IBA's Cosmetics Convergence

Don Frey

Don Frey is the President/CEO of the Independent Beauty Association (IBA), formerly the Independent Cosmetic Manufacturers and Distributors Association (ICMAD). Don has over 35 years of experience in the Personal Care and Cosmetics business. His experience has primarily been in Research & Development including formulation, package engineering, safety and toxicology, consumer insights, and regulatory and claims development/substantiation. His professional experience has spanned many companies and brands, both large and small, including Procter & Gamble, Cover Girl, Gillette, Jafra Cosmetics, Avon, Method, and The Honest Company. He also has experience both domestically as well as internationally including living and working in Japan for two years to help build out P&G’s Asian personal care business. Don has been active in industry organizations having served as Membership Chair and Supply Chain Sustainability Resource Chair for IBA, President of the Board for Beauty Industry West, and currently serves on Cradle2Cradle’s Standards Steering Committee. ×

Elizabeth Corrigan

Elizabeth is an entrepreneur who has made her mark in the beauty industry over the last 30 years by leading some of the largest and most respected global giants like L’Oreal, LVMH, Olaplex and bluemercury. At The Complete Package, Elizabeth has built and led a team of category experts with a deep knowledge and experience in all disciplines within supply chain management inclusive of product development and formulation, global and regional strategies within manufacturing and procurement, packaging development, and multi-channel distribution. Recently, Elizabeth has been instrumental in Olaplex’s IPO and Advent International’s acquisition of Orveon, (3 legacy brands Laura Mercier, Bare Minerals and Buxom) as well as an execution advisor to carve out significant and complex business operations from Shiseido. ×

Meredith Petillo

Meredith is the Vice President of Technical & Regulatory Services at the non-profit trade association Independent Beauty Association. Meredith leverages over 15 years of experience in cosmetic regulatory affairs, legal advertising claims, product testing and product development to support IBA member companies with regulatory and technical solutions in order to grow and thrive. She joined the Product Development team at Bare Escentuals where she established an in-house Regulatory Department. She was responsible for all regulatory compliance activities and product testing for the U.S. and international launches for bareMinerals, BUXOM and MDFormulations. She then returned home to the East Coast working on North American Regulatory Affairs for Banana Boat, Hawaiian Tropic and Schick at Energizer (now Edgewell). She then joined Reckitt Benckiser’s Legal department as Advertising Claims Manager. At RB, Meredith developed claims testing protocols, supported NAD challenges, and was responsible for legal approval of all claims and advertising materials for RB’s Health & Hygiene portfolios including Mucinex, Delsym, Air Wick, Lysol, Veet, Clearasil, Durex, among many others. Before joining the team at IBA, Meredith also provided regulatory and technical consulting services for cosmetics and personal care companies at Product Integrity Laboratory. She holds a B.S. in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology from the University of Richmond and an M.S. in Regulatory Affairs for Drugs, Biologics & Medical Devices from Northeastern University. ×

Akemi Ooka

With over 20 years of CPG experience, from Fortune 500 companies to small startups, Akemi’s experience ranges from product development to supply chain transformation. Akemi has run chemical procurement at The Clorox Company, formulation and fragrance development at method, and was most recently VP Product at J.R. Watkins, overseeing development, quality, regulatory compliance, claim support, and third-party manufacturing for personal care, home care, and OTC remedies. She now heads up IBA’s supply chain and sustainability resources, supporting independent businesses in the beauty industry. Akemi holds a B.A. in Chemistry from Rutgers University and a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the UCLA. ×

Ronie Schmelz

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Claire Bing

Claire Bing is CEO & Founder of Confiance Cosmetic Group, a boutique consulting firm providing strategic guidance and expert solutions tailored to meet the unique regulatory challenges of the cosmetics industry. Currently, she is also adjunct faculty at The Fordham University School of Law where she co-developed and taught for the past 7 years a course on Cosmetic Regulations in the US. Claire formerly was VP of Regulatory and Quality at Maesa, a Bain Capital portfolio company and beauty brand incubator, and prior to that, at Tarte Cosmetics for over 7 years. Claire co-authored with Vanessa Adriana Nadal Esq. a contributing chapter, "The Many Nuances of FDA's Oversight of Cosmetics," in the recent edition "How FDA Really Works: Insights from the Experts," published by the Food and Drug Law Institute (FDLI). Claire holds a B.S. in microbiology and a B.A. in history of art from The Ohio State University and resides in Brooklyn, NY. ×

