Estée Lauder announced that actress, writer, model, and anti-ageism activist Paulina Porizkova will return to the brand as its latest global brand ambassador. Porizkova served as a spokesmodel for Estée Lauder from 1988 to 1995, appearing in some of the brand’s most celebrated campaigns and solidifying her legacy as a beauty industry icon. The evolution of the partnership between Estée Lauder and Porizkova marks a new kind of collaboration, with a shared mission to redefine standards of beauty.
As a powerful and authentic voice leading the conversation around aging, beauty, and self-worth, Porizkova will use her influential platform to inspire and empower women around the world to recognize their value and celebrate their beauty at any age.
What was your first Estée Lauder campaign?
My first campaign was in 1988 for a fabulous perfume called Knowing. I loved the fact that it was called Knowing because I fancy myself a knowing kind of woman! We shot a black-and-white commercial with a dear friend of mine, Peter Kagan. This campaign was different. It felt a little dangerous and cutting edge at the time.
What was your favorite Estée Lauder campaign?
That is such a difficult question because I adored working with Victor Skrebneski, with whom I shot so many campaigns. He was such a gentleman, and he laughed at my really bad jokes! He was always very collaborative, and I feel like every campaign we did was my favorite. I’m really, truly proud of all of them -- I don’t think I can pick a favorite.
What was the first Estée Lauder product you fell in love with?
First it was Knowing because that was the first Estée Lauder product I ever tried. I really love that fragrance. My second would be Advanced Night Repair, or Night Repair as it used to be called. I used it when I was younger and didn’t even need it, and here I am using it still, and now I can truly see a difference.
What is your current favorite Estée Lauder product?
I am completely and utterly fangirling over the new Advanced Night Repair Overnight Treatment. It is one of the most amazing things I have ever put on my face, and it really does make you look like you got a great night’s sleep. It is mind-blowing.
How is the partnership with Estée Lauder different this time?
In my previous partnership with Estée Lauder, I was an image, a blank canvas onto which desires and aspirations could be projected. I was seen but never heard. And I was helping to sell a vision of beauty inextricably linked to youth. This time around, and because of my age, I am a mature, three-dimensional woman with opinions. My face bears wrinkles from a lifetime of experience, from smiles and tears. I am hoping to promote an image of womanhood which encompasses all of it.
What is your favorite self-indulgence?
I love to read and feel incredibly indulgent when I read. I also love great food and travel. These are luxuries, and I can now appreciate what a privilege it is to be able to have access to them. I’m extremely grateful.
What is the best piece of advice you ever received?
After I went through a very difficult time in my life, I started reading a lot of self-help books. There was a line in one of the books that said, ‘nothing lasts,’ which really resonated. I’m well aware that the good doesn’t always last, so hold on tightly to it; but it also means that the bad doesn’t last either, which is comforting in those challenging moments.
What are you most excited about for the future?
What I'm most excited about in the future is literally the future! The fact that I have one, the knowledge that I will wake up tomorrow and there will be another day -- good or bad -- is tremendously exciting.
Estée Lauder is the flagship brand of The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. Founded by Estée Lauder, one of the world’s first female entrepreneurs, the brand continues her legacy of creating the most innovative, sophisticated, high-performance skincare and makeup products and iconic fragrances – all infused with a deep understanding of women’s needs and desires. Today, Estée Lauder engages with consumers in over 150 countries and at dozens of touch points – from in-store to digital. Each of these relationships consistently reflects Estée’s powerful and authentic point of view.
Porizkova will endorse skincare and makeup products that authentically align with her pro-aging values, while driving conversation and fostering community around the topics she is most passionate about.
Porizkova says, “Over the last 30 years, I have become a woman who has a voice, strong opinions, and an even stronger sense of self. Estée Lauder approached me to work with them again not despite these values but because of them. Unlike the first time around, this is more than a job. It’s my purpose. It’s an opportunity to be exactly who I am, to speak only about products I genuinely love and believe in, and to show women around the world that with age comes power and possibility. This is about more than representation. It’s about being seen and celebrated.”