Estee Lauder
Estée Lauder was founded in 1946 by Estée and Joseph Lauder in New York City, starting with four skincare products created by Estée's chemist uncle. The Estée Lauder Companies has since grown into one of the world's largest prestige beauty conglomerates, with a portfolio of over 25 brands including MAC, Clinique, La Mer, Bobbi Brown, and Tom Ford Beauty. The Estée Lauder brand itself produces luxury skincare, makeup, and fragrances, with moisturizers and anti-aging products as core offerings. Despite premium pricing and luxury positioning, Estée Lauder products contain many of the same synthetic ingredients found in mass-market products, including parabens, synthetic fragrances, PEG compounds, and petroleum derivatives. The brand's prestige image can create the perception that higher price equates to cleaner ingredients, which is not always the case.
Products Analyzed
Flagged Ingredients Found
Who Owns Estee Lauder?
Big Corp SubsidiaryParent Company
The Estee Lauder Companies(EL)
Parent Industry
Prestige Beauty
Parent Revenue
Approximately $15.9 billion (2024)
Also Makes
The Estee Lauder Companies is publicly traded but the Lauder family maintains control through a dual-class share structure. The brand and company share the same name, making it both the parent and the subsidiary.
Corporate ownership does not automatically mean a product is unsafe. It means ingredient and sourcing decisions are influenced by a parent company whose primary business is prestige beauty. Consumers deserve to know who profits from their purchases.
Products by Estee Lauder
Estée Lauder DayWear Multi-Protection Anti-Oxidant SPF 15
Estee Lauder
Numbrrrz
Organic Lip Balm
Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Synchronized Multi-Recovery Complex
Estee Lauder
Numbrrrz
Organic Lip Balm
Estée Lauder Revitalizing Supreme+ Global Anti-Aging Cell Power Creme SPF 15
Estee Lauder
Numbrrrz
Organic Lip Balm
Estée Lauder Perfectionist Pro Multi-Defense UV Fluid SPF 25
Estee Lauder
Numbrrrz
Organic Lip Balm
Estée Lauder Resilience Multi-Effect Tri-Peptide Face and Neck Creme SPF 15
Estee Lauder
Numbrrrz
Organic Lip Balm
Get Your Free Ingredient Safety Report
Enter your email and we'll send you a personalized breakdown of the most common harmful ingredients in your daily products.
Flagged Ingredients in Estee Lauder Products
We found 12 different ingredients of concern across Estee Lauder's product line. Each one links to a full safety analysis with details on health risks, regulatory status, and which other brands use the same ingredient.
Oxybenzone
A chemical UV filter found in many sunscreens and SPF-containing cosmetics. It absorbs UVA and UVB radiation but is a known endocrine disruptor, coral reef toxin, and one of the most frequently detected chemicals in human blood and urine.
Parabens
A class of synthetic preservatives used to prevent microbial growth in cosmetics and personal care products. Parabens can mimic estrogen in the body, raising concerns about endocrine disruption and links to breast cancer.
Octinoxate
A chemical UV filter used in sunscreens and SPF cosmetics. It absorbs UVB radiation and is one of the most common sunscreen ingredients worldwide. Like oxybenzone, it is an endocrine disruptor and harmful to coral reefs.
Synthetic Fragrance
An umbrella term that can hide hundreds of undisclosed chemicals. Under US law, companies are not required to list individual fragrance components, which may include phthalates, musks, allergens, and sensitizers.
Petroleum / Petrolatum
A semi-solid mixture of hydrocarbons derived from petroleum refining. Widely used as a moisture barrier in lip balms, lotions, and ointments. When inadequately refined, it can be contaminated with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are linked to cancer.
Polyethylene Glycol (PEG Compounds)
A family of petroleum-derived compounds used as emulsifiers, thickeners, solvents, and penetration enhancers. PEGs themselves are relatively low-toxicity, but they are frequently contaminated with ethylene oxide (a known carcinogen) and 1,4-dioxane.
Homosalate
A chemical UV filter that absorbs UVB radiation. Used in sunscreens and SPF cosmetics, homosalate is an endocrine disruptor that breaks down into more toxic byproducts under UV exposure.
BHT (Butylated Hydroxytoluene)
A synthetic antioxidant closely related to BHA, used to prevent oxidation in cosmetics and food. Less studied than BHA but shares some endocrine disruption concerns.
Propylene Glycol
A synthetic liquid used as a humectant, solvent, and penetration enhancer in cosmetics. While considered safe at low concentrations, it is a skin irritant at higher levels and enhances absorption of other ingredients — including harmful ones.
Avobenzone
One of the few chemical UV filters that provides good UVA protection. However, it is photounstable, breaking down rapidly under UV light and losing effectiveness within 30 minutes unless stabilized by other chemicals.
Dimethicone
A silicone-based polymer widely used in cosmetics and skincare for its smoothing, water-repellent properties. Not toxic in itself, but creates a synthetic barrier that can trap impurities, clog pores, and is not biodegradable.
Phenoxyethanol
A glycol ether used as a preservative in cosmetics, often marketed as a 'safer' alternative to parabens. At regulated concentrations (up to 1%), it is generally well tolerated, but higher concentrations can cause irritation and are toxic to infants.
