Despite the cold, rainy weather outside, the atmosphere inside Spring Studios was bright and cheerful when doors opened at 8 a.m. on Thursday, April 3, 2025, for BeautyMatter's third annual FUTURE50 Summit in New York City.

Guests who braved the bad weather flooded in and immediately gravitated towards the SuperMarket, a self-serve swag bag activation that BeautyMatter has become known for. Take the products that you’re interested in and leave the rest, guests were told. The SuperMarket quickly became a social shopping experience where attendees could meet and bond over products that they may or may not have tried before. BeautyMatter’s SuperMarket serves as a great icebreaker and equalizer, where beauty industry insiders let their inner “Sephora kid” run wild and free.

“I have one of those in my bag right now!” said one woman to another about the Wonderskin lip stains, which "sold out" quickly.

The SuperMarket's offerings proved popular with attendees, "selling out" by 2 p.m. despite frequent restocks. Those who hung out around the market were sure to run into the event’s most popular guests, a pair of pugs named Pete and Harold, owned by Malin+Goetz co-founders Matthew Malin and Andrew Goetz.

BeautyMatter’s FUTURE50 magazines were on full display on newspaper boxes dispersed throughout the space, including an oversized BeautyMatter bodega bursting with florals. Guests who wanted a moment of zen were able to lie down in a full-body, red-light bed, courtesy of EnergyLounger. Guests felt relaxed and recharged after only a few minutes in the bed. (We may have even spotted some attendees taking a quick nap!)

EveLab Insights offered on-site skin consultations using its Eve V device, a state-of-the-art skin analysis machine equipped with advanced capabilities to detect and analyze sun damage and identify any factors that may be affecting aging.

This year's SuperMarket was also supplemented by The Formulary where Disruptive Materials and Swiss American CDMO popped up to share their latest innovations and formulations.

Uncertainties around the effects of tariffs announced by U.S. President Trump the day before FUTURE50 loomed large, but instead of despairing over rising costs of manufacturing and packaging components, Chris Sanderson, co-founder of The Future Laboratory, gave a message of hope in his opening keynote. Economic uncertainty affects shopping habits, but beauty remains resilient. Consumers shift spending within the category rather than leaving it and prioritize supporting brands that align with their beliefs. During times of economic challenge, focus on core elements like supply chain, inventory, and customer interactions instead of getting distracted by external noise. Control the controllables, he advises.

BeautyMatter co-founder and CEO Kelly Kovack hosted the first and only conversation between Carol Hamilton and Ali Goldstein since Hamilton handed over the reins as Head of Acquisitions at L’Oréal USA to Goldstein earlier this year. Goldstein has been at L’Oréal for 24 years and was initially hired as a summer intern by none other than Hamilton herself. Most recently, Goldstein was President of the L’Oréal Paris brand, a job that Hamilton held for many years before ascending to Head of Acquisitions.

“When I was offered the job, it was a humbling moment for me,” recalled Goldstein. “It was one of those ‘I made it' moments. I felt a deep responsibility to carry on the legacy that Carol had created that centered women’s empowerment. I hope I can continue that legacy and put my own mark on it.”

Throughout the day, we heard from founders, CEOs, and industry leaders, including Christopher Skinner, Chief Revenue Officer of Front Row; Marco Parsiegla, CEO of Amouage; and Mona Monica Kattan, founder and CEO of  KAYALI. The energy in the room picked up after lunch when a panel about beauty dupes got heated. Meridith Rojas, CMO of MCoBeauty; Ryan Babenzein, CEO and co-founder of Jolie Skin Co; and Sergio Tache, CEO of Dossier, duked it out over the role of dupes in beauty, the difference between counterfeits and dupes, and the shift in consumer perception of dupes in recent years, particularly in fragrance.

“Customers don’t aspire to have one signature scent anymore,” said Tache. “They want to have a wardrobe of perfumes. That’s hard to do when each perfume costs a couple of hundred dollars.”

In today’s fast-paced, social-driven industry, we know the work never stops. Attendees wanting to network or get some work done in a quiet place walked upstairs to the lounge to have those intimate conversations or find a quiet place to respond to emails or take a call. Two TV’s featured a livestream of the panels, allowing guests the option to hear some of the important insights while they checked in with their teams back at the office or caught up with fellow attendees.

The day ended with a conversation between John Cafarelli, co-founder and President at BeautyMatter, and Kecia Steelman, CEO of Ulta Beauty, where Steelman emphasized continuous learning and teamwork over individual stardom as the key to success in her new role. Ulta Beauty is prioritizing wellness in 2025, a category Steelman considers essential to the beauty industry. The company is expanding its in-store wellness sections to all 1,385 stores, significantly increasing from the existing 460 locations.

BeautyMatter's FUTURE50 Summit was a whirlwind of insights, innovations, and inspiration. If you weren't able to attend in person, don't worry; we've got you covered. Over the next few days, we'll be publishing detailed summaries of all the panel discussions that took place at the summit. You'll get key takeaways, thought-provoking quotes, and highlights of the major trends and topics that were explored.

Stay tuned to BeautyMatter for your exclusive recap of the FUTURE50 Summit and catch up on everything you missed.