Clinique Laboratories, llc, Mourns Founder and Former Chairman Carol Phillips

It is with great sadness that Clinique Laboratories, LLC, announces the passing of Carol Phillips, Clinique's Founder and former Chairman, at her home in North Haven, NY, this morning, after a brief illness. She was 84 years old and had retired from Clinique in 1992.

The daughter of the late Kathleen Clark Phillips, a writer, and the late Hubert Phillips, formerly the President of the Frank Parsons Paper Company, Ms. Phillips was born in Saint Paul, MN. She attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill before moving to New York City to pursue a career as a magazine editor. After a stint as the Beauty Editor of Vogue magazine, she was named Managing Editor. During this time, she became a close friend of Mrs. Estée Lauder's. One of Ms. Phillips' most famous stories, "Can Great Skin Be Created?", written with dermatologist Dr. Norman Orentreich, inspired the Lauders to invite her to help create a new line of cosmetics and skin care products. She joined the Company in 1967, and Clinique was launched in 1968.

Ms. Phillips had extraordinary instincts and consistently made decisions that made Clinique a world-renowned brand, distinct from all others. Under her direction, Clinique pioneered many important concepts that are now mainstays of the beauty industry. The first beauty brand to be based upon the beliefs and findings of a guiding dermatologist, it was also the first consumer-oriented, allergy-tested and fragrance free line ever marketed. It was also the most complete collection of skin care and makeup products ever introduced at one time.

"Carol Phillips was the epitome of sophistication, elegance and style," said Leonard A. Lauder, Chairman of The Estée Lauder Companies. "Her attention to detail was legendary - she even wrote her interoffice notes in Clinique-green ink. She brought a fresh perspective and savvy creative sense to the cosmetics industry. It is because of Carol and her vision that Clinique has become the global success it is today."

"As General Manager of Clinique from 1976 to 1983, I had the unique honor of working with Carol on a day-to-day basis," said Ronald S. Lauder, Chairman of Clinique Laboratories, Inc. "She was truly unbelievable. I experienced her enthusiasm, humor and brilliance, along with her understanding of what women wanted in cosmetics, first-hand. She had a clear and unique mind, and with her, there was no compromise. Along with Mrs. Estée Lauder, she was responsible for a great deal of what I learned about the beauty business."

Under Ms. Phillips' direction, Clinique became the first major cosmetic brand to promote daily exfoliation, sun protection to prevent premature aging, soap as an excellent facial cleanser and dermatologist-developed, allergy-tested skin care. Along with her friend, the photographer Irving Penn, Ms. Phillips decided to forego the use of models in favor of simple product visuals and helped create a unique advertising campaign that remains one of the most recognized in the world. Her original way with words gave the brand its distinctive voice.

Although Ms. Phillips retired from Clinique in 1992, her legacy continues. Thanks to her vision 38 years ago, the brand has become the best-selling cosmetics brand in the United States, as well as in many of the approximately 130 countries and territories in which it is now marketed.

In later years, Ms. Phillips became very active in her adopted village of Sag Harbor, NY, working tirelessly in support of various cultural organizations.

Ms. Phillips is survived by her sister, Lucia Haile, of Sag Harbor; her daughter, Deirdre Beirne Brown, of Croton Falls, NY; her granddaughter, Jennifer Morrell, of Loudonville, NY; and two great granddaughters. She was pre-deceased by her son, Peter Beirne, and her sister, Shirley Jolkovski, as well as by her former husband, Roger Beirne.

Burial will be private. The family has requested that contributions in memory of Ms. Phillips be made to East End Hospice, 481 Westhampton-Riverhead Road, P.O. Box 1048, Westhampton Beach, NY 11978-7048; Animal Rescue Fund of the Hamptons, Inc., Daniel's Hole Road, P.O. Box 901, Wainscott, NY 11975; or The Breast Cancer Research Foundation, 60 East 56th Street, 8th Floor, New York, NY 10022.