JOIN US IN 2023
Committed to ensuring every brand makes the connections they need to accelerate their growth, Beauty Connect is the place to build connections, formulate partnerships, and develop lasting relationships with industry players from across the supply chain.
With more opportunities than ever to connect, Beauty Connect brought together multiple brand workshops, private and public pitching opportunities, intimate roundtables focused on industry challenges, and pre-scheduled 1-2-1 meetings; all running alongside main-stage content.
Join us in 2024 and expect to:
- Foster partnerships with the future investors of your brand or the future brands of your portfolio
- Position yourself for a successful strategic partnership with beauty conglomerates
- Scale your brand while maintaining talent, brand values and driving inclusivity and diversity practices at every touchpoint
- Make meaningful retailer connections and gain confidence in your distribution strategy
- Meet and rise above the demands of the conscious consumer by engaging with industry-leading vendors and sustainability experts
THANK YOU TO OUR ADVISORY BOARD
Ju Rhyu
Carla Ruiz
Nyakio Grieco
Alicia Sontag
Ranked one of Beauty's 50 Most Powerful Women by WWD (2015), and two-time honor of Fortune Most Powerful Women conference (2015/2016), Alicia is a Co-Founder and Partner at Prelude Growth Partners. Prelude Growth Partners is a New York City based growth equity firm focused on providing capital and value-added operatingsupport to high potential, fast-growing consumer brands. Prelude seeks to make investments of $3million to $15 million in each company, across branded consumer categories including personalcare/beauty, food & beverage, baby, pet, health & wellness and other consumer categories.
Rich Gersten
Rich has spent the last 30 years investing and building great consumer brands at top private equity firms including Tengram Capital Partners, L Catterton, and North Castle Partners. Rich spent the last 9 years dedicated specifically to investing in the beauty industry, where he developed an extensive network of relationships that sourced many emerging growth brands with very limited access to institutional capital. Realizing the significant opportunity to address this underserved area of the market in beauty, Rich founded True Beauty Ventures.
Rich received a BS in Economics from Union College (N.Y.) and an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
Nicola Kilner
Conor Begley
Conor Begley is the Co-founder Tribe Dynamics and Chief Strategy Officer at CreatorIQ. In September 2021, Tribe Dynamics was acquired by CreatorIQ to create the leading influencer marketing platform for the creator economy, bringing together influencer performance management and analytics solutions to help brands and businesses. Conor has been named one of the 100 Most Influential People in Influencer Marketing by Influence Weekly, and was recognized as one of the 100 Leaders of Tomorrow by St. Gallen’s Symposium.
INDIE BRAND SPOTLIGHT
Introducing our 2023 Indie Brand Spotlight Finalists!
Bringing you 10 of the most promising indie brands from across the beauty, wellness, and personal care space.
2023 INDUSTRY SPEAKERS
Akshay Talati
Akshay Talati, a pharmacist, is an expert in cosmetic research and innovation, having championed hundreds of successful products at 22 multinational and indie brands at Estee Lauder, Unilever and L'Oreal over his 30 years career.
Currently, as head of product development for Goop, a trending wellness and lifestyle brand, he leads expansion by launching a new brand for mass retail channels as well as growing beyond skincare into several other product categories in makeup, haircare, and wellness essentials.
He also serves as Vice President on the board of the Society of Cosmetic Chemists, is an executive advisor, speaker, and writer for several trade shows and publications, co-founded Skindie™, and actively engages in mentoring professionals seeking guidance in the beauty industry.
Alisa Carmichael
Amy Elisa Jackson
Amy Elisa Jackson has worked in a variety of industries, but no matter the role, she is a storyteller first. She is currently the VP of Global Marketing for PATTERN Beauty by Tracee Ellis Ross. Amy Elisa leads the management, development and implementation of operational and product marketing strategies, creative campaigns, retail expansion and innovation for the award-winning haircare brand dedicated to exceed the beauty needs of the curly, coily & tight-texture community.
In previous roles at tech companies like Glassdoor and Facebook, to publishers including People Magazine, EBONY and MSN, she has overseen global editorial content and integrated marketing strategies. She has developed content for brands across lifestyle, digital, culture and news brands, and has interviewed celebrities, policy makers and top executives across the platforms of podcast, digital media, television, and print.
Amy Elisa earned her Bachelors of Arts degree in Communications & Middle Eastern Studies from Stanford University. She lives in Los Angeles with her Chihuahua rescue dog, Shug Avery.
Angela Caglia
A master esthetician of 28 years, Angela Caglia has spent more than 30,000 hours practicing and perfecting her craft. Trained by skincare experts in France and guided by her robust knowledge of natural ingredients learned from her childhood spent on a California farm, her unique approach to skincare is grounded in biocompatible treatments that protect the skin barrier.
Formulated without synthetic or harsh ingredients of any kind, her products and practice focus on nourishing and strengthening the lipid barrier to offer better aging support for the skin. Working with leading scientists, Angela Caglia products marry naturally-occurring ingredients with cutting-edge skincare technology to deliver transformational results—all without sensitizing the skin.
