Considered a “tough girl”, Helena Rubinstein was self-made. “I love hard work, it removes wrinkles from the soul and spirit,” he saidand lived a life that reads like a novel. Aided by great business acumen, she created an empire from nothing. She understood the beauty business and to make her creations desirable she was a forerunner of the concept of marketing and the involvement of celebrities to attract attention. Scientific rigor had to be at the service of beauty. A rule that, more than 120 years after its foundation, remains the foundation of the brand.
The Lady of Krakow and the first face cream
Born in Krakow on December 25, 1872, Helena Rubinstein’s given name was Chaia. The eldest of eight daughters, he lived in a rigid and affectionate family environment at the same time, between the rigor of his father’s education and the more welcoming and gentle approach of his mother, convinced that beauty and love were the only forces capable of changing the world. Gifted with great intelligence, she helped her father keep the accounts while he studied medicine. After completing her studies, she betrayed her father’s expectations and refused an arranged marriage with a man she didn’t love. He rebelled against imposition and convention, and decided to make a drastic change.
He packed his bags and left for Australia, taking with him a suitcase full of dreams, but not empty-handed, because it also had 12 jars of a face cream created by the mother. Guest of her uncles who had a general store in those lands, she began working as a sales assistant without giving in to discouragement, because upon leaving the family warned her: “In Australia there are only sheep”.
He held firm, changed his name and identified this mammal as the main ingredient of Valazethe first Helena Rubinstein face cream with a repairing effect that she launched in 1902and which promised porcelain skin like hers. The key ingredient was lanolinthe protective and emollient wax produced by the sheep’s sebaceous glands that accumulates on the coat, with an acrid smell, which she cleverly disguised with lavender extract, pine bark and flowers.
The first beauty guru
The first skincare treatment became a success also because Helena Rubinstein managed to make it increasingly known thanks to the initiatives of marketingthey were just in their infancy at the time. He availed himself of the support of actresses and singers to promote his creamwho considered the ideal promoters, equivalent to their contemporaries celebrities&influencers. He also began mail order sales and published advertisements in newspapers because advertising, as we know, is the soul of commerce.
She was famous for giving beauty adviceteaching women how important it is to take care of your body to have beautiful skin. From her point of view, she offered women the power to manage and enhance their beauty using her cosmetics. Teasing them to take care of themselves with a phrase that went down in history: “There are no ugly women, only lazy women”, he said. Her clients were never satisfied with her advice and suggestions to make their skincare routine effective. Thus it became a real one beauty guru.
Science at the center of his creations
He involved doctors and scientists in his laboratories who helped him formulate increasingly sophisticated and cutting-edge treatments. In 1907 he developed cellular electro-stimulation to “awaken” the complexiona machine equipped with electrodes that conveyed energy. She began to explain to Australian women that glowing, healthy skin is a reflection of health, and that not all skin is the same. For this reason it was essential to hydrate her, protect her from the sun and wind and take care of the quality of her sleep.
In 1910 he introduced the concept of diversified face cream, to meet the needs of different skin types. This is a fundamental step in the world of cosmetics, because it was she who introduced the first classifications of skin types: normal, dry and oily. It was the beginning of cosmetic customization.
Conquering the world
The fame of Helena Rubinstein’s creams grew quickly and, after opening a shop in Melbourne, she decided to leave for Europe with a suitcase. This time too full of bold dreams. He continued to move with ease from one part of the planet to another.
In Paris, in 1912 he founded the first beauty institute offering services, products and expert advice, which will also open to London and New York. In the French capital he not only dedicated himself to business, but also managed to find time to nourish his passion for beauty by dedicating himself to art. Which he not only admired but also loved to wear, thanks to the touch of tailors who made the history of fashion such as Christian Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, Paul Poiret and Coco Chanel.
Iconic products by Helena Rubinstein
He introduced small and large cosmetic revolutions: the first waterproof mascara in 1939, the first pure vitamin C treatment, in 1979 his treatments began to be talked about anti-aging cosmetic specialities with the introduction of native cells in a cosmetic to strengthen the skin tissue, e in 1995 he developed the first self-tanner.
Madame was a hotbed of initiatives, discoveries, innovations. He often remembered that beauty should be a good within everyone’s reach, and a way to emancipate women of all social classes and backgrounds. He not only opened beauty centers, but also schools for the training of professionals working in skin care institutes.
Helena Rubinstein has always counted on the best scientists of every era with the aim of creating preparations capable of standing out for the innovative technologies available. «Beauty is nothing without science» was his mantra, still very relevant today because it distinguishes the performance of a skin care treatment that works.
Today there are three icons skincare that distinguish Helena Rubinstein products: Replasty Age Recovery Nightthe first bandage effect night cream with the highest concentration of Pro-Xylaneanti-aging molecule patented by L’Oréal Research Laboratories, Powercell Skinmunit Youth Reinforcing Serumthe first serum to be enriched with native plant cells and Prodigy Cellgow Deep Renewing Concentratea formula inspired by studies on cellular reprogramming.
The spirit avant-garde and the centrality of science in cosmetic formulations continue to characterize the skin care products that bear his name, now owned by the group L’Oréal. The poet and playwright Jean Conteau called her “the empress of beauty”. She married twice, and died in New York in 1965, a true emancipated cosmopolitan who had managed to realize her dreams. Bold, yes, but based on solid scientific foundations.
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Source: Vanity Fair
I’m Susan Karen, a professional writer and editor at World Stock Market. I specialize in Entertainment news, writing stories that keep readers informed on all the latest developments in the industry. With over five years of experience in creating engaging content and copywriting for various media outlets, I have grown to become an invaluable asset to any team.
