Applied Sustainability: Kate McLeod, Beekman 1802, Certification Insights & More

Kate McLeod (center) and Nichola Gray (at right), co-founders of water- and plastic-free beauty brand Make McLeod, will join sustainability certification expert Anja Nikolova at Beauty Accelerate 2022 in NYC; the event will also donate a portion of proceeds to the Ocean Foundation.
Kate McLeod (center) and Nichola Gray (at right), co-founders of water- and plastic-free beauty brand Make McLeod, will join sustainability certification expert Anja Nikolova at Beauty Accelerate 2022 in NYC; the event will also donate a portion of proceeds to the Ocean Foundation.

Sustainable innovation will be front and center at Beauty Accelerate 2022 in NYC, featuring eco-friendly upstart Kate McLeod, Beekman 1802, a breakdown of sustainability certifications and a unique partnership with the Ocean Foundation. 

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First up, Anja Nikolova will present "Certifiable Sustainability: Packaging, Formulas, Processes and More." The session will give insights to brands and their partners can apply to certifying elements of their organizations and products, an increasingly important demand of today's shoppers

Nikolova is an internationally recognized expert in the field of consumer goods and climate change, with experience at L'Oreal, LVMH, The World Bank, The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and The Craftory.

While at L'Oreal and LVMH, she helped implement the Sustainable Product Optimization Tool (S.P.O.T.). She holds an MSc in Environmental Management (2017) from Yale University and is a Rotary Global Ambassador in the field of environment, business and development.

Next, Kate McLeod and Nichola Gray, co-founders of  water- and plastic-free beauty brand Make McLeod, will speak to scaling an at-home small business into a seven-plus-figure operation in three years, as well as the evolution of the clean beauty industry. They will also offer insights into establishing major retail partnerships. 

In its short lifespan, the brand has launched the Face Stone solid moisturizer and expanded to Sephora.

Forbes declared the moisturizer This Solid Moisturizer Is A Godsend For Pregnancy Self-Care, while The Strategist called it The Lotion Bar I’ve Gifted to Myself, My Mom, and My 88-Year-Old Grandmother.

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Kate McLeod left a career in finance to become a pastry chef, called off a wedding and returned to reunite with her first love, found solace on a yoga mat, and accidentally stumbled into the world of skincare via a chunk of cocoa butter. Kate uses her classical culinary training to harness the power of natural ingredients and transform them into award-winning, zero waste products. She currently lives in the Hudson Valley with her husband Justin and two children, Oliver and Margaux. 

Co-founder Nichola Gray is an experienced operator with a passion for problem solving and innovation who leapt at the opportunity to join Kate McLeod in bringing her business out of her kitchen and into the world. Gray has led the company's efforts to scale its made-from-scratch manufacturing capabilities and double down on its sustainability initiatives. 

Jill Scalamandre, CEO, Beekman 1802, will also take the stage at Beauty Accelerate 2022. Beekman 1802 is known for its skin-friendly ethos; Healthline even praised the brand for its efficacy in addressing eczema.

The brand has scaled up its goat-milk-centric skin and body care brand, expanding to Ulta Beautyopening a second LaGuardia airport storelaunching a buzzy Bridgerton collaboration and, most recently, by launching a mobile skin biome analysis tool.

The brand was acquired by Eurazeo in December 2021, with Scalamandre joining thereafter, setting up Beekman 1802 for its next phase of growth.

Finally, inspired by World Ocean Day, Beauty Accelerate has recommitted to The Ocean Foundation (TOF), a nonprofit organization dedicated to reversing the trend of ocean environment destruction around the world.

Through this partnership, now in its second year, a portion of the proceeds from Beauty Accelerate registrations will be dedicated exclusively toward TOF's Redesigning Plastics Initiative, for which, as readers of Global Cosmetic Industry and Cosmetics & Toiletries—the media brands hosting Beauty Accelerate—are aware, there is much more work to be done to establish a more circular and sustainable future.

"The industry has made great strides in sustainability in recent years, enabled by innovative technologies," said Rachel Grabenhofer, managing scientific editor, Cosmetics & Toiletries. "This includes everything from responsible sourcing, social progress, reducing emissions and improving transparency, to greener chemistries, low-water formulating, cultured extracts, fermented processes, refillable and recyclable packaging, and more. But I believe we're just getting started."

Through this partnership, now in its second year, a portion of the proceeds from Beauty Accelerate registrations will be dedicated exclusively toward TOF's Redesigning Plastics Initiative."

Don't miss out on this dynamic event. 

>>>Registration is now open; sign up now for best rates.<<<

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