Anna Graham
Aurelian Lis
Beatrice Dixon
Brandon Ford
Brandon L. Ford, Chief Accelerator Director of the Lubrizol Life Science Accelerator Program, brings his entrepreneurial mindset, passion for learning and curiosity toward life to his role operating a startup within the walls of a 90-year-old company. Brandon is a nurse and attorney with a BSN from Case Western Reserve University and JD /MBA from The University of Akron.
For the past four years, Brandon has led the Accelerator, a program that leverages Lubrizol technology, manufacturing and beauty and home care science expertise to provide market-ready solutions, brand development, and quick innovation. Hundreds of entrepreneurs have benefitted from his charismatic leadership to launch and develop their beauty and home care brands. The Accelerator has launched over 100 products globally. Brandon currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio with his wife and two sons.
Brian Grady
Brook Harvey-Taylor
Caldon Henson
Carolyn Cipolla
Celeste Hilling
Chanaan Thomas
Chelsea Riggs
Chisom A’Marie
Conor Begley
Conor Begley is the Co-founder Tribe Dynamics and Chief Strategy Officer at CreatorIQ. In September 2021, Tribe Dynamics was acquired by CreatorIQ to create the leading influencer marketing platform for the creator economy, bringing together influencer performance management and analytics solutions to help brands and businesses. Conor has been named one of the 100 Most Influential People in Influencer Marketing by Influence Weekly, and was recognized as one of the 100 Leaders of Tomorrow by St. Gallen’s Symposium.
Courtney Armstrong
Cristina Nuñez
Daniel Hodgdon
Darryl Thompson
Dave Smith
David Baker
David Gaylord
David Yi
Emily Perez
Ilya Seglin
Jana Bobosikova
Jana Wright
Jana Wright is a partner with Moss Adams, LLP where she has practiced public accounting since 2007. She provides assurance and consulting services to clients in the beauty and fashion industries. Jana’s specific experience includes managing audit and review engagements, acquisition accounting, cash flow projection preparation, and evaluating internal control and financial reporting processes. Her key to success is building strong, long-lasting client relationships. Jana is actively involved in the firm’s mentor program and is the firm’s lead recruiter for California State University, Long Beach. She is also a leader in Moss Adams’ Forum W initiative. Jana was nominated for CalCPA’s Emerging Leader Award in both 2018 and 2020.
Jenn Harper
Jenna Galardi
Jenna Galardi has over a decade of experience helping businesses grow online. Whether the business is a startup or a Fortune 100 company, they rely on Jenna’s expertise as a growth accelerator. From award-winning website design and development to inbound marketing tactics of search-engine-optimization, content creation, pay-per-click, email marketing, social media and influencer marketing - she loves connecting businesses to the right customers online.
In her current role as Director of Omnichannel Growth, she leads the consultation arm and Omnichannel Certified Agency Program at Feedonomics. Focusing on helping merchants strengthen their online presence and adopt social commerce, marketplaces, and product feed optimization solutions to scale their growth. Jenna is proud to be a strategic resource to her customers and partners.
Joel Palix
Jordan Friedlander
Ju Rhyu
Kara Posner
Kimberly Shenk
Kinta Gates
Krystal McNear
Krystal is a distinguished and forward-thinking marketing executive who brings more than ten years of extensive experience driving brand elevation and robust strategies positioning the organization as an industry leader in a highly competitive landscape. She was recognized as a “Top 40 Under 40 Emerging Leader” within the Home Furnishing industry and featured in the Home Furnishing Magazine in April of 2017. Krystal develops and drives powerful digital marketing campaigns and operational plans aligned with the enterprise objectives delivering extraordinary measurable results to move the organization forward. She oversees multi-million-dollar budgets ensuring margin growth and cost control.
Laura Demuth
Lauren Bowker
Lauren Bowker is widely regarded as one of the greatest thinkers and innovators in beauty of our time. As a Material Alchemist Lauren founded the T H E U N S E E N in 2014, with the curiosity to explore and the ambition of applying material science to improve lives. Since then, she has taken her revolutionary transformative compounds to the epicentre of fashion, industry, and society, collaborating with a variety of high-profile global brands and organisations from Virgin Galactic to the NHS. Her work has been exhibited worldwide and has inspired material innovation and user experience in the automotive, aeronautics, technology, healthcare, retail, fashion, textiles, and beauty sectors.
In February 2017, Lauren released F I R E, the world’s first colour-changing hair dye that responds to the environment, receiving more than 80m views online in the hours after its unveiling, and in 2021 launched T H E U N S E E N Beauty with the vision of becoming the forefront of intelligent beauty by offering true innovation in the beauty industry.
Lauren is an ambassador for STEM, a spokes person for climate activitsm for the UN and on the board of The British Beauty Council, helping to bring about transformation and innovation in the beauty industry. As T H E U N S E E N, Lauren is a curious person that sets out to explore the unseen.
Lizbeth Zuniga
Lizbeth Zuniga, the Founder and CEO of Acquire Beauty, brings her profound expertise to the beauty industry. She is recognized for her leadership in end-to-end supply chain operations consulting. With over 15 years in the Beauty Industry, Lizbeth is an expert in spearheading transformative business initiatives. Before establishing Acquire Beauty, Lizbeth played a pivotal role in the Consumer Goods industry, where she excelled in acquisitions, brand expansions, and system implementations. Her insights and dedication have earned her a reputation as a trusted authority in supply chain excellence for beauty brands.
