The Technical Jury

Based in Southeast Asia, Anne-Catherine Auvray is the Executive Beauty Editor at BEAUTYSTREAMS. he has over 17 years’ experience in marketing and communications for the cosmetics industry, including 10 years at Clarins Paris, holding positions such as International Product & Marketing Manager. She was also International Key Account and New Projects Manager for the Cosmoprof shows. Anne Catherine is an expert in branding, marketing strategy, and product development. She currently leads Beautystreams’ Bespoke Division, consulting with clients in Asia on their specific project needs.

Beatrice Balzarotti is an expert in Sensory Anthropology, with a background in Communication and New Media and a specialization in Anthropology and Ethnology. Her academic research explored urban spaces through the senses of taste and smell. She has held multiple roles within the perfume world , from laboratory assistant supporting the perfumer in the creative process, to evaluator, and later consultant in communication and marketing. Currently, she works on research and content development across various cultural and educational contexts and teaches in university and academy programs in Italy. Her work focuses on multisensory languages as tools to inspire, connect, and generate new forms of value.

Nicola Barbini is an Italian expert in cosmetics, sustainable chemistry, and wellness, with a solid background in chemistry and cosmetic sciences. For nine years, he served as President of Italy’s first consortium for cosmetic research, promoting innovation across the industry. At the European level, he was part of the Board of SusChem, the European Commission’s platform for sustainable chemistry. 
He currently leads Job On Beauty, an organization focused on professional training and scientific education in cosmetics and nutraceuticals, through courses, webinars, and sector initiatives. 
As an author and speaker, Barbini regularly contributes to Informatore Cosmetico Qualificato (ICQ) and presents at major key sector events, discussing new trends, regulations, and market dynamics. 
Leveraging his extensive experience, he acts as a technical consultant for cosmetic companies, developing innovative ingredients for skin care, make-up, and hair care in collaboration with leading Italian universities. He also serves as R&D Director for the Aldo Coppola Group, where he oversees research and product development in the hair care sector. 
 

Monia Benvegnù is a professional with over 24 years of experience in the cosmetics sector, gained through roles of increasing responsibility in R&D, technical marketing, sales, and business development at global companies such as BASF-Beauty Care Solutions and Cognis-Laboratoires Serobiologiques. She holds a Master’s degree in Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Technologies from the University of Padua and is a licensed pharmacist.
Her specialization in functional active ingredients for personal care has enabled her to drive innovation and deliver tailored solutions that anticipate market trends and address customer needs. Her expertise spans scientific knowledge transfer, technical training, markets and clients business development and the design of creative concepts that combine texture and actives.
She has also lectured at universities and published articles, consolidating her role as a reference point in the cosmetic industry.

With over 35 years of international experience, Mario De Luigi is a leading expert in cosmetics innovation, color trend forecasting, and product development. Founder and former Creative Director of B.kolormakeup & Skincare, he has collaborated with major global brands on new formulations, brand concepts, and creative marketing strategies. Known for his ability to translate fashion trends into beauty products, he combines deep technical knowledge with strategic insight across make-up, skincare, and global beauty manufacturing. His expertise spans trend forecasting, product innovation, development & manufacturing, brand strategy, and creative direction, making him a respected voice in the international beauty community and a frequent contributor to major media and industry events.

Thomas Hammond is the Sr. Director of Package Development and Engineering at Revlon overseeing global Skincare, Body Care, Promotions, Package Testing, and Change Management. In this role, he is responsible for end to end execution from ideation to manufacturing and production. In his eleven years at Elizabeth Arden and Revlon, he’s worked on their most prestigious skincare and color cosmetic brands while supporting value engineering initiatives, in-sourcing, innovation, and sustainability. Prior to Elizabeth Arden, he worked for PepsiCo aiding in the engineering and development of new soda fountain technology. In the summer of 2012, Thomas spent three months in South Korea for an internship with an injection molding cosmetic factory. He’s traveled domestically and internationally for functional packaging line trials, custom tool development, and innovation trade shows. With those experiences, he’s been able to sharpen his skill set, cultivating himself for a future in the cosmetic industry. In his spare time, he enjoys boating in the summer, skiing in the winter, and football. Thomas holds a Masters in Cosmetic and Fragrance Marketing and Management from FIT and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Rhode Island.

Nina Jones is a freelance writer based in London. She began her career at Women’s Wear Daily’s London bureau, where she spent ten years covering fashion, beauty, and business news for both Women’s Wear Daily and W magazine. As a freelance writer, she writes for trend forecasting companies including BEAUTYSTREAMS and VML Intelligence, alongside creating copy for a number of luxury beauty brands.

