Leonard Lauder, philanthropist who globalized family cosmetic business, dies at age 92

By AP 16 June 2025, 9:04 pm

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Leonard Lauder attends a gala launch party in New York, April 26, 2010. (AP Photo/Stephen Chernin, File)

Leonard Lauder, a renowned philanthropist who expanded the family cosmetics business into a worldwide empire, has died at the age of 92.

Estee Lauders Cos. announced the news in a press release on Sunday and said he died on Saturday surrounded by family.

Lauder, the oldest son of Estee and Joseph H. Lauder, who founded the company in 1946, formally joined the New York business in 1958. Over more than six decades, Lauder played a key role in transforming the business from a handful of products sold under a single brand in US stores to a multi-brand global giant. He had held the title of chairman emeritus at the time of his death.