Lizbeth holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial & Systems Engineering from Rutgers University. She spends her time living between NJ and Peru with her dog Lina. In her spare time, she enjoys travelling and volunteering with Fuller Center and Habitat for Humanity International.
Lonya Sherief
Luc-Henry Rousselle
Based in the US, Luc-Henry is a Managing Director on DC Advisory’s Consumer, Leisure and Retail team, specializing in Beauty & Personal Care.
Luc-Henry’s previous investment banking experience includes advisory roles at Lehman Brothers, Barclays and Moelis & Company in London and New York. Luc-Henry’s operating experience consists of five years at the Estée Lauder Companies where he held leadership roles in the corporate development team and at MAC Cosmetics.
Luc-Henry received his M.Sc. in Management from ESCP Business School with a Major in Finance. He is fluent in English, French and Spanish.
Maria Contino
Marissa Alkhazov
Marissa Alkhazov is the Northwest Chair of Buchalter’s Product Liability Practice Group. Her clients include small businesses, Fortune 500 companies, emerging businesses, manufacturers, distributors, retail and media leaders in the cosmetic, wellness and beauty industry. Marissa assists beauty and wellness companies navigate complex regulatory schemes, including state and local consumer related regulations on toxic substances or ‘clean beauty’ statutes, FDA regulations and compliance, and is a thought leader on the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act of 2022 (“MoCRA”).
Marissa immerses herself in her clients’ business environment to clarify goals, and is a highly effective negotiator with regulatory agencies, such as the FDA and Consumer Product Safety Commission. Manufacturers and distributors value her risk assessment and preventive advice on regulatory compliance, particularly on labels and safety warnings. Marissa’s clients value her vast experience with mass torts defense, consumer protection claims, chemical law and toxic tort exposure to PFAS, benzene, silica, talc, asbestos and more. When counseling clients on new regulations and compliance mechanisms, Marissa anticipates regulatory hurdles and seeks practical solutions to clients’ compliance obligations across the lifecycle of a product.
Mary Berry
Mathieu Joubert
Melissa Butler
Michele Miyakawa
Michelle Yip
Michelle Yip is the Business Development Specialist for Sederma at Croda Inc and has over 5 years of experience in the Beauty Industry. She has a diverse background having roles in Marketing, Synthesis Development, and Sales. Along with ACS accreditation, she pursued a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from Stevens Institute of Technology. She furthered her studies by obtaining a Master of Science degree in Chemistry, with a concentration in Biomedicinal Chemistry from Stevens Institute of Technology. At Croda, she collaborates with the sales team in the West Coast and Midwest regions to foster innovation and drive successful projects with key customers. She has a passion for working with indie brands and sharing her expertise to help them grow and navigate the ever-evolving beauty landscape.
In addition, she loves to volunteer at local schools for STEM outreach to promote and inspire interest in STEM disciplines. In her spare time, she enjoys performing in community theater, hiking, and finding the newest, trendy foodie spots!
Mimi Ghosh
Muffy Clince
Neha Singh
Neha Singh is the Founder and CEO of Obsess, an experiential e-commerce platform enabling brands and retailers to create immersive 3D virtual stores. She was previously the head of product at Vogue, where she was responsible for the company’s digital business. Neha began her career at Google, where she was a software engineer and tech lead. She holds an Undergraduate Degree from The University of Texas at Austin and a Graduate Degree from MIT. In working with brands and retailers in her previous roles, Neha noticed that they were having a hard time translating the visual, interactive, sticky experience of physical stores into digital environments. Obsess was created to bridge the gap between consumer engagement and digital commerce—all in a highly branded, elevated way.
Noah Rosenblatt
Nyakio Grieco
Patrick O'Keefe
Presca Ahn
Presca Ahn, Investment Director, BOLD – Business Opportunities for L’Oréal Development
As a global investment director at BOLD, the venture fund of L’Oréal, Presca oversees the fund’s brand & technology investments worldwide. Prior to joining BOLD, Presca was a private equity investor at Five Arrows Principal Investments following three years as an investment banker at Rothschild & Co in Paris. In her earlier career, she was an operator in the art market, notably representing artists & artist estates at an international gallery and serving as CEO of a major contemporary art museum in Beijing. Presca holds a BA from Yale College; an MSc from the London School of Economics, where she was a Fulbright Scholar; and an MBA from INSEAD.
Rich Gersten
Rich has spent the last 30 years investing and building great consumer brands at top private equity firms including Tengram Capital Partners, L Catterton, and North Castle Partners. Rich spent the last 9 years dedicated specifically to investing in the beauty industry, where he developed an extensive network of relationships that sourced many emerging growth brands with very limited access to institutional capital. Realizing the significant opportunity to address this underserved area of the market in beauty, Rich founded True Beauty Ventures.
