This name has cropped up before.

Correct! It would be tricky to write these brief histories each week without including Mrs Lauder in there somewhere. She is the eponymous leader of the pack, the captain of the mothership. But of course, it wasn't always like that. Everyone had to start somewhere.

Go on then. Give us the history bit...

Josephine Esther Mentzer was born at the beginning of the 20th century in New York City. The name Estée came from a variant spelling of her nickname, Esty, and Lauder from Joseph Lauder whom she married in 1930 and later went into business with. Estée Lauder the brand was launched in 1946 with just four skincare products that were sold round the local salons and hotels. Just two years later, she secured her first counter at Saks Fifth Avenue department store in New York. Estée Lauder the brand grew and grew, as did the business, Estée Lauder Companies, now a huge empire of beauty, owning 25 major brands and reaching 150 countries. Big names coming under the Estée Lauder Co. wing include Bobbi Brown, MAC, Jo Malone, Clinique, Creme de la Mer, Tom Ford and Origins. Mrs Estée Lauder passed away in 2004 at the handsome age of 97 and the company still very much has the Lauder blood running through it: her son, Leonard, took over at the helm, grandson William is the executive chairman and two granddaughters also hold senior positions.