Angela Diesch

Angela Diesch is an attorney with extensive experience representing cosmetic brands. As a litigator, Angela defends against commercial, products liability, and class action litigation threats. As regulatory counsel, she helps companies reach and maintain regulatory compliance. As outside General Counsel, Angela helps cosmetic companies meet the daily challenges that arise in the dynamic and competitive cosmetic industry. Angela’s unique focus on cosmetics, particularly in the natural and organic sector, includes extensive experience assisting with product packaging and labeling, claim review and substantiation, and third-party certifications. Angela is a Partner with Amin Talati Wasserman, LLP, chairs NSF International’s Joint Committee on the Good Manufacturing Practices for Cosmetics, is a member of the Global Retailers and Manufacturers Alliance, a member of Independent Beauty Association, an advisory board member to NOHBA, and author of the blog, CosmeticsAndTheLaw.com. ×

David Dilk

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Ben Erickson

Ben Erickson is an Enterprise Sales Executive for Transparency, a product serialization service that identifies individual units and proactively prevents counterfeits & materially different product from reaching customers. In his role, Ben primarily works within the realm of Consumer Packaged Goods and engages directly with Brands, Amazon Teams, & Packaging Suppliers to create the most trusted and delightful shopping experience for customers. ×

Valerie George

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John Hite

John is a Senior Associate with Clear Strategy and a member of the Project Team supporting Circular Action Alliance (CAA), a 501(c)(3) non-profit Producer Responsibility Organization established to support the successful implementation of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) laws for paper and packaging in the U.S. John works between CAA’s Stakeholder Engagement & Communications and Regulatory teams. John is a waste policy expert with a specific focus on product stewardship regulatory development. Prior to joining Clear Strategy, John worked with the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CT DEEP) to facilitate the development of priority waste legislation, including an EPR for packaging proposal. Earlier in his career, John spent three years with the Conservation Law Foundation in New England designing and advocating in support of several waste policies, including EPR for packaging and deposit return systems throughout the region. ×

Karen Jenner

Dr Karen Jenner is Head of the Environmental Product Safety Science Group at Givaudan UK focusing on chemical registration, alternative methods for environmental safety assessment and external advocacy activities. She has more than 35 years’ experience in the fragrance industry, joining initially as an organic research chemist and moving to Regulatory Affairs and Product Safety in 2007. For the past 5 years, she has actively been involved in industry advocacy efforts related to the EU Microplastic regulation. ×

Melanie Howard

Melanie Howard’s practice focuses on the acquisition, protection, licensing, exploitation and sale of intangible assets for major brands and individual talent. Clients laud her as “super responsive” and seek her out for her practical guidance and business-minded approach. Melanie’s unmatched experience in the fashion, luxury and retail sectors has been recognized by industry leaders, including through participating as a Partner of the Luxury Law Alliance, which in 2021 named Loeb as the Best New Luxury Law Firm. Her practice also spans entertainment and media, esports and Web3, including advising clients and managing deals involving cryptocurrency, blockchain, non-fungible tokens (NFTs), minting, licensing and royalty structures, advertising issues and brand protection, exploitation and enforcement in the metaverse.
Clients regularly turn to Melanie for strategic brand protection guidance and counsel on intellectual property support in the context of mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and other complex commercial transactions as well as licensing, influencer, sponsorship and endorsement deals. Melanie also has extensive experience in copyright and trademark infringement disputes, false advertising cases, right of publicity cases and entertainment contractual disputes. She serves as Chair of the Brand Protection Group and curates Loeb’s “Branded” publication.
A member of the Privacy, Security & Data Innovations team, Melanie also advises clients on a myriad of data privacy and security issues, including data protection strategy, privacy by design, cross-border transfers of personal data, legal compliance and the development of internal data security and privacy practices and policies, with a particular focus on the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), taking effect in January 2023. She regularly handles IP and technology transactions relating to software and mobile application development, software licensing, e-commerce solutions, technology vendor agreements and other data intensive transactions.
Melanie currently serves as Secretary and Board member of Saving Innocence, a nonprofit organization focused on combating sexual slavery and trafficking. She also maintains an active pro bono practice, including managing matters for The Bail Project, Dress for Success and the ACLU of Southern California, who awarded her a Community Service Award in 2021.
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Rick Kingston

