Estee Lauder’s Blaine operation, home base of Aveda brand, cutting 68 jobs

Estee Lauder Cos., in the midst of a large restructuring, is laying off 68 employees at a Blaine distribution and warehouse facility.

The job cuts are permanent and expected to occur between April 14 and the end of June, the company said in a required filing with the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.

Positions affected include warehouse and order processing associates, as well as other distribution jobs.

New York-based Estee Lauder owns dozens of beauty brands. It acquired the Aveda Corp. for $300 million in 1997.

Aveda was founded in Minneapolis in 1978 by the late Austrian-born hairstylist Horst Rechelbacher. Aveda is known for its plant-based hair and skin care products.

Aveda once included beauty products and a string of beauty schools. Many of the beauty institutes were independently owned. In 2019, Aveda sold its last remaining corporate-owned institutes but continued to make and distribute Aveda products from its Blaine facility.

In February 2024, Estee Lauder announced a two-year restructuring plan that included cutting 7,000 positions. In October, the company approved more cost-cutting actions.

Estee Lauder’s fiscal year ends in June. As of June 30, 2025, it had annual revenue of $14.3 billion after sales declines in four of the past six years. At that point, it had 57,000 employees, down from 62,000 the year before.

In announcing its second quarter results on Feb. 5, Stephane De La Faverie, Estee Lauder’s CEO, said part of the restructuring plan included “aligning brands, regions and functions as one team with one culture.”

According to a Bloomberg story in January, Estee Lauder was working with an independent investment banking firm on a portfolio review that could lead to the sale of some brands.

City of Blaine officials said they do not have any more details on the layoff.