POWER OF ATTORNEY

Know all by these presents, that the undersigned
Hereby constitutes and appoints each of
Sara E. Moss, Spencer G. Smul, Robin S. Elkowitz,
and Kerrian Thomas,
signing singly, the undersigned's true and lawful
attorney-in-fact to:

(1)execute for and on behalf of the undersigned,
in the undersigned's capacity as an officer and/or
director of The Estee Lauder Companies Inc. (the "Company")
or as a stockholder of the Company or as a trustee of a
stockholder of the Company, Forms 3, 4, and 5 in accordance
with Section 16(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
and the rules thereunder;

(2)do and perform any and all acts for and on behalf
of the undersigned which may be necessary or
desirable to complete and execute any such Form 3, 4,
or 5, complete and execute any amendment or amendments
thereto, and timely file such form with the United States
Securities and Exchange Commission and any stock exchange
or similar authority; and

(3)take any other action of any type whatsoever in connection
with the foregoing which, in the opinion of such attorney-in-fact,
may be of benefit to, in the best interest of,
or legally required by, the undersigned, it being
understood that the documents executed by such attorney-in-fact
on behalf of the undersigned pursuant to this Power of
Attorney shall be in such form and shall contain such
terms and conditions as such attorney-in-fact may
approve in such attorney-in-fact's discretion.

The undersigned hereby grants to each such attorney-in-fact
full power and authority to do and perform any and every act
and thing whatsoever requisite, necessary, or
proper to be done in the exercise of any of the rights
and powers herein granted, as fully to all intents
and purposes as the undersigned might or could do if
personally present, with full power of substitution
or revocation, hereby ratifying and confirming
all that such attorney-in-fact, or such
attorney-in-fact's substitute or substitutes,
shall lawfully do or cause to be done by virtue
of this Power of Attorney and the rights and
powers herein granted.  The undersigned
acknowledges that the foregoing attorneys-in-fact,
in serving in such capacity at the request
of the undersigned, are not assuming, nor is
the Company assuming, any of the undersigned's
responsibilities to comply with, or liabilities
that may arise under, Section 16 of
the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

This Power of Attorney shall remain in full force
and effect until the undersigned is no longer required
to file Forms 3, 4, and 5 with respect to the
undersigned's holdings of and transactions in
securities issued by the Company, unless earlier
revoked by the undersigned in a signed writing
delivered to the foregoing attorneys-in-fact.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the undersigned has caused
this Power of Attorney to be
executed as of this 13 day of July, 2004.


/s/Barry Sternlicht
Barry Sternlicht