Dr. Kingston is President of Regulatory and Scientific Affairs, and co-founder of SafetyCall International. He is a Clinical Professor, in the College of Pharmacy, at the University of Minnesota and Dr. Kingston also holds the title of Adjunct Professor at the University of Mississippi, an FDA Center of Excellence. In the area of Product Safety/Regulatory Policy he has helped shape national policy on a variety of critical issues related to product safety. ×

Kurt Kober

Kurt Kober is the General Manager of Apparel and Vice President of Commercial Strategy at The Honest Company. In his role Kurt leads everyday management of the fast growing Honest Baby Clothing Business Unit along with retail strategy. Since joining Honest Kurt has helped lead the company through its IPO in 2021 while building a $100M business with Amazon and launching the brand with Walmart and Ulta. Kurt and his wife Abby split time, with their dogs Bucky & Bascom, between Wisconsin, Idaho and Los Angeles. ×

Michael Murphy

Michael Murphy focuses his practice on consulting and representing clients on issues related to antitrust and competition, product pricing and distribution, advertising and marketing, intellectual property, and e-commerce. Additionally, Michael represents clients in complex business litigation.
Michael advises product manufacturers on the design and implementation of distribution and resale price maintenance strategies focusing on removing unauthorized Internet resellers and limiting online price erosion. Michael has developed customized distribution strategies and legal foundations for product manufacturers in numerous regions of the world and across many product verticals. Further, Michael and his team assist clients in developing and enforcing gray market and counterfeit suppression strategies. He counsels clients on distribution and pricing strategies in North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia.
Michael consults and litigates on behalf of clients regarding a range of antitrust/competition issues, including monopolization issues under the Sherman Act and pricing issues under the Robinson-Patman Act.
Additionally, Michael has experience assisting clients with the procurement and negotiation of contracts with governmental agencies on the federal, state and local levels.
Besides antitrust litigation, Michael’s litigation experience includes disputes regarding complex business issues, real estate, and intellectual property.
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Allyn Stern

Allyn, a former regulator with 30 years of experience at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, uses her expertise to help businesses develop proactive environmental compliance strategies, navigate governmental regulations, and negotiate with agencies to identify reasonable and implementable solutions to enforcement matters. Her practice also includes a focus on recycling, plastic packaging, PFAS, and green marketing issues. Allyn co-chairs Beveridge & Diamond’s Textiles and Fashion group and the Environmental Law practice group. She also co-chairs the Women in Environment & Energy Law Affinity Group of the National Association of Women Lawyers and the Waste & Resource Recovery section of the American Bar Association. ×

Michael Washburn

Michael Washburn is Principal and Owner at Washburn Consulting: Sustainability & Public Affairs. Michael has a long resume of leadership roles in academia, non-profit environmental organizations and served as the Vice President of Sustainability at Nestle Waters North America. His familiarity with non-profit environmental campaigns, the underlying philanthropic forces that drive them, and the internal processes that companies engage to address them has resulted in his work at the center of recycling reform. In his role at Nestle, and later as a Senior Policy Advisor at The Recycling Partnership he has advocated for packaging EPR laws in multiple states. In his consulting practice he advises clients on their engagement with existing laws as well as emerging legislative proposals. His team supports trade associations and individual companies as we all seek to understand what is required under these laws and comply at the individual company level. Michael received a BS in environmental studies and a MS in wilderness management from the SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry and Ph.D. in forest policy from Penn State University. He is a former faculty member of the Yale School of the Environment. ×