Her father was a Jewish grocer. Chaya was the eldest of eight daughters. At the age of 18, she began studying medicine, but quit shortly after. Chaya then traveled to Australia, where she found employment with her uncle. Due to her milky complexion, local women were eager to buy the creams she was peddling. At first, she imported the creams, but later began making them herself using locally-sourced ingredients. In 1899, Rubinstein opened her first beauty salon in Melbourne.
Rubinstein later left the business in the hands of her sisters while she traveled to Paris to study under a well-known dermatologist. In 1907, she married a Polish journalist and had two sons. During that time, Rubinstein established two more beauty salons in London (1908) and Paris (1912).
In 1914, the family emigrated to the US. After one year, Rubinstein opened a shop there with imported care products. It was in America that she began to develop her own cosmetics line under the brand “Helena Rubinstein.” In 1928, the successful businesswoman sold two-thirds of her company to Lehman Brothers, but she was able to buy back...
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