#10: Estée Lauder (July 1, 1908 – April 24, 2004)
Josephine Esther Mentzer, better known as Estée Lauder, started her business by cooking skin creams in her uncle’s New York kitchen. She launched her company in 1946 and convinced major department stores to carry her products by giving away free samples with every single purchase. Estée Lauder personally walked the sales floors to apply makeup to customers. By the time she passed away, her family business controlled a massive portion of the global cosmetics market.
