In an era of constant change and rising costs, resilience has become beauty’s most valuable asset. This session unpacks how leading brands adapt, protect profitability, and evolve with purpose - revealing the mindset and strategic decisions that turn volatility into sustainable growth.
Operational Excellence & Supply Chain
Growth & Scaling Strategies
Nadine Tapia
President
Latinas in Beauty
Irene Scharmack
CEO
Quick Box Fulfilment
Gisselle Hernandez
Founder & CEO
Glamlite Cosmetics
Gisselle is an Afro-Latina former undocumented immigrant, who defied the odds to become the founder and CEO of one of the fastest-growing beauty brands, Glamlite Cosmetics. She launched the business with just a dream and $1900 on a credit card from her bedroom. Despite being a high school dropout and stay-at-home with no investors, bank loans, or business experience, Gisselle was determined to overcome all obstacles. Now, Glamlite is one of the few independent-owned, Black and Latina founded brands to secure licensing partnerships with world-renowned corporations, such as Mattel, Warner Bros., Hershey's, and many more. The brand is scaling significantly in 2025 alone acoss DTC, TikTok Shop and retail. Gisselle is a testament to resilience, determination, and the power of chasing dreams.
Prepare your brand for the future of beauty retail – from brick to click and beyond. Scale smarter by optimizing e-commerce, blending digital and physical touchpoints, and leveraging the power of experiential retail for a future-ready strategy that will amplify your growth.
eCommerce & Retail
Future Trends & Market Intelligence
Growth & Scaling Strategies
Paula Floyd
Founder & CEO
Headkount Inc
Sheena Zadeh
Founder
Kosas
Kevin Wong
Vice President of Merchandising for Beauty
Target
Brad Pearson
Director of Sales
Route
From Korean skincare breakthroughs to viral mascara hacks, modern beauty routines are shaped more by social feeds than store shelves. This session unpacks how cultural trends become commerce moments, and how brands can tap into performance insights and retail media strategies to turn social buzz into measurable results.
Future Trends & Market Intelligence
Marketing & Consumer Engagement
Riku Laitasalo
VP Client Services
Pacvue
I am a seasoned retail professional with extensive experience on the brand, agency, and technology sides of the industry. Specializing in eCommerce and retail media, I currently lead the Client Services team at Pacvue to deliver sustainable and scalable growth for our clients. My diverse background in technology, finance, and retail, along with direct hands-on experience working with large brands enables me to lead our organization to deliver tailored solutions that meet diverse business needs in a continually dynamic retail environment. While my specialty is CPG and eCommerce, I have managed brands across numerous categories throughout both online and brick & mortar channels in the broader retail landscape.
Melissa Burdick
Co Founder & President
Pacvue
Melissa Burdick is the President of Pacvue and is an expert in designing for online and e-Commerce marketing strategies. A 10-year Amazon veteran, Ms. Burdick helped launch the Amazon CPG/Health & Beauty retail business, building a business from the ground up with an evolving strategy to sell profitably online. She was an early leader of the Amazon Media Group, launching the first vendor display video ad, and developed and grew the Amazon advertising business. Ms. Burdick is well known as an e-Commerce thought leader, Forbes Agency Council member, and participates as a speaker at e-Commerce conferences and industry podcasts.
Calvin Lammers
GM of Digital
NÉCESSAIRE
Calvin Lammers is a 13-year digital marketing veteran who started his career on the retail side with Target. Calvin made his first foray into eCommerce with Quidsi, an Amazon subsidiary with such sites as Diapers.com and Soap.com. Since then, Calvin has moved over to the brand side leading digital for at a number of F&B disruptor brands such as KIND, Bai, Spindrift, and Health-Ade before making the jump to beauty and personal care with Nécessaire.
At Nécessaire, Calvin oversees digital platforms and media for the personal care brand, including Sephora, Amazon and DTC.
Chaired by:
Kirbie Johnson
Co-Host and CEO
Gloss Angeles
Kirbie Johnson is a multi-hyphenate host-writer-producer-reporter living in Los Angeles. A veteran journalist, Kirbie has become a sought-after (no BS) authority on makeup, skincare, and wellness at the intersection of entertainment. She has appeared in 500+ on-air segments, reported on the grounds of the GRAMMYs and the Golden Globe Awards, on set of shows like Euphoria, and as a trusted interviewer has secured celebrity sit-downs with Kim Kardashian West, Rihanna, and Hailey Bieber. For years as POPSUGAR’s on-camera beauty reporter, Kirbie worked to explore the connection between beauty and entertainment, and now she thrives at the intersection of both industries. She co-hosts the much-loved and listened-to Gloss Angeles podcast, covering the latest launches, social trends and a guest roster of who's-who industry A-listers. With her (manicured) finger on the pulse, she breaks news on her own platforms, including her best-selling Substack newsletter, and contributes to pubs like Allure, Harper’s BAZAAR, The Hollywood Reporter, and has appeared on the 'Today' show, Freeform, and the BBC.
Strategically grow your product portfolio while protecting your profitability and brand integrity. Align with retailer expectations and market opportunities through private label strategies, accelerating growth and managing risk, for sustainable success.
eCommerce & Retail
Growth & Scaling Strategies
Product Innovation & Development
Samantha Burd
Owner
Lady Burd Cosmetics
Samantha is the 3rd generation owner of Lady Burd Cosmetics, a Long Island-based contract manufacturing company, specializing in private label and custom formulation for beauty brands. She’s passionate about product development, brand building, and helping beauty entrepreneurs bring their visions to life. Under her leadership, the company is scaling with a focus on innovation, customer experience, legacy, and family-driven values.
Make science your brand's strongest growth engine, with AI-designed peptides creating hero ingredients and securing first-to-market advantages. See how microbiome science is becoming a foundation for product personalization and consumer trust, and how generative AI is transforming complex science into compelling marketing stories and consumer education.
Product Innovation & Development
Growth & Scaling Strategies
Dr. Lun Yu
Co-Founder and CTO
Metanovas Biotech
Megan Vasquez
Director of Creator Strategy and Strategic Marketing
GRIN
Alessandra Zonari
CSO and Co-founder
OneSkin
Elsa Jungman
CEO & Founding Team
Hello Biome
Millie Liu
Founding Partner
First Star Ventures