The Power of Collaboration Over Competition

Allison McNamara is the founder of MARA, an award-winning line of algae-infused skincare that centers around MARA’s wild crafted, proprietary algae blend sourced in Ireland and France. MARA has garnered a cult celebrity following for key hero products, first-to-market formulas, and transformative results. Prior to launching MARA, Allison was a fashion and beauty digital content creator, journalist and on-camera host for POPSUGAR, Refinery29, ET and more and used her industry knowledge to create MARA.

Kendra Kolb Butler founded Alpyn Beauty in 2018 after reaching for the wild plants that were thriving in her own backyard to treat and hydrate mountain skin. Today Alpyn Beauty remains the only skin care brand to sustainably harvest wildcrafted ingredients straight from the mountains of Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Alpyn is a 1% for the planet brand that is climate positive and plastic neutral. It is also in partnership with Grand Teton National Park Foundation (GTNPF) sharing the mission to re-wild ~4,500 acres of land.

Bloomeffects, the first skincare brand to harness the previously unknown hydrating and regenerative properties of the tulip, was founded in 2019 by Kim van Haaster. Kim always dreamed of having her own skincare range, and even with years of experience in the New York beauty industry, she never found a truly unique, pure, and natural ingredient that provided effective results…until she moved to the Netherlands for love! Her now husband and partner, a 4th generation tulip farmer, provided a beautiful yet simple ingredient to enrich her skincare concept – his globally renowned award-winning royal tulips. Tapping into one of the world’s most glorious natural resources – Holland’s world-renowned tulips – Bloomeffects delivers exceptionally authentic, wildly effective, and clean skincare. All products are formulated with the Bloomeffects Proprietary Dutch Tulip Complex – rich in antioxidants, natural moisturizing factors, and amino acids for softer, smoother, and glowingly hydrated skin. In pursuit of clean beauty, Bloomeffects is also committed to sustainability through environmentally friendly and responsible processes in all elements of development and production, including circular farming practices and the upcycling of tulip bulbs – making the Bloomeffects experience beautiful from the inside out.

Kelly Kovack is the CEO and Founder of BeautyMatter, a noted beauty authority, brand advisor and strategist. She began her career in beauty as one of the original executive team members at Bliss, taking on the way women bought beauty as the Managing Director of the Bliss Catalog. This venture fundamentally changed the way beauty products were merchandised, distributed and marketed to consumers leading the acquisition of Bliss by LVMH. As Vice President of Marketing for Dr. Dennis Gross Skincare, she was at the forefront of defining the cosmeceutical category. Kelly also founded consultancy group Purpose Built, providing concept to counter solutions and strategic advisement for startups to Fortune 500 brand and everything in between. In addition, she's also built her own brands, most recently award-winning fragrance brand, Odin, which was co-founded in collaboration with the men's fashion brand. Kelly is the “lens” of BeautyMatter providing a fresh voice to the beauty industry with highly curated news and original content.