Inside Sephora's Community Lunch at The Business of Beauty Global Forum
To honour community and connection at the third edition of The Business of Beauty Global Forum, Carolyn Bojanowski, executive vice president of merchandising at Sephora US, gathered an intimate roster of leaders, thinkers and changemakers from across the beauty and wellness sectors for a community lunch between sessions at the forum.
'I've worked at Sephora for more than 20 years and the global community is a critical part of what keeps me so energised and coming back for more,' said Bojanowski in her opening remarks. 'At Sephora, we're excited to keep tracking what you all create and to continue building this industry together.'
In attendance were guests of the forum, including executives and founders from companies including L'Oréal Groupe, Pattern Beauty, Dermalogica, Citi, E.l.f. Beauty, Glossier, Olaplex, Tatcha and Isamaya Beauty.
Conversations at the lunch spanned some of the industry's most pressing market shifts, with emphasis on creating true value in the eyes of discerning consumers. Indeed, The State of Fashion: Beauty report, now in its second volume, found that seventy-five percent of executives surveyed for the report expect consumer scrutiny on perceived value to be the biggest theme shaping the industry. For many in the room, leveraging a brand's community and core purpose is a critical value driver.
'Beauty is inherently about community, and celebrating the founders, business leaders and creators who build and foster that is a powerful thing,' said Sephora's global chief merchandising officer, Priya Venkatesh. 'In settings like this, where attendees come in with authenticity, there is an abundance of opportunity to learn from each other and discuss big challenges we all face, such as reducing carbon footprints and supply chain challenges, but also learning from each other's success stories.'
As the conversation continued over lunch, Venkatesh underscored the importance of open dialogue. 'These [conversations] are pivotal in making the beauty industry more inclusive — and it has come a long way. These types of discussions have led to improved shade ranges, skin care treatments that address issues faced by those with deeper skin tones, as well as developing and offering a wider assortment of products for customers with textured hair. For aspiring founders, being able to hear and learn from the hurdles and highlights others have experienced is invaluable.'
A key takeaway was that — regardless of size and scope — strategic reinvention and reassessment are critical to the continued development of the beauty space more broadly.
'We are enthusiastic to hear from the wider beauty community and learn where we can improve in areas like sustainability, inclusion or how we can tell better stories in new media formats,' concluded Venkatesh. 'The amazing thing about the beauty industry is there is always somewhere new to go.' The Business of Fashion Presents the Business of Beauty Global Forum 2025 - Day 2 From left to right: Carolyn Bojanowski, executive vice president of merchandising at Sephora US; Amy Liu, founder & CEO of Tower 28; and Nikki DeRoest, co-founder and CEO of Ciele Cosmetics. (Getty Images for The Business of Fashion) The Business of Fashion Presents the Business of Beauty Global Forum 2025 - Day 2 From left to right: Amy Lore, associate director of brand partnerships at The Business of Fashion; Timicka Anderson, global industry head of consumer and retail commercial banking at Citi; and Kirsten Johnson, head of prestige skincare at TikTok Shop. (Getty Images for The Business of Fashion) The Business of Fashion Presents the Business of Beauty Global Forum 2025 - Day 2 Ali Goldstein, president of US mergers and acquisitions at L'Oréal Groupe, and Mikayla Nogueira, co-founder of Point of View Beauty. (Getty Images for The Business of Fashion) The Business of Fashion Presents the Business of Beauty Global Forum 2025 - Day 2 Chitra Balireddi, CEO of Nécessaire and Carolyn Bojanowski, executive vice president of merchandising at Sephora US. (Getty Images for The Business of Fashion) The Business of Fashion Presents the Business of Beauty Global Forum 2025 - Day 2 From left to right: Mary Yee, CEO of Tatcha; Nicole Frusci, global CMO of Tatcha; Ryan Scott, CEO of Dieux; and Stella Kim, global director of merchandising at Sephora. (Getty Images for The Business of Fashion) The Business of Fashion Presents the Business of Beauty Global Forum 2025 - Day 2 Christiane Pendarvis, co-CEO of Pattern Beauty, and Nicolas Geiger, executive board member of L'Occitane Group. (Getty Images for The Business of Fashion)
This is a sponsored feature paid for by Sephora as part of a BoF partnership.
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