Evelyn Lauder
- November 12, 2011
- 75 years
- ovarian cancer
About Evelyn Lauder
Evelyn Lauder, 75, Austrian-born American philanthropist (The Breast Cancer Research Foundation), creator of pink ribbon symbol, complications from ovarian cancer.
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Full Biography
|Evelyn Lauder (née Hausner; August 12, 1936 – November 12, 2011) was an Austrian businesswoman, socialite and philanthropist.
She married Leonard Lauder, the son of Estee and Joseph Lauder, who co-founded the Estée Lauder cosmetics company. Evelyn joined the company and became senior corporate vice president and head of fragrance development. She created the Clinique brand and developed its line of products.
Lauder was one of the creators and popularizers of the pink ribbon as a symbol for awareness of breast cancer.
Early life
She was born Evelyn Hausner in 1936 in Vienna, Austria, to a Jewish family. Lauder's family fled Nazi-occupied Austria in 1938, using their household silver to get visas to Belgium. They then moved on to England where her mother was sent to an internment camp on the Isle of Man and Evelyn was placed in a nursery. The family arrived in New York City in 1940.
She graduated from Hunter College High School in 1954. She then attended Hunter College, part of the City University of New York, where she studied Psychology and Anthropology and also where she met her future husband, Leonard Lauder, then a trainee naval officer, on a blind date. She graduated from Hunter College in 1958. The couple were married on July 5, 1959. After the marriage, she worked for several years as a public school teacher in Harlem before leaving to work with her husband at the company founded in 1946 by her mother-in-law, Estée Lauder, which at the time sold six products: a red lipstick, creams, lotions, and Youth-Dew fragrance in a bath oil.
Career
Lauder was the senior corporate vice president of the Estée Lauder Companies and a member of the board of overseers at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. A 1995 profile in The New York Times called her "an immaculately turned-out, awesomely organized woman" who had started to fill the public role that had been filled by her mother-in-law, Estée Lauder.
Lauder created the Clinique brand and developed its product line. She worked as the training director for Clinique and was the first person to wear the trademark white lab coat, now worn by Clinique salespeople at cosmetic departments worldwide.
Breast cancer activism
Lauder personally raised much of the $13.6 million that went to create the Evelyn H. Lauder Breast Center at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, which opened in October 1992 and focuses on the treatment and diagnosis of breast cancer. She helped raise an additional $5 million to create an endowment to be used to fund clinical research there.
Self magazine's first annual issue for National Breast Cancer Awareness Month came after an April 1991 lunch at the 21 Club, at which Lauder discussed ideas for articles about breast cancer with her friend Alexandra Penney, who was then editor of Self.
Together with Penney, Lauder established The Breast Cancer Research Foundation and formalized the pink ribbon as a symbol for breast cancer awareness as part of Self magazine's second annual Breast Cancer Awareness Month issue in 1992. Penney's inspiration to improve on the success of the magazine's first annual issue was to create a ribbon that would be placed in Estee Lauder's New York City stores. Lauder made the commitment to have the ribbons placed on the company's cosmetics counters across the United States.
By 1993, Lauder had overseen the creation of a new shade called Pink Ribbon that was part of her personal and corporate effort to raise breast cancer awareness. Her husband paid the cost of registering the Breast Cancer Research Foundation in all 50 states. By the start of 1995, some $900,000 had been raised for the foundation, including $120,000 from the sale of Pink Ribbon lipstick and blusher, and $190,000 from the sale of the Clinique Berry Kiss pink lipstick.
By October 2008, the Estée Lauder Companies estimated that the firm's Breast Cancer Awareness Campaign had raised $335 million towards research and distributed 80 million pink ribbons.
Following Lauder's death, Delta Air Lines, which had already dedicated one of its Boeing 767-400ER long-haul planes in honor of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation that Lauder founded and painted it in a pink livery while Lauder was living, re-christened and renamed the same plane in her memory.
Personal life
She was married to Leonard Lauder, former chairman of the Estée Lauder Companies, from 1959 until her death. They had two sons: William P. Lauder and Gary M. Lauder, managing director of Lauder Partners LLC.
Death
Evelyn Lauder died at home in Manhattan from complications of nongenetic ovarian cancer. She was a longtime resident of Palm Beach, Florida. A private funeral service was held at the Central Synagogue in New York City.
Awards and recognition
- 2010: CSHL Double Helix Medal honoree
Content from Wikipedia — licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
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Articles & News
- "Evelyn H. Lauder, Champion of Breast Cancer Research, Dies at 75"nytimes.com
- "Evelyn Lauder, who created breast cancer's pink ribbon, dies at 75"edition.cnn.com
- The Telegraph: "Obituary: Evelyn Lauder"telegraph.co.uk
- "AT WORK WITH: Evelyn Lauder; From Pink Lipstick To Pink Ribbons"nytimes.com
Reported coverage of Evelyn Lauder; each link opens the original article on the publisher's own site.
Books & Media
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Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evelyn_Lauder
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
- View article
- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 16 questions
Questions drawn from Evelyn Lauder's archived record and the sources above.