Rich received a BS in Economics from Union College (N.Y.) and an MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
Richard Kestenbaum
Richard is a co-founder and Partner of Triangle Capital and has been an investment banker for over 35 years. Richard has a great deal of experience advising clients in merchandising businesses, particularly in the Retail & Consumer sector. Richard is an often-quoted expert on the retail and merchandising industries. He is a Contributor to Forbes.com where he writes a regular blog about trends in retail and consumer product businesses. He also appears regularly in print and other media as well as industry panels and speaking programs.
Before co-founding Triangle, Richard was a Managing Director at a boutique investment banking firm called Financo, Inc. While at Financo, Richard was responsible for a majority of the firm’s apparel industry transactions. Prior to joining Financo, Richard was a Partner and First Vice President at Drexel Burnham Lambert Inc. At Drexel, Richard was responsible for a group of 14 professionals doing middle-market mergers and acquisitions around the world.
Richard is the co-author of three books on finance and computer programming. He is formerly an Adjunct Assistant Professor of International Business at the graduate program of the Stern School of Business at York University.
Richard received a BS in Accounting from New York University and an MBA with a concentration in Finance from Harvard University. Richard is married and lives in New York.
Click here to read Richard’s blog and follow him on Forbes.com.
Romain Gaillard
Ron Robinson
Samantha Kimmel
Sasha Radic
Sheena Zadeh-Daly
Sid Mikhail
Sonia Summers
Shielded Beauty Founder & CEO Sonia Summers began her career working in-house for global powerhouses like Avon, where her team won WWD’s highly coveted “Best Executed Brand Launch” award in 2014. In 2015 she launched Beauty Barrage, an outsourced sales management agency complete with a highly successful and modern field team – helping to create signature experiences and a “human touch” at retail. Beauty Barrage represents an impressive portfolio of brands including: L’Oreal, PerriconeMD, The Proactiv Company, Unilever, Coty, Nudestix, Dermaflash and many others.
Back in 2020 when the COVID crisis unfolded, Sonia found herself constantly searching for a safer way to protect our skin — but she couldn’t find any highly-effective purifying products that also prioritized nourishing the skin’s microbiome. Sonia felt like she shouldn’t have to compromise on luxury for efficacy, she decided to start developing the products that she was desperately looking for herself!
Susie Willis
As a wellness entrepreneur and self-confessed science geek, Susie was early to the Biotechnology stage. With the range of energetic, biotech ‘max-load’ skincare, this certified and clinically proven brand has a skincare system that has a clear philosophy. Substantiation, Sustainability and Science.
With a very clean method of classic skincare formulation from conception (no white label here), the tech side of beauty truly inspired Susie and The Romilly Wilde ethos has always been to disrupt the norm and lead from the position of future proofing a brand, not taking short-cuts and embedding the business in integrity, substantiation and ethics.
“From the start, we have wanted to create something unlike anything else on the market. We offer our customers something that not only stimulates, but that is sensorial and joyful to use. Our products create an immediate sense of quality, integrity and energy for a transformative impact on the skin and a respect for the environment. We are changing the way people think about skin biology and skincare. We are so proud of our awards and accreditations from leading industry bodies who recognise our efforts. I couldn’t be more excited to share our journey, and for you to see the extraordinary results possible with Romilly Wilde – where science collides vibrantly with nature.”
Suveen Sahib
Tara Lamont
Timothy Sousa
Tina Bou-Saba
As a partner and advisor, Tina is open-minded, inclusive, trustworthy, and enthusiastic. Extremely hands-on in her work, she listens intensely and celebrates collaboration. Tina has sharp instincts for commercial opportunities, honed through her experience in strategy at Victoria’s Secret and in equity research analyzing public retailers. From exploring international expansion opportunities for a major retailer to crafting marketing strategy for a consumer start-up, she is an independent thinker who loves digging into hard problems.
Tony Morales
Zach Thomann
As Chief Operating Officer and President, Zach is responsible for the direction and management of all PFS activities, including fulfillment and distribution operations, client financial services, contact center, and omnichannel operations on behalf of PFS’ clients. Working with his leadership team across those areas, Zach leads the efforts to identify new revenue opportunities while maintaining an efficient and profitable operation for PFS clients.
Zach joined PFSweb, Inc. in 2003 and has held roles of increasing responsibility in both the Business Management and Client Implementation departments, including serving as Vice President of Business Management. Previously, Zach worked as a program manager at AmerisourceBergen, a Fortune 50 company. With extensive experience in 3PL and end-to-end eCommerce solutions, Zach brings consultative expertise and a proven track record for bringing success to PFS’ clients.
Zach holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Texas and an MBA in Finance from the University of Texas at Dallas.
OUR 2023 PARTNERS
Headline Ingredients Partner
Croda Personal Care
Website: https://www.crodapersonalcare.com/en-gb
We have a rich history of partnering with Independent brands to develop innovative and crative personal care solutions.
Offering a full range of cosmetic ingredients including Sederma's world leading actives, our experts can help with formulation development, claims substantiation, market analysis, and industry regulations. Our knowledge provides customers with immediate access to essential support for successful beauty and personal care product development and implementation. From lab scientists to product specialists and customer car agents, the Croda team is excited to offer their assistance.
