A full-day free e-conference dedicated to beauty product development.
If you’re a brand, whether prospective or established, looking to understand the critical moving parts behind launching a successful beauty product, this event is one you won’t want to miss. Conferences like this tyically cost thousands of dollars to attend. The Product Development E-Summit is free.
This event is part of The Eco Well’s free e-conference initiative, created to address accessibility gaps in the beauty conference and information landscape. High-quality industry conferences are often prohibitively expensive due to registration and travel costs, yet they remain essential spaces for knowledge sharing. These barriers limit student access, leave smaller brands under-resourced, allow misinformation to persist, and slow collective industry progress. Our free e-summit series is an effort to help close these gaps.
As you can imagine, producing events like this requires significant effort, from coordination to expert participation. If you’d like to continue seeing free, high-quality education like this, please share! The impact, and sustainability, of this initiative depends on reach, and that’s where you can help.
Interested in partnering with us as a summit sponsor? Please reach out directly at info@theecowell.com
What you receive with registration:
Live access to the summit, including real-time Q&A with globally recognized experts
On-demand replays, delivered straight to your inbox
A comprehensive e-book summary, distilling every presentation into practical chapters you can return to as a go-to product development resource
If you have any issues with the sign up, reach out to us at info@theecowell.com so we can manually add you to our guest list :)
Agenda
The brand founder experience + AMA, Presented by Marie Drago PharmD (Gallinee), Chayadhorn “Ing” Kitiyadisai (INGU Skin), Priscilla Tsai (cocokind)
Product Development Overview, Presented by Geetha Solheim
Formulation 101, Presented by Jane Tsui and Ramon Pagan
Regulatory 101, Presented by Meredith Petillo
Safety 101, Presented by Zoran Gavric
Claims Development + Testing 101, Presented by Rania Ibrahim PhD and Claire Bing
Legal 101, Presented by Avril Love
Supply Chain + Sustainability 101, Presented by Shannon Hess, Maggie Spicer and Jen Novakovich
Packaging 101, Presented by Marta Wolska-Brys and Matt Gibney
Manufacturing, Quality + Scale up 101, Presented by Richie Rubin and Geoff Waby
Speaker bios
Claire Bing is the CEO and founder of Confiance Cosmetic Group, a regulatory and quality consulting firm serving cosmetic brands and suppliers globally. With over 15 years of experience, she specializes in regulatory strategy, international market expansion, and compliance management across 200+ countries. Prior to founding Confiance, Claire held senior regulatory and quality leadership positions at Maesa and Tarte Cosmetics. She serves as Adjunct Professor at Fordham Law School, where she co-created the first cosmetics regulation course offered at a U.S. law school, and is an active member of the Independent Beauty Association's Government & Public Relations Committee.
Geetha Solheim is a product developer with 20 years of experience creating innovative formulations across beauty, personal care, home cleaning, and disinfection categories. She specializes in developing formulations for microefficacy, sensory effects, performance claims, and new packaging formats, including natural/green solutions that have become category leaders. Geetha is passionate about turning ideas into memorable consumer experiences and thrives in the collaborative process of bringing products to market – from early concept and R&D to manufacturing start-up. Over her career, she has contributed to iconic product portfolios such as Method, Clorox, and CoverGirl, blending technical expertise with a consumer-focused approach. In addition to her product development work, Geetha serves as Data & Membership Specialist for the Independent Beauty Association (IBA), where she supports mission-critical operations to advance and advocate for independent beauty businesses.
Rania Ibrahim MS, PhD is a leading expert and thought leader in the cosmetic and personal care testing industry, with a robust academic and professional background. She earned her Bachelor's degree in Physics from the American University in Cairo, followed by a Master of Science in Biomechanical Engineering from the University of Cincinnati. She then earned her PhD in Pharmaceutical and Cosmetic Science from the University of Cincinnati's College of Pharmacy, where her research focused on the transdermal delivery of drugs and products through the skin. Her education laid a strong foundation for a distinguished career. As Clinical Director of a major Contract Research Organization (CRO) for over 14 years, she worked with cosmetic companies of all sizes, gaining invaluable insight into the challenges and needs of the industry. Building on her success in the clinical testing space, she founded SkinScience Analytics in Phoenix, AZ, a cutting-edge testing lab specializing in the safety and efficacy of cosmetic and personal care products. She has also expanded her expertise by acquiring KGL Study Skin Center in Pennsylvania, a CRO that specializes in dermatological testing under the leadership of renowned dermatologists. Through her unique combination of academic expertise, hands-on experience, and leadership in both large and small-scale testing environments, Rania has become a driving force in advocating for rigorous scientific testing and responsible industry practices.
