Rachel Painter is the Vice President of Makeup Research & Development at the Estée Lauder Companies. She is responsible for leading total Makeup Innovation as well as heading up Estée Lauder Brand and Tom Ford Formulation and enabling MAC. Through this role, she continually raises the bar on delivering consumer-inspired breakthrough technologies and leveraging creativity-driven new products to drive growth in both established and emerging brands.
Throughout her 25 years with the Estée Lauder Companies, Ms. Painter has gained leadership experience across many different areas of the business. She started her career as an Analytical Chemist in Quality where she gained a deep knowledge of the quality and chemistry of cosmetic materials and products. Ms. Painter then went into Formulation, where she developed and patented several new breakthrough technologies which were launched across multitude of brands. One of her most notable inventions was the creation of the first ever Cushion Compact product in the cosmetic industry. Ms. Painter further deepened her exposure to the industry as Director of Product Development for La Mer and Jo Malone. Through this role, she led the development of high tech skincare, fragrance, bath and body, and ancillary products. Ms. Painter then went on to lead Estée Lauder Brand, Origins, La Mer, Bobbi Brown, and Aerin Lauder R&D Makeup Formulation. During this time, her passion for leading and developing high performance technical teams flourished.
In 2014, Ms. Painter took on the responsibilities of VP and Site Leader of the Estée Lauder Canadian Innovation Centre. Through this assignment, Ms. Painter had the opportunity to move to Canada with her family to gain international leadership experience and lead a passionate and talented cross functional R&D team. In addition, Ms. Painter was responsible for leading MAC Formulation. Her love and passion for the Canadian Innovation Centre helped her grow the scope and talents of the team, foster the entrepreneurial spirit of the site, and prepare the teams to continually evolve with today’s fast changing, dynamic landscape. Ever since she was a young girl, Ms. Painter’s vision of a dream job was one that would combine her love of science with her passion for art and creativity. Fortunately for her, that dream became a reality for her the day she decided to answer a newspaper ad for a position in the Analytical Lab at Estée Lauder Companies. Her love for the industry has never stopped growing from there.