Headline Logistics Partner
PFS
Website: https://www.pfscommerce.com/
Drawing upon 20+ years of experience and innovation in the industry, PFS, business unit of PFSweb, Inc., supports eCommerce fulfillment operations for both DTC and B2B channels. Brands and retailers across industry verticals (health and beauty, jewelry, CPG, apparel, footwear and government) look to PFS to provide brand-centric operations that effectively scale to support growing eCommerce demand.
Platinum Partners
Anchin
Website: https://www.anchin.com/
Whether you are starting out or well-established, Anchin’s Beauty, Health & Wellness group has the experience and industry knowledge to add meaningful value to your business, guiding you through each stage of growth, from venture capital to private equity to an ultimate exit or succession plan. Led by Megan Klingbeil ([email protected]) and Carolyn Sekosan ([email protected]), our group takes many complicated issues off your plate so you can focus on growth and operations. Our services go beyond the traditional accounting and tax functions. Find out more at www.anchin.com and follow us on Instagram at @anchinbeautyandwellness.
Beauty Barrage
Website: https://www.beautybarrage.com/
At Beauty Barrage, we understand the demands facing beauty brands at retail and the challenge of limited resources to support their distribution strategy.
Our team of beauty advisors, trainers, and managers treats your brand as if it was our own. With over 300+ beauty professionals servicing over 3000+ doors in the U.S. and Canada, we help minimize your investment and maximize your sales return. Best of all, you don’t have to worry about all that comes with managing employees. Our full-service team manages all sales activities while training, planning, and nurturing in-store retailer relationships.
Named to the Inc. 500 list of fastest-growing companies in America, we understand what it takes to scale rapidly. We are also a certified Nationally Recognized Minority Business Enterprise, proudly creating jobs (not gigs) for people across the country.
Our best in class services have received recognition and honors from some of the most respected authorities in business.
Lubrizol
Website: https://www.lubrizol.com/
The Beauty business team at Lubrizol Life Science partners with customers to develop, manufacture and market a broad range of differentiated ingredients and formulations for skin care, hair care and skin cleansing. Our innovative solutions enhance functional performance and deliver aesthetic benefits that help people to live a more beautiful life. The Accelerator program accelerates innovation by promoting turn-key growth-enabled partnerships with brands that utilize Lubrizol technology and expertise, external partners and flexible business models to deliver new and exciting shelf-ready products to the market.
Luminize
Website: https://luminizemarketing.com/
Luminize Marketing specializes in growing health and beauty brands on Amazon through our Distribution Model or Marketplace Partner Management Model. Our customized marketing strategies focus on maximizing brand protection, advertising management, inventory management, listing optimization, and healthy margins. We provide Best in Class services for both partnership models, and we're committed to helping our clients succeed. Luminize is considered the Top 5 Sellers by volume in the US, grossing over 150MM. Contact us today to learn how we can help grow your brand on Amazon.
Moelis & Company
Website: https://www.moelis.com/
Moelis & Company is a leading global independent investment bank that provides innovative strategic advice and solutions to a diverse client base, including corporations, governments and financial sponsors. The Firm assists its clients in achieving their strategic goals by offering comprehensive integrated financial advisory services across all major industry sectors. Moelis & Company’s experienced professionals advise clients on their most critical decisions, including mergers and acquisitions, recapitalizations and restructurings, capital markets transactions, and other corporate finance matters. The Firm serves its clients from 23 locations in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and Australia. For further information, please visit: www.moelis.com.
Moss Adams
Website: https://www.mossadams.com/home
Moss Adams is a fully integrated professional services firm dedicated to personally assisting clients with growing, managing, and protecting prosperity.
With more than 3,400 professionals across over 25 locations in the West and beyond, we work with many of the world’s most innovative companies and leaders.
QuickBox
Website: https://www.quickbox.com/
QuickBox revolutionizes e-commerce fulfillment using innovative reporting technology, a committed client services team, and superior order processing skills. With fulfillment centers in Carson, CA, Denver, CO, Atlanta, GA, and Wayne, NJ, QuickBox allows your brand to reach customers quickly, reducing inventory errors and shipping delays. Our locations offer tailor-made warehousing solutions, ensuring reliable and economical order fulfillment, inventory management, and shipping. Expect enhanced productivity and streamlined operations with QuickBox.
Gold Partners
Acquire Beauty
Website: www.acquirebeauty.com
Acquire Beauty is your Supply Chain and Operations consulting partner, dedicated to uncovering hidden challenges and drive transformative solutions. Our firm offers a highly customized approach to our services, working with brands at all stages of their journey. Our clients include inspiring beauty brand owners, Venture Capitals, Private Equities, Existing Brand Owners, and C-Level Executives. Through our strategic interventions, we've facilitated substantial savings, increased sales, and cost reductions for our clients.
We specialize in implementing processes for improved profitability while maintaining flexibility for growth. Our focus is creating less risk, being more reactive, and providing problem-solving solutions. Our expertise spans various areas, including market expansion, process optimization, and brand creation. Our account management team is comprised of individuals who have worked in the beauty industry and can relate to the challenges our clients face. Whether you need to outsource your supply chain operations, create a plan to fix issues, or execute that plan, we offer solutions tailored to your needs. Our goal is to empower our clients, guiding them towards a self-sufficient and successful future.