1.In what city was Evelyn Lauder born?
- A.London
- B.Viennacorrect
- C.New York City
- D.Brussels
Evelyn Lauder was born Evelyn Hausner in 1936 in Vienna, Austria.
Source: Early life
2.What subjects did Evelyn Lauder study at Hunter College?
- A.Political Science and History
- B.Art History and Sociology
- C.Business and Economics
- D.Psychology and Anthropologycorrect
Evelyn Lauder attended Hunter College where she studied Psychology and Anthropology.
Source: Early life
3.Which professional role did Evelyn Lauder hold before working for the Estée Lauder company?
- A.Fashion designer
- B.Medical researcher
- C.Public school teachercorrect
- D.Bank teller
After her marriage, Evelyn Lauder worked for several years as a public school teacher in Harlem.
Source: Early life
4.What brand did Evelyn Lauder create and develop at the Estée Lauder Companies?
- A.Prescriptives
- B.La Mer
- C.Cliniquecorrect
- D.Origins
Evelyn Lauder created the Clinique brand and developed its line of products.
Source: Early life
5.What was the occupation of Leonard Lauder when he met Evelyn Lauder?
- A.Medical student
- B.Architect
- C.Corporate lawyer
- D.Trainee naval officercorrect
Evelyn Lauder met her future husband, Leonard Lauder, who was a trainee naval officer, on a blind date.
Source: Early life
6.What item of clothing did Evelyn Lauder introduce for Clinique salespeople to wear?
- A.A silk scarf
- B.A green apron
- C.A white lab coatcorrect
- D.A black blazer
Evelyn Lauder was the first person to wear the trademark white lab coat, now worn by Clinique salespeople at cosmetic departments worldwide.
Source: Career
7.How did Evelyn Lauder's family secure visas to leave Nazi-occupied Austria in 1938?
- A.By trading family jewelry
- B.By selling family gold
- C.By donating art pieces
- D.By using household silvercorrect
Lauder's family fled Nazi-occupied Austria in 1938, using their household silver to get visas to Belgium.
Source: Early life
8.With whom did Evelyn Lauder establish The Breast Cancer Research Foundation?
- A.Leonard Lauder
- B.William P. Lauder
- C.Alexandra Penneycorrect
- D.Estée Lauder
Together with her friend Alexandra Penney, Evelyn Lauder established The Breast Cancer Research Foundation.
Source: Breast cancer activism
9.Where was the 1991 lunch held where ideas for breast cancer awareness were discussed?
- A.The Waldorf Astoria
- B.The St. Regis
- C.The Plaza Hotel
- D.The 21 Clubcorrect
Self magazine's annual issue for awareness came after an April 1991 lunch at the 21 Club.
Source: Breast cancer activism
10.Who paid the costs for registering The Breast Cancer Research Foundation in all 50 states?
- A.Evelyn Lauder
- B.Gary M. Lauder
- C.Leonard Laudercorrect
- D.Alexandra Penney
Evelyn Lauder's husband paid the cost of registering the Breast Cancer Research Foundation in all 50 states.
Source: Breast cancer activism
11.What was the cause of death of Evelyn Lauder?
- A.Ovarian cancercorrect
- B.Heart disease
- C.Breast cancer
- D.Lung cancer
Evelyn Lauder died from complications of nongenetic ovarian cancer.
Source: Death
12.What is the name of Evelyn Lauder's son who is a managing director of Lauder Partners LLC?
- A.Gary M. Laudercorrect
- B.Leonard Lauder
- C.William P. Lauder
- D.Joseph Lauder
Evelyn Lauder had two sons, one of whom is Gary M. Lauder, managing director of Lauder Partners LLC.
Source: Personal life
13.Which organization honored Evelyn Lauder with the Double Helix Medal in 2010?
- A.The Breast Cancer Research Foundation
- B.Memorial Sloan-Kettering
- C.Hunter College
- D.CSHLcorrect
Evelyn Lauder was a 2010 CSHL Double Helix Medal honoree.
Source: Awards and recognition
14.How many products were sold by the Estée Lauder company when Evelyn Lauder joined?
- A.Sixcorrect
- B.Four
- C.Eight
- D.Ten
When Evelyn Lauder joined the company, it sold six products: a red lipstick, creams, lotions, and Youth-Dew fragrance in a bath oil.
Source: Early life
15.What was the specific name of the pink lipstick released to raise funds for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation?
- A.Pink Ribbon
- B.Berry Kisscorrect
- C.Estee Pink
- D.Rose Glow
By 1995, $190,000 had been raised from the sale of the Clinique Berry Kiss pink lipstick.
Source: Breast cancer activism
16.Which airline painted a plane in pink livery in honor of the foundation founded by Evelyn Lauder?
- A.American Airlines
- B.United Airlines
- C.Delta Air Linescorrect
- D.British Airways
Delta Air Lines painted one of its Boeing 767-400ER planes in a pink livery in honor of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.
Source: Breast cancer activism
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