HBR On Leadership
HBR On Leadership
Harvard Business Review
Helena Rubinstein: A Pioneer of the Modern Beauty Industry
23 minutes Posted Mar 12, 2025 at 11:02 am.
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In the early 20th century, Helena Rubinstein defied gender, class, and cultural expectations to become one of the first pioneers of the modern beauty industry. Today, her namesake luxury cosmetics brand is worth more than $1 billion. Harvard Business School professor Geoff Jones wrote a case study about the visionary leader. He explored her journey—and the lasting impact she made on global beauty standards—on Cold Call in 2019 with host Brian Kenny.