BigCommerce
Website: www.bigcommerce.com
BigCommerce (Nasdaq: BIGC) is a leading software-as-a-service (SaaS) ecommerce platform that empowers merchants of all sizes to build, innovate and grow their businesses online. As a leading open SaaS solution, BigCommerce provides merchants sophisticated enterprise-grade functionality, customization and performance with simplicity and ease-of-use. Tens of thousands of B2B and B2C companies across 120 countries and numerous industries use BigCommerce to create beautiful, engaging online stores, including Ben & Jerry’s, Skullcandy and Sony. Headquartered in Austin, BigCommerce has offices in San Francisco, Sydney and London.
Catch
Website: https://www.getcatch.com/
Catch helps modern beauty brands retain and engage the next generation of shoppers, right at checkout. With Catch, brands turn payment processing fees into instant, tangible rewards that drive customer loyalty and increase LTV by 45%.
Cosmos Labs
Website: https://www.cosmos-labs.com/
Cosmos Labs was founded in 2021 by serial beauty entrepreneur Mary Berry - who has developed over 1,000 groundbreaking beauty products. Mary's formulas use the most premium ingredients available, and have won numerous industry awards. At Cosmos Labs, Mary specializes in the formulation and manufacture of natural deodorant, facial and skin care, but as a lover of all things beauty - Mary is able to bring any new concept to life.
dsm-firmenich
Website: dsm-firmenich.com
DSM is a pioneer in the use of vitamins in cosmetics, leaders in UV protection, and the creators of award-winning cosmetic peptide & bioactive technology. We partner with the many of the world’s leading beauty companies in their creation of products that deliver consumer-perceivable benefits for skin, sun and hair care.
Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do at DSM.
We believe that everything that we do daily has an effect, either directly or indirectly, on our natural environment. A strong focus on sustainability means that we are actively creating and maintaining the conditions under which people and nature can exist in harmony to support present and future generations. Ingredient suppliers have an obligation to address the full scope of sustainability and take tangible action in building sustainable practices. And we must do so while also addressing the health and wellbeing of consumers. DSM invites brands and manufacturers to partner with us to create a better future for all.
We are proud to have received a Platinum rating from EcoVadis, the world’s most trusted provider of business sustainability ratings.
eComplete
Website: https://www.ecomplete.com/
eComplete is an eCommerce growth partner, and capital investor. We accelerate and transform eCommerce DTC brands.
As an eCommerce accelerator, our primary goal is to deliver rapid commercial impact. To achieve this, we utilise our in-house data platform to prioritise eCommerce growth strategies and offer brands access to talented professionals across every eCommerce discipline. Additionally, we provide a supply chain that is typically only accessible to the largest eCommerce giants, enabling brands to scale and succeed.
Our mission is to support eCommerce businesses by providing them with eCommerce acceleration strategies that integrate with their existing infrastructure. We are here to disrupt the traditional barriers to scale that eCommerce businesses commonly encounter.
At eComplete, we also have an in-house investment arm. We invest in high-growth potential eCommerce brands, such as CurrentBody, which joined our investment portfolio in 2021.
Giannuzzi Lewendon
Website: www.gllaw.us
Giannuzzi Lewendon is a New York and California-based law firm dedicated exclusively to the CPG community, with a passion for protecting and propelling founders, and with over $20 billion in sell-side exit transactions closed.
Humble Growth
Website: www.humblegrowth.com
Humble Growth is a New York-based private equity fund in search of disruptive beauty and personal care brands that change the way we feel and live. Backed by exited founders and industry icons, our greatest asset is our experience.
Ithos Global
Website: https://ithosglobal.com/
Managing Regulatory Compliance and Product Safety Knowledge is our core approach to helping companies manage Quality, Risk & Compliance and thereby increase rewards. With a focus on Cosmetic industries, Ithos develops and integrates enterprise software solutions that help strengthen supply chain transparency over ingredients, streamline managing supplier quality and risk, and provide fast and easy access to regulatory restrictions and product safety guidelines from across the globe.
Odore
Website: www.odore.com
Odore is the leading digital sampling platform that helps elevate customer relationships and accelerate brand growth. Trusted by LVMH, L’Oreal, Shiseido and many more, Odore helps brands execute hyper-targeted sampling campaigns, enrich their CRM databases with invaluable first-party data, and generate authentic customer reviews all while driving product sales.
With a focus on ROI and a commitment to out-of-the-box solutions, Odore stands as your 360’ partner, committed to redefining customer engagement and driving tangible outcomes for brands globally.
Rosenthal & Rosenthal
Website: https://www.rosenthalinc.com/
Rosenthal & Rosenthal (www.rosenthalinc.com) is the leading factoring, asset based lending, purchase order financing, d2c and e-commerce inventory financing firm in the United States, specializing in beauty & personal care, wellness, fashion, furniture & home goods, food & beverage and d2c sectors. Rosenthal’s clients benefit from a range of credit and financing solutions that either stand on their own or can be paired with existing funding, long-term venture debt or equity capital to support rapid growth, without regulatory restrictions of a bank.
In business for more than 85 years, our firm is now led by the third generation of the Rosenthal family. Over the years, we have financed countless growing businesses by providing the working capital and financial resources they need and taking an active interest in their success.