Lorne Lucree is a leading expert in beauty innovation, product development, and R&D, with deep expertise in formulation science, ingredient technologies, packaging, sustainability, olfactive trends, and consumer insights. His career spans advertising at Procter & Gamble, global and regional marketing at L'Oréal, R&I and product development at Estée Lauder, brand incubation at Luxury Brand Partners, and manufacturing and operational innovation as Chief Innovation & R&D Officer at Voyant Beauty. He has developed award-winning products for Clinique, R+Co, L’Oréal Professionnel, IGK, ONE/SIZE by PatrickStarrr, and Tatcha. Now, as Founder of Quiet Coyote Consulting, he helps brands, private equity, and contract manufacturers drive innovation and maximize value.

Lorne is a trusted partner to key retailers like Ulta Beauty, where he serves as a Product Development Advisor for the Ulta MUSE Accelerator Program and a member of the Conscious Beauty at Ulta Advisory Board. 

His work has earned 25+ industry awards, including Allure Best of Beauty, Allure Best of Beauty Breakthrough, Refinery29 Beauty Innovator, and Times UK Style Beauty Award. He has an MBA from NYU Stern School of Business and a BSc from Boston University.
 

In Michael’s role as Creative Director, he combines innovative thinking, business acumen and an in-depth knowledge of the beauty industry to collaboratively forecast short and long term trends and lead the artistic direction of BEAUTYSTREAMS’ content. He oversees a team of over 200 international experts to understand macro and consumer trends on a global scale and translate their findings into inspiration for product development, marketing and strategy for companies worldwide.
Michael also leads BEAUTYSTREAMS’ Bespoke Division which delivers tailored trend analyses to global companies such as L’Oréal, Estée Lauder, Unilever and many more. With nearly 20 years experience in fashion and beauty, Michael is a true trend authority, regularly speaking at events and trade shows worldwide and providing commentary and thought leadership in international trade and consumer publications.

As Global Partnerships Director, Fernanda leads BEAUTYSTREAMS’ partnerships and brand collaborations with key organizations worldwide. She works closely with regional teams on both strategic and operational levels. She has over 18 years of experience as a correspondent and editor for international digital media. Previously, she held the esteemed position of Latin America Trend Director at Stylesight, further enhancing her expertise in trend analysis focusing on global and local trends adaptations.
Her diverse background in international environments and cross-cultural experiences, allows her to lead international projects and build strong collaborations with leading beauty companies, trade shows, beauty associations, global consumers, and press. Fernanda has been directing Co-Marketing Projects with Cosmoprof Worldwide Bologna, ASEAN, North America, Asia, and India for more than 8 years, initiating iconic projects. She is also a jury member for international Beauty Awards, and a frequently invited speaker at prestigious beauty industry events around the world.
In addition to her role at BEAUTYSTREAMS, she has dedicated her time to collaborating with the non-profit Openstreams Foundation for the past 5 years, actively supporting disruptive initiatives worldwide.

Highly experienced in cosmetic global regulatory, quality and technical areas, more than 25 years career in pharma and cosmetic brands, member of Advisory Board of start up and Master Degree in Cosmetic Industrial Science Università degli Studi di Milano and Committee Member of La Forza e il Sorriso and Cosmetica Italia. Among other publications wrote the Cosmetologist's Manual
 

As BEAUTYSTREAMS’ Editor in Chief, Paulina Szmydke-Cacciapalle has editorial oversight across all of BEAUTYSTREAMS’ branches including reporting, forecast, webinars, and bespoke. She is responsible for maintaining high quality of content and proposes strategies for new topics and formats. With a bachelor’s degree in applied linguistics and a master’s in journalism, Paulina began her career at Kurier, a daily newspaper. In 2009, she became a foreign correspondent in Paris contributing to a volley of highbrow titles including Die Zeit, The Wall Street Journal, FT/How To Spend It, Parnass Art Magazine, and eventually WWD, the global reference for retail, fashion, and beauty. Over the years, her attention turned to sustainability to which she is actively devoted, not least through the publication of her book,
Making Jeans Green: Linking Sustainability, Business, and Fashion, which set the standards for clean denim production. Her core expertise, today, is clean writing (word pun intended).

Lan Vu is the Founder and CEO of BEAUTYSTREAMS, the first global beauty industry reference.
Founding the company in 2010 with the objective of providing beauty companies with in-depth, cross-category trend analysis, Lan was an avant-garde in her field by creating the first-of-its-kind beauty-dedicated trend forecasting company. As a visionary trend forecaster with over 33 years of experience in the beauty and fashion industries, holding creative leadership positions including VP Creative Director at trend agencies Stylesight and Here & There, Lan is an industry trailblazer and has grown BEAUTYSTREAMS from a start-up to a renowned global trend reference within the industry. As the most trusted beauty trend forecasting company, BEAUTYSTREAMS helps companies like L’Oréal, The Estée Lauder Companies, Amorepacific, and LVMH in their brands’ strategic creative vision, product development, and marketing direction by providing trend-led color forecasts, consumer insights, and market research on a global scale. Contributing to many beauty industry trade shows and conferences as well as being interviewed by prestigious publications like Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and Women’s Wear Daily, Lan is a renowned industry figure.