JOIN US IN 2023
Personalize your own Beauty Connect experience as we bring you more opportunities than ever to connect. Expect 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.
Beauty Connect is committed to ensuring every brand can make the connections to accelerate their brand growth.
Beauty Connect is the forum for your business to:
- Foster partnerships with the future investors of your brand or the future brands of your portfolio
- Position yourself for a successful strategic partnership by connecting with beauty conglomerates and gaining insight into their strategy
- 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
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
Mr. Richard Gersten is Co-founder & Managing Partner of True Beauty Capital. Mr. Gersten has over 25 years of experience in the private equity industry and has spent the last 19 years focused exclusively on the consumer and retail sector, with an emphasis in the beauty and personal care industry. He currently sits on the board of directors of Algenist, Cos Bar, This Works, Active Ride Shop, NEST Fragrances, Deva Curl, and formerly sat on the board of directors for Laura Geller Beauty.
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
Grab the attention of future investors, retail partners, and M&A executives during your main stage pitch. Showcase your brand in front of a captive and lucrative audience in our spotlight pitch to enhance industry interest.
Open to brands looking for investment opportunities, our Spotlight welcomes applications from brands across all beauty and wellness categories. All applications will be reviewed by our Investor-led Selection Committee with 10 finalists being selected to pitch their brand on the main stage at Beauty Connect 2023.
Application Deadline: Friday, September 8, 2023
Please Note: All finalists MUST be registered to attend the event. Pitching will take place at this year's Beauty Connect in LA (November 6-8).
SELECTION COMMITTEE
Joseph Atencio
Chisom Amaechi
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.
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.
Joel Palix
Ann Chung
Jana Bobosikova
Chris Speier
CEO & FOUNDERS FORUM
Come together with like-minded leaders in the beauty, personal care, and wellness space to learn, network, and grow. Share experiences, strategic insights, and how to best tackle the key challenges of running your own business whilst building new connections and life long friendships.
The CEO & Founders Forum is an application-only event and we will be in touch to let you know if your application was successful.
GIFT BAGS
Our much loved Beauty Connect Gift Bag is back for 2023, this year with more products than ever before! Interested in having your product featured in our gift bags this year?
Submit your interest below and we'll be in touch to let you know if your product has been selected for this year's gift bag!
With over 500+ expected at this year's Beauty Connect, this is an invaluable opportunity to get your product in the hands of senior decision-makers from across the beauty & wellness space!
We're looking for brands that can provide between 100-600 units of one full or sampled-sized product. Please note we will only consider brands that can provide a minimum of 100 units.
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 over his 30 years career. Currently, as head of product development for Goop, a trending wellness and lifestyle brand, he leads expansion beyond skincare into several other product categories. He also serves as Vice President-Elect 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 Williams
Amanda Bacon
Shai Eisenman
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.
Ann Chung
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.
Brook Harvey-Taylor
Muffy Clince
Carolyn Cipolla
Celeste Hilling
Chelsea Riggs
Chisom Amaechi
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.
Cristina Nuñez
Daniel Hodgdon
Darryl Thompson
Dave Smith
David Baker
David Gaylord
Ilya Seglin
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
Joel Palix
Ju Rhyu
Kara Posner
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.
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.
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
Melissa Butler
Melissa Hago
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!
Brian Grady
Noah Rosenblatt
Patrick O'Keefe
Rich Gersten
Mr. Richard Gersten is Co-founder & Managing Partner of True Beauty Capital. Mr. Gersten has over 25 years of experience in the private equity industry and has spent the last 19 years focused exclusively on the consumer and retail sector, with an emphasis in the beauty and personal care industry. He currently sits on the board of directors of Algenist, Cos Bar, This Works, Active Ride Shop, NEST Fragrances, Deva Curl, and formerly sat on the board of directors for Laura Geller Beauty.
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
Suveen Sahib
Timothy Sousa
Zach Thomann
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.
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.
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.
Gold Partners
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.
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.
Event Partner
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.
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.
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, to hosting a private dinner. You can partner with us showcase your brand and make valuable new connections. Opportunities predominantly lie in 3 main categories: Thought Leadership, Branding & 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
Download Our 2023 Program
REGISTER
Sending Your Team? Group Discounts Available!
Applicable for Primary Market, Service Provider and Industry Rates Only. Not available for Academic or ‘Start-Up’ rates
Book a Team of 3+ - Save an Additional 10% Off
Book a Team of 5+ - Save an Additional 15% Off
If you would like to register a team of 3 or more, please email [email protected] for your discount coupon code before registering. PLEASE NOTE: Discounts cannot be combined with Early Bird Pricing or any other discount or offer. If you have any questions about your registration, please call us on +44 (0)20 3696 2920
Ticket price will increase in
— July 21, 2023 —
Venue
Loews Hollywood Hotel, 1755 North Highland Avenue Hollywood, CA 90028
Book Accommodation
We have a limited number of discounted rooms available for $239++.
About Kisaco Research
Kisaco Research produces, designs and hosts B2B industry conferences, exhibitions and communities – focused on a specialized selection of topic areas.
Meet industry peers that will help build a career-changing network for life.
Learn from the mistakes of your peers as much as their successes—ambitious industry stalwarts who are happy to share not just what has made them successful so far but also their plans for future proofing their companies.
Note down the inspired insight that will form the foundation for future strategies and roadmaps, both at our events and through our online communities.
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