NYT: Billion-dollar beauty brand heir scales back political donations

Ronald Lauder, heir to the multibillion-dollar beauty giant Estée Lauder and a long-time Republican donor, has sharply scaled back his political spending during the current US election cycle.

The billionaire has reportedly “closed his wallet” this year, donating “not a dollar” to Republican candidates and causes in his home state of New York, according to a report by The New York Times.

A super PAC, a type of political action committee that Lauder has supported for years to promote Republican candidates and causes, has also become inactive. The billionaire has additionally disbanded his team of political advisers, advertising specialists and other consultants.

Lauder has spent more than $40 million on politics over the past decade. In March 2025, he donated $5 million to a super PAC aligned with US President Donald Trump’s MAGA movement and another $1 million to a campaign opposing Democrat Zohran Mamdani’s bid for mayor of New York City, which Mamdani ultimately won.

However, Lauder’s political contributions have reportedly come to a halt since the beginning of this year.

According to The New York Times, Lauder’s adult children urged him to reduce his spending on politics, art and philanthropy amid difficulties facing the family business. His stake in Estée Lauder has lost at least $1.2 billion in market value, the newspaper reported.

In a statement to the newspaper, Lauder said he had spent many years working for the benefit of New York and intended to continue devoting his time and energy to “advancing democracy.”

The Estée Lauder Companies is the world’s second-largest cosmetics company after France’s L’Oréal. Its extensive portfolio across different product segments includes brands such as Clinique, Bobbi Brown, Jo Malone, Kilian, MAC, La Mer and its namesake Estée Lauder brand.

By Nazrin Sadigova