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John Demsey Comes in From the Cold

A candid chat with the formerly canceled beauty executive on the state of the trade, the existential threat of the fashion conglomerates, and the future of D.T.C.

Over the summer, the former Estée Lauder Companies executive John Demsey was appointed senior advisor to L Catterton, the LVMH-linked private equity firm.
Over the summer, the former Estée Lauder Companies executive John Demsey was appointed senior advisor to L Catterton, the LVMH-linked private equity firm. Photo: Jared Siskin/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images
Lauren Sherman
October 16, 2023

In February 2022, Estée Lauder Companies executive John Demsey was fired from the beauty conglomerate after posting a derogatory meme on his personal Instagram account. It derailed his career, much of which was spent transforming the group from a beauty-counter relic into a modern holding company with “disruptive” brands including MAC (which he ran after the group acquired it in 1998), Bobbi Brown, Tom Ford, and Jo Malone.