In our fast-paced industry, where strategies, executions, and consumer relationships are constantly evolving, staying informed is not just an option—it's essential. BeautyMatter empowers the global beauty and wellness value chain with the critical insights and inspiration needed to stay ahead. Our content is shaped by and for the visionaries who drive these pivotal changes.

We’re hardwired to seek certainty. Certainty is safe. Certainty is comfortable. But to some extent, we have gotten comfortable operating amid macro-uncertainty; the uncertainty has become the certainty. Succeeding during disruption requires leaning in, not away, and giving consumers more reasons to buy, not less. Building a lasting, sustainable business is the real flex.

The businesses that will define the future may seem unusual, unexpected, and even undefined today. Periods of recalibration present challenges, but they also come with immense opportunities—but you must be looking.

It’s through this lens that our editorial team crafted the content experiences for our third edition of the FUTURE50 Summit to be held in New York City on March 19, 2026.

We will push the boundaries and open minds with ideas and conversations about the current dynamics driving the global beauty industry.

Our content lineup and powerhouse speakers:

The Future of Experiential Retail: Gen Z Insights from Shanghai and Singapore

BeautyMatter joined Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) students on an immersive field research trip to Shanghai and Singapore in December 2025. Over three weeks, 28 students from 10 academic programs worked as a single research team, studying how Gen Z engages with physical retail across two of the most influential markets shaping the future of experiential retail. We will discuss the students' observations, trend signals, and insights relevant to markets well beyond Asia Pacific.

Panelist: Melanie Keys, Professor, Fashion Marketing and Management, SCAD

Moderator: Kelly Kovack, Founder + CEO,  BeautyMatter

Moving Beyond Omnichannel: Scaling When Discovery, Retail, and Channels Collide

As beauty and wellness brands move from indie to scale, channel decisions have become higher stakes and far less linear. DTC economics are shifting, retail partnerships are evolving, and platforms like Amazon now play a central role in how consumers discover, evaluate, and buy. Rushing into the wrong relationship is worse than waiting for the right one. Channel strategy is brand strategy. Launching in the wrong place at the wrong time can kill even the best brand. Fit, not just presence, drives long-term sustainable success. Moving beyond omnichannel theory, the conversation will focus on what actually works in practice, the trade-offs brands face, and how to connect distribution strategy to the way consumers really make decisions today.

Panelists:

Rina Yashayeva, SVP, Brand Strategy, Front Row

Reuben Carranza, Executive Chairman, Bansk Beauty

Genevieve Head-Gordon, VP, Digital, OUAI

Moderator: Janna Mandell, Senior Editor, BeautyMatter

Gatekeepers of Growth: How Retailers Will Define the Next Era of Beauty

In beauty, retail has become far more than distribution. Today’s most influential retailers are gatekeepers, validators, and increasingly, the necessary ingredient that allows the world’s best brands to soar. In a category defined by speed, saturation, and global competition, the power to curate has become the power to shape the market itself. This discussion gives a look at the frameworks, instincts, and strategic bets shaping beauty’s next wave of growth—as well as the nuances of the world’s leading beauty markets, the criteria behind new brand discovery and incubation programs, how global trends are translated into local winners, and why physical retail continues to thrive—even in the most digitally advanced economies.

Panelists:

Mohammad Alshammari, International Business Development Manager, Boutiqaat

Grace Vernon, Head of Boots Ignite, Foresight & Trends, Boots UK

Moderator: John Cafarelli, President + Co-Founder, BeautyMatter

When Where You’re from Is More than a Brand Narrative

Sense of place is a common creative lever, but for some businesses, the fact that it’s more than a marketing differentiator is everything; origin and culture are their DNA. A well-designed brand is an act of intention. Every detail tells a story. The products, the spaces, and the narratives deliver a level of personal expression and aesthetic innovation that translates into emotional connections, turning curiosity into conversion and launches into cultural moments. These three founders dive deep into what makes the people and the place they call home tick, giving us unique insight into three of beauty’s hottest markets: Saudi Arabia, South Korea, and Mexico.