Zoran Gavrić is the Scientific Director and founder of The Regulatory Company (TRC), a consultancy specializing in regulatory compliance, toxicology, and chemical risk assessment for cosmetics and personal care. With over 20 years of experience across government, industry, and academia, he helps bridge science, regulation, and innovation in product safety. He leads TRC’s work supporting global partners on compliance and safety assessment, and developed PRIMS Compliance Software, a platform integrating safety assessment, compliance, and dossier management. Zoran also lectures on Regulatory Toxicology and advanced NAMs, and serves as Scientific Director of ERPA
Meredith Petillo brings over 15 years of experience in cosmetic regulatory affairs, legal advertising claims, product testing and product development to support Independent Beauty Association’s (IBA) member companies with regulatory and technical solutions to grow and thrive. She holds a BS in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology and an MS in Regulatory Affairs for Drugs, Biologics & Medical Devices. Meredith leads IBA’s Technical and Regulatory programming, education, and advocacy.
Marie Drago PharmD is a French Doctor in Pharmacy and the founder of Gallinée Microbiome skincare. The brand was created in London in 2016, based on her pharmacy thesis and her personal experience with autoimmune disease, which created a lifelong passion about the skin microbiome. The brand was acquired by the Shiseido group in 2022.
Chayadhorn “Ing” Kitiyadisai is the founder of INGU, a Thai skincare brand built on ingredient transparency and modern T-Beauty storytelling. A third-generation cosmetic manufacturer and content creator, Ing brings formulation and education together to make skincare more approachable for consumers. His work aims to show that Thai beauty can stand on its own as innovative, credible, and proudly local.
Priscilla Tsai set out to create cocokind in 2015, with the goal of empowering and celebrating people for exactly who they are. After years of not seeing her real skin reflected in the beauty industry and overpaying for a lack of results, she decided to start cocokind - a community brand rooted in transparency and accessibility. With a commitment to high-quality formulas at transparent prices, cocokind develops every formula to deliver powerful results while being kind to sensitive skin. Their formulating philosophy is “a little bit often,” which means incorporating effective, clinical ingredients that can be used every day without compromising the skin barrier. Her products are accessible at every Target and Ulta in the country. Priscilla was born and raised in Michigan and is a proud Taiwanese-American.
Ramón Pagan is a Puerto Rican cosmetic chemist, product developer, content creator, and esthetician whose content focuses on promoting diversity and inclusivity in the cosmetic industry, as well as making cosmetic science an approachable and fun topic for all. Ramon does sci-comm via his social media page @glowbyramon.
Jane Tsui is a cosmetic chemist and science communicator, otherwise known as @janethechemist on social media, where she amassed a following of over 160k. After graduating with a chemistry degree from UCI, Jane Tsui has worked extensively in the cosmetic chemistry space as a formulator. From working at contract manufacturers to big pharma, Jane has grown an immense passion for skincare and makeup
Geoff Waby has more than 40 years of experience, firstly with P&G and secondly with Estée Lauder. He led the Quality Assurance organizations in both Europe and North America, manufacturing personal care products and OTC drugs. In this role, he was responsible for quality in suppliers, third party manufacturers and in-house R&D and manufacturing. He has also worked in a third-party testing facility doing both microbiological and analytical tests for the cosmetic, pharmaceutical and medical device Industries. Geoff has been an active member of Cosmetics Europe and now the Independent Beauty Association and Personal Care Products Council. He is the co-lead of a PCPC task force which has established a hygienic manufacturing graduate certificate course with the James L Winkle College of Pharmacy at the University of Cincinnati. He is currently an independent consultant and is board director of Obelis USA. Obelis provides support to domestic and international companies for compliance with the Modernization of Cosmetics Act, 2022. He is also a member of the NSF Joint Committee creating a new national standard for personal care products.
