Rubinstein, Helena

Rubinstein, Helena
born , Dec. 25, 1870, Kraków, Pol., Austria-Hungary
died April 1, 1965, New York, N.Y., U.S.

Polish-U.S. cosmetician, business executive, and philanthropist.

She went to Australia in 1902, where she opened a beauty salon in which she offered free consultation along with a special cream brought from Poland. Experiencing an immediate success there, she returned to Europe, opening a salon in London in 1908 and another in Paris in 1912. In 1914 she immigrated to the U.S. to open salons in New York and other cities. She began wholesale distribution of her products in 1917. After World War II she built factories on five continents. In 1953 she established the Helena Rubinstein Foundation to coordinate her gifts to museums, colleges, and institutions for the needy.

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▪ American businesswoman
born , Dec. 25, 1870, Kraków, Poland, Austria-Hungary
died April 1, 1965, New York, N.Y., U.S.

      cosmetician, business executive, and philanthropist. She founded Helena Rubinstein, Inc., a leading manufacturer and distributor of women's cosmetics.

      Rubinstein was one of eight daughters of a middle-class Jewish family in Poland. She studied medicine briefly in Switzerland before journeying in the late 1890s to visit relatives in Australia. There, the lack of cosmetics, particularly skin-care products, prompted her to open a small shop in Melbourne to sell creams and the like, which at first she imported from Europe and later began manufacturing herself. She then returned to Europe and studied dermatology with several leading authorities before resuming her business. In 1908 she opened an elaborate beauty salon in London and in 1912 another in Paris. From the beginning her clientele consisted of wealthy and aristocratic women, many of whom broke social custom in patronizing her salons. In 1914 she opened a salon in New York City, and over the next several years salons appeared as well in Chicago, Boston, Los Angeles, and other American cities. From that date she spent an increasing portion of her time in the United States.

      In 1917 Rubinstein began the wholesale distribution of her products, an enterprise that, together with manufacturing, was eventually to become the predominant activity of her business. The chemists and researchers whom she employed developed hundreds of new and improved beauty aids, among which were the first line of medicated skin-care products. In the years that followed World War II she established manufacturing facilities on five continents.

      With a personal fortune estimated at $100 million, Rubinstein was prominent in international society and maintained homes in cities around the world. A patron of the arts, she established the Helena Rubinstein Foundation in 1953 to coordinate her philanthropies, including gifts to museums, colleges, and institutions for the needy, particularly women and children.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • RUBINSTEIN, HELENA — (1871–1965), cosmetician. Born in Cracow, Poland, Rubinstein studied medicine for a short while and then immigrated to Australia. Observing that many Australian women suffered from dry, flaky skin because of the harsh, hot climate, she began… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Rubinstein, Helena — (1871–1965)    Cosmetics entrepreneur. Helena Rubinstein combined a medical training, an inherited formula and a shrewd business sense to establish herself as one of the world’s greatest cosmetics tycoons.    Born in Poland, she emigrated at the… …   Who’s Who in Jewish History after the period of the Old Testament

  • Rubinstein, Helena — (25 dic. 1870, Cracovia, Polonia, Austria Hungría–1 abr. 1965, Nueva York, N.Y., EE.UU.). Cosmetóloga, ejecutiva comercial y filántropa polaca estadounidense. Se trasladó a Australia en 1902 y abrió un salón de belleza donde podía ser consultada… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Rubinstein, Helena — (1871 1965)    American cosmetics manufacturer. Born in Poland, she went to Australia at the age of 20 and began marketing cold cream. Later she went to London where she opened her own beauty salon. In 1914 she went to the US. Her innovations… …   Dictionary of Jewish Biography

  • Helena Rubinstein — est née dans cette maison de Cracovie …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Helena Rubinstein — [Helena Rubinstein] (1871–1965) a US businesswoman, born in Poland, who created the famous ↑cosmetics company that carries her name. She began her business in 1902 in Australia and later opened ↑salons (= places for beauty treatments) in London,… …   Useful english dictionary

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  • Rubinstein — Rubinstein, Anton Rubinstein, Arthur * * * (as used in expressions) Rubinstein, Antón (Grigórievich) Rubinstein, Artur Rubinstein, Helena …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Helena — /hel euh neuh/; for 3 also /heuh lee neuh/, n. 1. Saint, c247 c330, mother of Constantine I. 2. a city in and the capital of Montana, in the W part. 23,938. 3. a female given name, form of Helen. * * * I City (pop., 2000: 25,780), capital of… …   Universalium

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