BITE: The Fashion Week Of Beauty Premieres In NYC On Sept. 10
Curated exclusively for the industry’s most dynamic players, BITE, which stands for Beauty is the Experience, brings together high-growth brands, forward-thinking retailers, top-tier investors and best-in-class service providers for a day of discovery, connection and influence.
“Beauty Independent has been championing beauty entrepreneurs since day one,” says Nader Naeymi-Rad, founder of Indie Beauty Media Group and publisher of Beauty Independent. “With BITE, we’re creating the kind of professional event they’ve always deserved: elevated, efficient and unforgettable. This isn’t a trade show, it’s a movement. And the fact that our exhibition spaces sold out long ago tells you the industry’s ready for it.”
BITE’s exhibition floor will feature 100 brands, including RoC Skincare, Neom Wellbeing, True Botanicals, Vitamasques, AKT London and Innersense Organic Beauty, alongside a select group of service providers shaping the next chapter of beauty.
Unlike traditional trade shows, BITE doesn’t pack brands into endless rows of generic booths. Instead, it presents them in an elevated, brand-true environment that inspires connection and mirrors the quality of the products on display.
“In an industry defined by speed, fragmentation and rising expectations, BITE offers something rare, a physical space to build relationships, trade insights and set a new standard for how beauty does business,” says RoC Skincare CEO Fernando Acosta. “No matter how established a brand is, showing up at events like this signals leadership, fuels connection and reinforces relevance in a constantly evolving landscape.”
Programming That Delivers Substance
At BITE, content is curated and produced entirely by Beauty Independent, the single most trusted source of news, insights and analysis for beauty and wellness entrepreneurs. The result is programming that’s timely, relevant and deeply informed by the industry’s realities.
The day begins with a retailer-only summit open only to merchants and buyers sponsored by FLIX Media and offering a behind-the-scenes look at the state of beauty retail. Joining the conversation are retail legends including:
- Jill Granoff (Eurazeo) — She’s a seasoned executive, advisor and strategist with over 30 years of leadership in retail, beauty and fashion. She serves on several prominent boards, including Macy’s, Nest and Beekman 1802.
- Michelle LeBlanc (CVS Health) — Senior executive overseeing beauty, personal care and Hispanic strategy across CVS’s 9,500 locations in the United States and its online business.
- Kate Oldham (Saks Fifth Avenue) — Longtime luxury beauty merchant credited with transforming Saks into a beauty destination across cosmetics, skincare, fragrance and wellness. She was honored by The Fragrance Foundation’s Circle of Champions for her impact on the category.
The retailer-only summit was created with intent. Retail is in the midst of a transformation. Merchants aren’t just competing with the store down the street, they’re contending with technology and media giants like Amazon and TikTok, while proving their value alongside a brand’s own direct-to-consumer channel. At the same time, the selling environment is more complex than ever, demanding faster decisions, sharper insights and more agile strategies. In this climate, the role of the merchant and buying teams—the people who shape retail assortments—must evolve to thrive. The summit will tackle these questions head-on, helping retailers chart the future of both their businesses and their teams.
“With so many retailers in attendance, BITE is the perfect moment to have this conversation,” says Naeymi-Rad. “Beauty buying was once one of the most coveted career paths, but with continued cost-cutting and emergence of AI tools, we must ask what skills and instincts will define the most successful merchants in the years ahead? And with brands and tech companies competing for the same talent, why will the best and brightest still choose a career in beauty buying?”
In the afternoon, programming opens to all BITE attendees and covers a broad range of topics related to brand-building and commercial operations, including:
- Creator Confidential: Driving Influence in Beauty — OGAKI founder and CEO Renée Ogaki, creator Helena Glazer, aka Brooklyn Blonde, and Imaraïs Beauty founder and CEO Aaron Hefter unpack what authentic influence looks like in 2025 and how content becomes a community-building engine.
- CTRL + ALT + MARKET: Rebooting Beauty Marketing — AKT co-founders Andy Coxon and Ed Currie, Maesa CMO Oshiya Savur and Caldera + Lab founder Jared Pobre explore the platforms, strategies and creative thinking pushing beauty marketing forward.
- Pitch to Partnership — Investors Cristina Nuñez, co-founder and managing partner at True Beauty Ventures, Neda Daneshzadeh, co-founder and managing partner at Prelude Growth Partners, Lisa Sugar, co-founder of Sugar Capital, and Shamin Wash, managing director of BAM Ventures, share what it takes to stand out and how to forge values-aligned partnerships that go beyond capital.
- Idea to Icon: Product Development Today — IPG President and co-founder Tish Poling and True Botanicals chief product officer Sarina Godin dig into the realities of taking a product from concept to cult favorite.
- C-Suite Construction: Building the A-Team — Beacon Wellness Brands CEO Maria Warrington, Aramore CEO Melisse Shaban, Force Brands VP Jessica Tully, and Fernando Acosta discuss building executive teams that turn traction into breakout success, moderated by former Revive Skincare and Laura Geller Beauty CEO Elana Drell-Szyfer.
Why Now
BITE was created for the age of champions, today’s beauty landscape where the strongest, most innovative brands are led by professional entrepreneurs, backed by disciplined investors and partnered with strategic retailers. It’s a market that’s outgrown bloated, outdated trade shows and needs something more curated, efficient and inspiring.
“We called it BITE—Beauty Is The Experience—because beauty isn’t meant to live behind a screen or under fluorescent lights,” says Naeymi-Rad. “It’s meant to be held, worn and felt. With BITE, we’re creating the Fashion Week of beauty: where great brands meet their moment, where the industry connects face-to-face and where beauty gets the spotlight it deserves.”
Exhibitor spaces are sold out for BITE in NYC. Tickets for attendees are available now with Early Bird pricing ending soon, click here to secure tickets.
The players
5 mentionedToo Faced
Laura Geller Beauty
Caldera + Lab
Beekman 1802
True Botanicals
