Leonard Lauder, the visionary business leader who transformed The Estée Lauder Companies from a modest family operation into a global cosmetics empire, died Saturday at age 92, surrounded by family.
Lauder, who served as the company's CEO from 1982 to 1999 and chairman from 1995 to 2009, spent six decades building the beauty giant founded by his parents in 1946. Under his leadership, the company evolved from selling a handful of products under a single brand in U.S. stores to becoming one of the world's leading manufacturers of prestige beauty products, now operating in approximately 150 countries.
Lauder joined the family business in 1958 when it had annual sales of $800,0001. He created the company's first research and development laboratory and spearheaded international expansion, beginning with opening an Estée Lauder counter at Harrods in London in 196012.
A brand builder, Lauder led the launch of Aramis, Clinique, and Lab Series, among others32. In the mid-1990s, he orchestrated a series of acquisitions that reshaped the company's portfolio, including MAC Cosmetics, Aveda, Bobbi Brown, Jo Malone London, and La Mer24. The company went public on the New York Stock Exchange in 1996 during his tenure4.
"Leonard Lauder was beloved by many and will be missed tremendously," said Stéphane de La Faverie, the company's current president and CEO2. "His energy and vision helped shape our company and will continue to do so for generations to come."
Beyond business, Lauder was deeply involved in philanthropy and art collecting. He co-founded the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation with his brother Ronald and served as honorary chairman of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, which his late wife Evelyn established in 199312.
In 2013, Lauder promised his collection of 78 Cubist artworks to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, valued at over $1 billion and representing one of the largest gifts in the museum's history12. He also donated $131 million to the Whitney Museum of American Art, where he served as chairman emeritus2.
Lauder is survived by his wife, photographer Judy Glickman Lauder, whom he married in 2015; sons William P. Lauder and Gary M. Lauder; five grandchildren; and brother Ronald S. Lauder31.
"His legacy is vast, not only in the beauty industry, but in the countless lives improved by his charitable efforts," said his son Gary1.