Our clients benefit from the fact that we’re still a private, family-run business. They know us by name and they know we don’t disappear once the deal is signed. They know we’re reliable, reasonable, and fair. They know that we’re there for the occasional business hiccups and that we’ll always be responsive to their needs as they change.
We have seen our clients through good times and bad, start-ups and bankruptcies, market upswings and recessions, even pandemics.
Through it all, we have remained a trusted partner to thousands of businesses, embracing the same spirit of entrepreneurship and innovation
That defined our company when it was established. Rosenthal is proud to support more than 600 clients across the country, with offices in New York, California, Georgia and North Carolina.
Threadstone
Website: http://www.threadstonelp.com/
Threadstone Advisors is a leading independent advisory and investment firm specializing in the beauty and personal care, apparel, specialty retail and direct-to-consumer sectors. Our philosophy behind the creation of Threadstone Advisors is the belief that the comprehensive knowledge and a values-oriented culture of the senior partners are at the core of our success. We are committed to helping our clients benefit from more than 100 years of combined experience. Having assisted clients ranging from start-ups to global brands through different economic cycles, our perspective is broad. Our industry knowledge, thorough preparation and hard work, allows Threadstone to generate ideas to help companies achieve their strategic and financial goals and objectives.
Threadstone helps entrepreneurs and founders of young, exciting businesses to achieve intermediate financing goals. Our unique perspectives in the beauty sector allow us to better understand the nuances of the businesses we represent. Threadstone approaches each engagement in the same mindset as venture capital – we understand that businesses are looking for more than just money. Through a unique partnership approach, Threadstone develops a deep understanding for the strengths and opportunities of our clients and tailors a go-to-market approach that delivers both the financial and strategic resources that our clients need.
Silver Partners
Buchalter
Website: https://www.buchalter.com/
Buchalter is a full-service business law firm that has been teaming with clients for nine decades, providing legal counsel at all stages of their growth and evolution, and helping them meet the many legal challenges and decisions they face. Our clients are engaged in a diverse global economy governed by complex laws and regulations, and they trust us as advisers and business partners because we are involved in their world.
Novi Connect
Website: www.noviconnect.com
Novi Connect is an e-commerce platform where Contract Manufacturers can easily discover, sample, and purchase raw materials that have been pre-vetted for unique claims and sustainability standards, all in one place. Novi is the modern way to buy raw materials with competitive prices and low MOQs from top suppliers like Croda, BASF, and Univar. With advanced tracking features for documents, samples, payments, shipping, and delivery, Novi is designed so brands and contract manufacturers can bring sustainable products to market faster and at lower unit costs.
Obsess
Website: https://obsessar.com/virtual-beauty-stores/
Obsess is the leading experiential e-commerce platform that enables brands and retailers to create immersive, branded, discovery-driven virtual stores on their websites. The mission of the company is to create the next-generation online shopping interface that transforms the traditional e-commerce thumbnail grid into a 3D, interactive, social and highly engaging experience. Obsess has launched over 250 virtual stores and experiences for beauty brands such as Charlotte Tilbury, Laneige, Prada Beauty, Armani Beauty, Olaplex, K18, Revlon, Maybelline and more—driving consumer engagement, brand loyalty and conversion.
Event Partners
ChemPoint
Website: https://www.chempoint.com/industries/personal-care
ChemPoint connects specialty ingredients to companies that need them. We partner with innovative ingredient producers to offer a wide range of high-quality biofunctionals, emollients, conditioners, preservatives, rheology modifiers, styling polymers, and more to our skin care, hair care, and cosmetic customers. Utilizing an industry-focused approach along with a team of technical specialists, we are dedicated to solving formulation challenges, providing product recommendations, introducing new and novel trending ingredients, and connecting our customers to helpful consulting and manufacturing resources in our network.
DC Advisory
Website: http://www.dcadvisory.com/aboutus
DC Advisory is an international investment bank committed to making a difference. As part of an established global business we offer access to over 650 professionals in 22 locations throughout Asia, Europe and the US. Across 11 industry focused teams, we offer tailored, independent advice on M&A, debt raisings and restructurings, private capital and access to unrivalled Asia investment knowledge.
Lucas Meyers Cosmetics
Website: lucasmeyercosmetics.com
Lucas Meyer Cosmetics is the business unit of International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. (IFF) which develops, manufactures, and markets innovative ingredients for the cosmetic and personal care industry. We offer active ingredients, functional ingredients, and delivery systems from various origins.
Intrepid
Website: https://intrepidib.com/
Staying ahead of the latest market trends requires an in-depth understanding of brands and products, and personal connections with emerging and key players. Intrepid provides dedicated expert merger and acquisition advisory and capital raising services to the Beauty, Personal Care & Wellness sectors. By focusing exclusively on beauty care companies, our industry bankers have a deep understanding of value drivers in this sector.
Our Beauty, Personal Care & Wellness practice is uniquely dedicated to clients in the middle market, including entrepreneurs and owners of privately held companies, financial sponsors, and micro- to mid-cap public companies.
