UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549
FORM 3
INITIAL STATEMENT OF BENEFICIAL OWNERSHIP OF SECURITIES
1. Name and Address of Reporting Person
   Gedeon, Harvey
   c/o: The Estee Lauder Companies Inc.
   125 Pinelawn Road
   Melville, NY  11747-3135
2. Date of Event Requiring Statement (Month/Day/Year)
   01/01/2000
3. IRS or Social Security Number of Reporting Person (Voluntary)

4. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol
   The Estee Lauder Companies Inc.
   EL
5. Relationship of Reporting Person(s) to Issuer (Check all applicable)
   ( ) Director  ( ) 10% Owner  (X) Officer (give title below) ( ) Other
   (specify below)
   Senior Vice President - Research and Development
6. If Amendment, Date of Original (Month/Day/Year)

7. Individual or Joint/Group Filing (Check Applicable Line)
   (X) Form filed by One Reporting Person
   ( ) Form filed by More than One Reporting Person


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 Table I -- Non-Derivative Securities Beneficially Owned                                                                           |
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1. Title of Security                       |2. Amount of          |3. Ownership    |4. Nature of Indirect                          |
                                           |   Securities         |   Form:        |   Beneficial Ownership                        |
                                           |   Beneficially       |   Direct(D) or |                                               |
                                           |   Owned              |   Indirect(I)  |                                               |
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Class A Common Stock                       |None                  |                |                                               |
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 Table II -- Derivative Securitites Beneficially Owned                                                                             |
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1.Title of Derivative   |2.Date Exer-       |3.Title and Amount     |         |4. Conver-|5. Owner-    |6. Nature of Indirect      |
  Security              |  cisable and      |  of Underlying        |         |sion or   |ship         |   Beneficial Ownership    |
                        |  Expiration       |  Securities           |         |exercise  |Form of      |                           |
                        |  Date(Month/      |-----------------------|---------|price of  |Deriv-       |                           |
                        |  Day/Year)        |                       |Amount   |deri-     |ative        |                           |
                        | Date    | Expira- |                       |or       |vative    |Security:    |                           |
                        | Exer-   | tion    |         Title         |Number of|Security  |Direct(D) or |                           |
                        | cisable | Date    |                       |Shares   |          |Indirect(I)  |                           |
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________|
                                                                                  
Option (Right to Buy)   |(1)      |1/1/2009 |Class A Common Stock   |100,000  |$45.875   |D            |                           |
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Explanation of Responses:
1. Options granted pursuant to the 1999 Share Incentive Plan in respect of
33,000 shares exercisable from and after January 1, 2002; 33,000 shares
exercisable from and after January 1, 2003; 34,000 shares exercisable from and
after January 1, 2004.
SIGNATURE OF REPORTING PERSON
Harvey Gedeon
DATE
01/05/2000