Must Know
(1872-1965)
A cosmetics manufacturer born in Kraków in Austrian-ruled Poland. She immigrated to Australia in 1896, where she began selling cosmetic products to women. A few years later, she started one of the first cosmetics companies in the world. She moved to London and from there to Paris, where she established a financial empire based on her products. In 1928, she sold her American business to Lehman Brothers for $7.3 million. After the start of the Great Depression, she bought back her shares for less than $1 million, providing additional proof of her business acumen.