Panelists:

Jun Lim, Founder + Creative Director, BORNTOSTANDOUT

Rémi Martini, Co-Founder + CEO, SARELLY

Sara Alrashed, Founder, Asteri  

Moderator: Kelly Kovack, Founder + CEO,  BeautyMatter

Maintaining Momentum: Catching up with Indie Powerhouses

Indie beauty brands are, by their very nature, challengers, but some founders think bigger than others. The reality is that most companies don't make it past the startup phase. Launching a brand, breaking through the noise, and gaining initial traction is just the first step. As the launch momentum wears off, building a sustainable business is where the real work begins. Since these three brands appeared on the first BeautyMatter Future50 lists in 2023 and 2024, change has been the only constant. Amid this transformative landscape, these fierce leaders have proven they have what it takes to build brands that will last.

Panelists:

Shai Eisenman, Founder + CEO, Bubble Skincare

Carolina Reis de Oliveira, PhD, Co-Founder + CEO, OneSkin

Jeff Lee, Co-Founder + CEO, DIBS Beauty

Moderator: John Cafarelli, President + Co-Founder, BeautyMatter

Social Commerce: The Strategic Center of Modern Retail  

Shopping has never really been purely transactional, and today modern consumers aren’t following linear paths. Purchases have become performative, cultural, and social acts creating a paradigm shift upending the retail landscape as we know it. Social commerce is not a tactic; it is an ecosystem where commercial creators drive sales, curatorial creators imbue cultural meaning, and algorithms personalize discovery at sale. The confluence of these forces has the power to create dynamic flywheels of participation, cultural relevance, and growth. Social commerce is where culture, community, and shopping meet.

Panelists:

Bridey Lipscombe, Chief Marketing Officer, P.Louise

Iskra Lawrence, Founder + Social Media Expert, Saltair

Dr. Muneeb Shah, Board-Certified Dermatologist, Founder + CEO, Remedy

Moderator: Janna Mandell, Senior Editor, BeautyMatter

The Wellness Shelf: Competing in the Beauty Retail Landscape

For most consumers, there is no longer a distinction between beauty and wellness. On the limitless shelves of online retail, wellness has become a mainstay of beauty assortments, and now physical retail is following suit. As beauty retailers make a serious commitment to the category, wellness brands are now in a direct battle for the consumer beauty wallet, but what works in cosmetics or skincare doesn’t always translate. Unlike beauty, wellness products rarely offer instant results or immediate sensory payoffs, making it harder to catch a consumer’s eye or deliver that dopamine hit on first use. We’ll unpack what it takes to build a wellness brand that thrives on beauty retail shelves.

Panelists:

Shizu Okusa, Founder + CEO, Apothékary

Charlotte Cruze, Co-Founder + COO, alice mushrooms

Laura Beres, VP, Wellness, Ulta Beauty

Lorne Lucree, Member, TOSLA Nutricosmetics Scientific Board

Moderator: Cristina Montemayor, Editor, BeautyMatter

We Can Do Better. The Sustainability Imperative.

Sustainability, ESG, and purpose are under serious pressure. But there’s a group of brands bucking this trend. For these founders, sustainability isn't just a buzzword; it represents a strategic reorientation of business models built to serve the complexities of consumer expectations while upholding principles of environmental care and social responsibility. These brands are not looking for quick wins. They are doing the deep work in support of systemic change, debunking the myth that it’s not worth the investment. Sustainability has never been more pressing and leadership more vital to break rules, shift perception, and drive change. When done right, sustainability isn’t a limitation, it's a creative springboard.

Panelists:

Irene Forte, Founder + CEO, Irene Forte Skincare

Liah Yoo, Founder + CEO, KraveBeauty

Alexandra Keating, Founder + CEO, Uni

Moderator: Kelly Kovack, Founder + CEO,  BeautyMatter

Beauty’s Lost Generation: The Gen X Opportunity

For all the talk about Gen Z, two of beauty’s most powerful—and most misunderstood—consumer groups are hiding in plain sight: Generation X and Boomers. These shoppers hold enormous spending power and deep category loyalty. However, many brands misfire by talking down to them or assuming they’ve aged out of relevance. In reality, this demographic is digitally fluent, socially literate, and far cooler than the industry gives them credit for. They have integrated beauty and wellness into a seamless daily ritual, they know what works, they know exactly who they are—and they reward brands that respect that. We’ll dig into what it takes to win these consumers, what these generations actually want, and how brands go wrong.

Panelists:

Sarah Creal, Founder + CEO, Sarah Creal Beauty

Laura Geller, Founder, Laura Geller Beauty

Erica Taylor, Makeup Artist, Beauty Educator + Digital Creator

Moderator: Cristina Montemayor, Editor, BeautyMatter

Everyone is welcome. Join us in New York City on March 19, 2026 for FUTURE50.