The American cosmetics company founded in New York City in 1946 by Estée and Joseph Lauder was Estée Lauder. The business began when Estée Lauder and her husband, Joseph, started producing and selling beauty products in New York City after World War II.
The company initially offered four products: Cleansing Oil, Skin Lotion, Super-Rich All-Purpose Creme, and Creme Pack. Estée Lauder helped build the brand through personal demonstrations and direct relationships with customers, while Joseph Lauder handled important business and financial responsibilities. In 1948, the company gained its first department-store account with Saks Fifth Avenue in Manhattan.
Estée Lauder is often confused with The Estée Lauder Companies, the much larger corporation that later came to own or operate numerous brands, including Clinique, MAC, Aveda, Bobbi Brown, and La Mer. Estée Lauder remains one of the corporation's flagship brands. The company expanded internationally in 1960 through an account at Harrods in London and became publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange in 1995.