Plot Summary

An insightful documentary on the development of the cosmetic industry and its social consequences. One of the most profound and far-reaching social changes of the twentieth century was the enfranchisement and liberation of women. This, in turn, removed the stigma that only fallen women adorned themselves with cosmetics. Beauty became a multinational billion-dollar business. The Beauty Queens looks at this huge industry and its power for social change, focusing on the lives and achievements of three exceptional women who helped shape its development: Helena Rubinstein, Elizabeth Arden and Estée Lauder.