Overview

• Leonard Lauder died June 14 at age 92, a fact announced by Estée Lauder Companies on June 15.
• During his decades-long leadership he grew the family business from under $1 million in annual sales to a global cosmetics empire through brand launches and acquisitions.
• He served as president (1972–1995), CEO (1982–1999) and chairman (1995–2009), retaining an active board role until 2023.
• Beyond business, Lauder donated a landmark Cubist art collection to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 2013, co-founded the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation, and supported breast cancer research initiatives.
• His creation of the “lipstick index” became a widely cited economic indicator and he held an estimated net worth of $15.6 billion at his death.