Estee Lauder was born in 1908 in New York to European immigrants. She worked in her father's store as a child and later for her uncle, a chemist developing facial creams. In 1946, she established Estee Lauder Inc. and began manufacturing and selling creams out of a restaurant. Her innovative marketing strategies like free gifts with purchases and in-store counters were hugely successful. By focusing on high-end department stores globally, Estee Lauder grew her business into the largest cosmetics company in the US, with a mission to inspire women's beauty worldwide.