The cosmetics magnate Estee Lauder has died in Manhattan, it was announced last night.
Ms Lauder, who was thought to be 97, took a family recipe for skin cream and a passion for female beauty and turned them into a $10 billion cosmetics empire based on the promise was of youthful beauty, radiance and refinement - and the myth was that they could last forever.
"Youth Dew", introduced as a bath oil in 1953, capitalised on the self-created Lauder image - the Palm Beach society matron, lounging by the pool, socialising with the elite.
That image turned a modest skin-care line into one of the world's leading cosmetics empires and made Ms Lauder, who died on Saturday, one of America's leading philanthropists.
A shrewd businesswoman, she introduced the three-minute beauty counter makeover aimed at busy professional women. She was known for handing out generous samples and introducing a "gift with purchase" marketing strategy that left women feeling they had got something for nothing.
The company she established in 1946, Estee Lauder, is worth about $10 billion and has remained in family hands.