Helena Rubinstein was born in Poland in 1875. At the age of twenty she went to Paris with the intention of becoming an actress, but she soon became dissatisfied with her life in the theatre. When she landed a part in a play, she was so nervous that she didn't even know her lines. Life without acting became unbearable so she started to do makeup for others instead
Read more
This led to her becoming famous for her makeup work.
Helena Rubinstein, who is often referred to as "the world's best-known female cosmetic chemist," is acknowledged as one of the most influential businesswomen of all time. Her contributions to the cosmetics industry are still felt today. She invented many products that are still used in today's cosmetics industry, including "Mirabella," "Coal-tar" soap, and "Porcelaine." When Helena Rubinstein was fifty-eight years old, she sold her company to Procter & Gamble (P&G) for $5 million dollars.
P&G made numerous changes in her products after they bought it; however Helena Rubinstein kept her name on everything for six years until P&G had enough money from selling all over the world to buy back their own company again. Helena Rubinstein died of pneumonia at the age of sixty-three on February 21, 1950.