It’s fitting that the acronym for Los Angeles Beauty is L.A.B.— because California is the land where innovation is born. From the earliest days of Max Factor’s pancake makeup to the rise of the clean category and the wellness revolution today, West Coast-based brands are forging a path forward for the industry overall.
At the second annual L.A.B. Forum, to be held April 16 at the 1 Hotel in West Hollywood, WWD will bring together buzz builders and entrepreneurs from beauty, wellness, tech, entertainment and finance to share insights into what’s working today — and why.
Key themes will include identifying white space opportunity, integration after acquisition, insights into what’s driving Alpha’s purchasing habits (is there more to marketing than TikTok?) and what’s new in wellness.
Thus far, confirmed speakers include Halsey, the award-winning singer whose brands, About-Face and AF94 have electrified consumers, with Jeanne Chavez, who helped bring Halsey’s vision to life; Christie Fleischer, CEO of Benefit, Katerina Schneider, CEO and founder of Ritual; Sarah Gibson Tuttle, CEO and founder of Olive & June; Sasha Plavsic, founder of Ilia, and Apothékary’s Shizu Okusa, Cann’s Jake Bullock and Kin Euphorics’ Jen Batchelor, who will talk about the boom in the alcohol alternative market. Rebecca Bartlett from Bartlett Brands, Tina Henry Bou-Saba from Verity Venture Partners, Kevin Murphy of Sonoma Brands Capital and Liz Whitman from Exponent Beauty will also be joining us, and we’ll be announcing more speakers in the days to come.
L.A.B. promises to be a day full of learning, actionable insights and great networking, and we look forward to seeing you there.
Jenny B. Fine
Editor in Chief, Beauty Inc
Executive Editor, Beauty, WWD
