Funeral services will be held in New York on Sunday for Dr. Jack Mausner, formerly senior vice president of research and development for Chanel in New York. He died on Sept. 21, at his home after a very long illness. He was 84.
Born in 1930 in Lwów, Poland, Mausner was a Holocaust survivor who escaped from the Lwów ghetto during World War II. According to his widow, Dr. Irena Mausner, Mausner loved music and was a child prodigy on the piano in Poland, where he gave recitals on the radio at the age of 5. “The Nazi invasion changed his life’s direction, which he remembered with deep regret,” she said.
He started his career in England, as a chemist at Monsanto and then Dupont, after having received his Ph.D. at University College London. According to his widow, he then met Madame Helena Rubinstein, who persuaded him to join her company, where he worked for 10 years in the U.K. before coming to the U.S. to become worldwide head of cosmetic research and development. “During that time, he obtained over 40 patents with many very original innovations,” said Irena Mausner. After the sale of Helena Rubinstein in 1981, he joined Chanel as senior vice president of research and development, responsible for product development. He remained there until he retired in 2000. “Jack was on the forefront of combining science and beauty,” said Carlotta Jacobson, president of Cosmetics Executive Women. “He created many breakthrough products while at Chanel. Recognizing his keen intellect and knowledge, Chanel made him a spokesperson for the company.”
Added Irena Mausner, “He remained devoted to music and the world of politics and basked in the love of his family.”
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He is survived by his wife; two children, Ian and Nicole, and four grandchildren, Oliver, Samantha, Sofia and Charlotte.
Services will be held at 10:30 a.m. at Frank E. Campbell, 1076 Madison Ave., Manhattan.