The Estée Lauder Companies Chairman Emeritus Leonard Lauder passed away on Saturday, 14 June, at age 92, the company shared in a public statement.

He was the son of Estée Lauder, the American business mogul who was the daughter of a Jewish Hungarian immigrant couple. Estée, who adopted the Franconized spelling of the diminutive form of the Hungarian name ‘Eszter’ to better fit in the cosmetics industry, was born in 1908 in New York City, New York. Her eldest son, Leonard, was born on 19 March 1933 in the same city.

The Estée Lauder company was founded in 1946. Leonard Lauder served as the CEO of the company between 1982 and 1999. During his tenure, he started Estée Lauder’s research and development laboratory. From 1999 until his death in 2025, he served in the role of Chairman Emeritus.

The company press release quotes Leonard’s son, Estée’s grandson, William P Lauder, who spoke about his father upon his passing:

‘Throughout his life, my father worked tirelessly to build and transform the beauty industry, pioneering many of the innovations, trends, and best practices that are foundational to the industry today.

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. Above all, my father was a man who practised kindness with everyone he met. His impact was enormous. He believed that employees were the heart and soul of our company, and they adored him and the moments spent with him. His warmth and thoughtfulness made an imprint on our company, the industry, and, of course, our family.’

Today, Estée Lauder is the third largest cosmetics company in the world behind L’Oréal and Givaudan, with a market cap of $24.21 billion.

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