Richie Rubin is the Executive Vice President of the consumer product goods manufacturer, Garcoa, where he is responsible for effectively managing the operations of the company. This includes developing a strategic plan that guides the organization, coordinating efforts to fulfill all established operational goals, and enhancing cross-functional collaboration to ensure successful execution.
Maggie Spicer is an attorney and the founder of Source Beauty, a DC-based law firm specializing in sustainability and social impact in the beauty industry. She works with global brands and retailers on ESG issues related to product design, marketing, compliance, and corporate strategy. She was previously an associate at the global law firm White & Case, where she specialized in trade compliance and business & human rights, before moving in-house at Amazon to serve as supply chain regulatory counsel.
Shannon Hess is an accomplished corporate responsibility and supply chain leader with more than 25 years of global experience driving risk management and transforming sourcing practices to build brand equity across the fragrance, cosmetic, food, and household product sectors. Her career spans senior leadership roles including Director of Responsible Sourcing at The Clorox Company and Vice President of the Global Shea Alliance, and she now leads her own firm, Responsible Sourcing Partnership, focused on advancing responsible and ethical sourcing strategies. Shannon has deep expertise in developing and executing sustainability initiatives for both mass and luxury multinational consumer goods brands, while effectively managing cost, complexity, and the growing demands for transparency and traceability from investors, customers, consumers, and NGOs.
Avril Love is counsel at K&L Gates in Los Angeles, specializing in commercial disputes with a focus on FDA-regulated industries. With extensive experience defending medical device, pharmaceutical, and consumer product companies, she advises on product liability, advertising, privacy, and regulatory compliance. Avril has particular expertise in helping personal care and consumer brands navigate legal and reputational risks, offering both defense and proactive strategies. She trains internal teams, anticipates legal exposure, and builds compliance frameworks to help clients mitigate risk before litigation arises.
Marta Wolska-Brys brings more than 20 years of global experience in packaging development and new product launches, leading innovative, complex projects through strong cross-functional collaboration. Her core expertise spans packaging development, supplier partnerships, new product commercialization, process efficiency, and continuous quality improvement. Prior to founding her consulting firm, Packaging & Beyond LLC, Marta held multiple packaging development leadership roles at L’Oréal, most recently serving as Director of Open Innovation for Packaging Innovation in the Americas. Through Packaging & Beyond, she supports consumer packaged goods brands with packaging scouting and sourcing, partner connections, and end-to-end packaging development for new product launches.
Matt Gibney is a recognized expert in package testing and packaging technology, with more than 20 years of hands-on industry experience. As the Principal and Founder of PTI, Matt has built a reputation for delivering practical, science-based solutions that help brands ensure package performance, safety, and compliance. He has worked extensively with clients in the cosmetic and skincare industry, as well as food/beverage and other CPG companies, supporting a wide range of packaging needs—from material and design evaluation and performance testing to distribution readiness and risk mitigation. Known for his deep technical knowledge and client-focused approach, Matt is frequently relied upon as a trusted advisor for complex packaging challenges. Matt holds a Master of Science degree in Food Science and Technology from Virginia Tech and is actively involved in advancing packaging standards and best practices through leadership roles in professional organizations. For ASTM he has held various chairperson roles, served on many task groups including as a package testing expert for the U.S. Technical Advisory Group (TAG) for ISO/ANSI. Matt is an ISTA member and certified lab professional (CPLP) as well as an IOPP lifetime certified packaging professional (CPP).
Jen Novakovich is a cosmetic scientist, science communicator, founder of The Eco Well, and co-founder of BeautySciComm. Jen began her career working as a cosmetic formulator before she transitioned into science communication and working as a technical consultant. She has developed an expertise in sustainability substantiation, management, and regulations. Through her sci-comm work, she’s interviewed over 1,000 subject matter experts and hosts a regular cosmetic science focused podcast The Eco Well Podcast. She’s also launched several larger scale science conferences and is a regular moderator in industry panels. Jen currently serves on the Supply Chain and Sustainability Resource with the Independent Beauty Association. She completed two bachelor’s of science degrees, in Nutrition and Nutraceutical Sciences and Zoology, a diploma in formulation chemistry, a masters of science in environmental science, and a graduate certificate in environmental policy. She is currently completing a PhD at the University of Ottawa in their Environmental Sustainability department studying the impact of misinformation on environmental outcomes in the cosmetics and chemicals sector
