Aerin Lauder & The Lauder Family

Aerin Lauder is a modern-day style icon and the founder and creative director of AERIN, a celebrated luxury lifestyle brand that launched in 2012. Since its founding, AERIN has emerged as a distinct voice in the world of beauty, fashion and home décor. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg School of Communications, Aerin began her career at Estée Lauder in 1992. She held various executive roles, including senior vice president and creative director, and then member of the board for 10 years. In addition to her work at AERIN, she is the design director for Estée Lauder Re-Nutriv.

Aerin, a mother of two, dedicates time to several causes, including as an elective trustee of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and board member of the Foundation for Art and Preservation in Embassies, The Boys’ Club of New York, Peggy Adams Animal Rescue League, God’s Love We Deliver and the Animal Rescue Fund of the Hamptons. She is also a member of the International Council of the Museum of Modern Art.

The Estée Lauder Companies was originally founded by Aerin’s grandmother, the pioneering businesswoman Josephine Esther Mentzer, who was born in New York City and later went by the name Estée. Some of Estée’s earliest memories were of her mother’s grooming ritual, which revolved around applying rich creams to her face and hands to keep her skin soft and smooth. She married Joseph Lauter in 1930, and they later changed their surname to Lauder, correcting a misspelling that occurred when Joseph’s father emigrated from Austria to the United States.

Estée began selling skin care and makeup in beauty salons, demonstrating her products on women while they were sitting under hair dryers, and in 1946, she and Joseph officially launched the company. Their sons, Leonard and Aerin’s father Ronald, would both join the company, leading its growth with an eye for innovation. Today, Estée Lauder Companies is home to a vibrant global portfolio of brands, with products sold in 150 countries and more than 57,000 employees worldwide.