BITE: The Fashion Week of Beauty Premieres in New York City, September 10

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On September 10, Beauty Independent will debut BITE (Beauty Is The Experience) in New York City — a one-day, high-impact gathering designed to be beauty’s answer to Fashion Week.

Curated exclusively for the industry’s most dynamic players, BITE 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 tightly curated 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,” said 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, offering a behind-the-scenes look at the state of beauty retail. Joining the conversation are retail legends including:

• Jill Granoff (Senior Advisor Eurazeo) — Is a seasoned executive and strategist with over 30 years of leadership in retail, beauty, and fashion. She serves on several prominent boards, including Macy’s Inc., NEST fragrances and Beekman 1802.
• Michelle LeBlanc (CVS Health) — Senior executive overseeing beauty, personal care and Hispanic strategy across CVS’s 9,500 locations in the US and 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; 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 permanent transformation. Merchants aren’t just competing with the store down the street—they’re contending with tech and media giants like Amazon and TikTok, while proving their value alongside a brand’s own DTC 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.

“With so many retailers in attendance, BITE is the perfect moment to have this conversation,” says Naeymi-Rad. He adds, “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?” The summit will tackle these questions head-on, helping retailers chart the future of both their businesses and their teams.

In the afternoon, programming opens to all BITE attendees and cover a broad range topics related to brand-building and commercial operations, including:

• Creator Confidential: Driving Influence in Beauty — OGAKI founder & CEO Renée Ogaki, creator Helena Glazer (Brooklyn Blonde), and Imaraïs Beauty founder & 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 (True Beauty Ventures), Neda Daneshzadeh (Prelude Growth Partners), Lisa Sugar (Sugar Capital), and Shamin Wash (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 & 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,” said 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.”

BITE premieres September 10 in New York City. Exhibitor spaces are sold out. Tickets for attendees are available now here: https://site.pheedloop.com/event/bitenyc25/register#category.