Mann & Schroeder
Website: https://www.mann-schroeder.de/en/
MANN & SCHRÖDER COSMETICS is a medium-sized, internationally active consumer goods company and stands for innovative skin and hair care products.
Founded in 1951, MANN & SCHRÖDER COSMETICS is one of the most renowned private label manufacturers in Europe. For almost 70 years, we have been developing creative brand concepts and manufacturing skin & hair care products for the private labels of drugstores, discounters and food retailers. Our second business area comprises the development, production and marketing of our own brand products for different target groups. From shampoo to facial care to foot cream, we manufacture almost all body care categories. Based in Siegelsbach, Baden-Württemberg, MANN & SCHRÖDER COSMETICS stands for innovative cosmetic products "Made in Germany"
Recom
Website: https://recom.co/
Recom is designed to fit like a glove—we develop expertly tailored solutions to help premium beauty brands accelerate on Amazon. There’s a reason we’re the number one global beauty seller: we go beyond the standard, one-size-fits-all approach and dig into the details to shape the right Amazon strategy for each brand. Drawing upon our real-world Amazon knowledge in dozens of product categories, we create the optimal action plan for your brand and deliver results that meet and exceed your expectations.
Our goal is to be a frictionless partner—the perfect fit for your brand, meshing with your organization and executing every component of your Amazon strategy flawlessly.
Brand Partner
Headline Media Partners
Base Beauty Creative Agency
Website: https://www.basebeauty.com/
We are the omni channel branding agency hyper-focused on the beauty and wellness industries. We create everything that the consumer sees and touches.
Where Brains Meet Beauty
Website: http://www.wherebrainsmeetbeauty.com/
WHERE BRAINS MEET BEAUTY™ Host Jodi Katz, Founder & Creative Director of Base Beauty Creative Agency, welcomes guests into a relaxed, authentic and honest conversation about their career journey, from the struggles to the highs, and the roller coaster ride in-between. Jodi is not a reporter and she’s not ogling stats. She’s part James Lipton, part Andy Cohen, seeking to reveal wisdom and insightful stories that will inspire future leaders in beauty
Media Partners
Fashion Snoops
Website: https://www.fashionsnoops.com/
FS is a global trend forecasting agency helping leading consumer-facing brands around the world unlock innovation and propel growth. Through a combination of human and artificial intelligence, we analyze cultural shifts and interpret detected patterns in order to surface trend-driven business opportunities.
The Industry.Beauty
Website: https://theindustry.beauty/
TheIndustry.beauty dives deep into the UK beauty market (UK brands and international brands here) on a daily basis to ensure its readers are the best informed on the market news, trends and moves that are shaping the future of the industry.
Its market-leading, multi-channel proposition gives its readers a daily dose of breaking news, analysis and interviews served via a free-to-view website, its widely followed social channels and a free daily email newsletter. This daily content is complemented by regular in-depth reports, often containing exclusive consumer research, on prominent market trends + events incl networking and learning in person and on-line, along with a popular podcast channel.
TheIndustry.beauty also holds a unique master database of businesses and brands operating in the UK
market, be they UK based or international businesses with a presence here.
Each company profile includes a range of key data points from annual sales to store locations and social media followings, along with information on key personnel.
Personal Care Insights
Website: https://www.personalcareinsights.com/
PersonalCareInsights is the go-to news source for daily coverage of the personal care and beauty industry, reporting on cosmetic research, sustainable solutions, formulation ingredients and developments in skin health.
Newsletter Subscription: https://cnsmedia.activehosted.com/f/549
Social Media: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/personal-care-insights/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/personal-care-insights/
RETAILBOSS
RETAILBOSS was founded in 2011 by senior managing director and retail expert Jeanel Alvarado. With a background in marketing, finance and commercial real estate, Jeanel has consulting experience working with brands ranging from early-stage to publicly-traded retail groups and well-known luxury conglomerates, giving her a fundamental understanding of the business world and global consumer culture.
She is regularly relied upon by beauty, fashion and consumer brands, non-profit organizations, trade organizations, educational institutions, and television outlets to speak about retail business trends and insights, with an emphasis on new developments and broader supply chain, real estate and tech trends.
STYLUS
Website: https://www.stylus.com/
Stylus are the expert source for trends and insights.
At Stylus, we uncover trends, predict change, and provide the intelligence that helps businesses prosper. With a relentless curiosity for what’s new, what’s now and what’s next, our experts are the authority in over 20 sectors – including Beauty, Consumer Attitudes, Technology, Retail and beyond – and have a deep understanding of the most influential emerging trends affecting consumers around the globe. It’s the reason we’re trusted by more than 600 of the world’s leading brands, agencies and businesses: to help them reveal what’s possible, not just predict what’s probable.
Stylus. See past the now.
PARTNER WITH US
Based on your objectives, we can create bespoke packages designed specifically for you – from presenting your expertise on the main stage, hosting private dinners, to showcasing your brand and making valuable new connections. Opportunities predominantly lie in 3 main categories: Thought Leadership, Branding, and Networking.
To discuss your objectives and partnership opportunities please contact [email protected].
Interested in a media partnership?
We'd love to hear from you and how we can support one another to connect with the industry. Contact [email protected].
OUR 2023 PROGRAM
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About Kisaco Research
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