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Helena Rubinstein

Born in Krakow, Poland in 1870, 32-year-old Helena Rubinstein, who had studied medicine and dermatology, emigrated to Australia where she opened her first shop – selling imported products – in Melbourne. By 1908, she was developing and specialising in skin-care products, and had set up the Maison de Beauté in London, with another in Paris two years later. By 1917, she had established beauty salons throughout the United States, and was distributing her increasingly popular products to wealthy women throughout the world.

Rubinstein, who died in 1965, pioneered the idea of cosmetics that worked on a scientific and health-promoting basis, and popularised the idea of the beauty salon as a health spa. Her establishments offered a bizarre array of treatments aimed at improving the look and shape of the body, while her waterproof mascara remains one of her most popular creations.

The author of many ground-breaking books on beauty, Rubinstein, an astute businesswoman, did much to further the cause of female independence. She put her personal fortune – thought to be around $100,000,000 – to philanthropical use by setting up the Helena Rubinstein Foundation, dedicated to the preservation and promotion of the arts and the welfare of the poor.

Max Factor | Elizabeth Arden