légion d’Honneur from France, the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy, and the U.S. Navy’s “Lone Sailor” Award.
Furthermore, in 2020, Leonard was inducted into the World Retail Congress’s Retail Hall of Fame.
The company’s official announcement offers a poignant final tribute: “He was the beacon of our company and the north star of an entire industry. The world is a better place because Leonard Lauder was in it.”
Steve Forbes, editor-in-chief of Forbes Media, called Leonard “a man who lived well, & his passing is the world’s loss.”
End Note:
Leonard Lauder dies at 92, but he will be remembered for so much more than building a global company. He was a visionary leader known for his incredible generosity and, most of all, his kindness to everyone he met.
He leaves behind a loving family, including his wife, Judy, his sons, William and Gary, and his brother, Ronald, who will carry on his remarkable legacy.
