Coffee N° 5

In this episode of Coffee N°5, Lara Schmoisman chats with Leah Garcia, founder of Nectar7. Leah shares her inspiring transition from professional athlete and TV sports journalist to beauty entrepreneur. From unlocking the power of overlooked ingredients like elastin to prioritizing clinical data and transparent marketing, this conversation uncovers what it takes to build an authentic, performance-driven skincare brand that earns consumer trust.

🗝️Key Topics Covered:
✔️Leah Garcia’s journey from elite athletics and sports journalism to skincare entrepreneurship.
✔️The science of skin performance: optimizing resilience and skin elasticity with topical elastin.
✔️Why clinical studies, data, and complete ingredient transparency are key for consumer trust.
✔️Navigating product innovation, development, and identifying white space in the beauty market.
✔️Building a purpose-driven brand with honesty, integrity, and long-term vision.

🎯About Leah Garcia:
Leah Garcia is an accomplished entrepreneur, former professional mountain bike athlete, and seasoned sports media broadcaster. She is the founder of Nectar7, a science-backed wellness and skincare brand centered around performance and elastin innovation. Drawing on her background in high-performance sports and health journalism, Leah is dedicated to formulating transparent, clinically validated products that empower consumers to optimize their skin health.

🔗 Stay Connected with The DARL:

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedarlagency

👍 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thedarlagency/

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thedarlagency/about/

🐦 X (Twitter): https://x.com/thedarlagency

🌐 Website: https://thedarl.com/

n this episode of Coffee N°5, Lara Schmoisman chats with Ian Ginsburg, CEO of C.O. Bigelow. Recorded live at Cosmoprof (with a huge thank you to the Cosmoprof team for hosting us!), Ian dives into the rich history of America’s oldest apothecary and how it successfully transitioned into a modern retail and e-commerce powerhouse. From creating deeply emotional customer connections in-store to navigating brand licensing, digital transformation, and future longevity trends, this conversation uncovers what it takes to innovate while staying true to a two-century-old legacy.

🗝️ Key Topics Covered:
✅The rich history of apothecaries and their evolution from community hubs to retail destinations.
✅How C.O. Bigelow preserved its family heritage while transitioning into modern retail.
✅Building unforgettable customer experiences and long-term emotional brand connections.
✅Early digital transformation: launching e-commerce initiatives back in the 1990s.
✅Strategic brand partnerships, licensing, and expanding product assortments.
✅The future of skincare, Korean beauty innovations, and the emerging longevity industry.

🎯About Ian Ginsburg:
Ian Ginsburg is the CEO and owner of C.O. Bigelow, America’s oldest operating apothecary, founded in New York City in 1838. A third-generation pharmacist, Ian has successfully preserved the heritage and authentic customer care of C.O. Bigelow while expanding the brand globally through modern retail, e-commerce, and strategic brand partnerships. He is a respected industry leader known for blending traditional wellness philosophies with cutting-edge product formulation and digital innovation.

🔗 Stay Connected with The DARL:

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedarlagency

👍 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thedarlagency/

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thedarlagency/about/

🐦 X (Twitter): https://x.com/thedarlagency

🌐 Website: https://thedarl.com/

In this episode of Coffee N°5, Lara Schmoisman chats with Fernando Acosta. Recorded live at Cosmoprof (with a huge thank you to the Cosmoprof team for hosting us!), Fernando shares his journey from Buenos Aires to leading global brands, unpacking what it really takes to build brand equity on an international scale. From the story of Rexona’s global brand harmonization to balancing local market adaptation, this conversation uncovers how sensory marketing, AI, and empathetic leadership are driving the next generation of consumer-centric brand growth.

✍️Key Topics Covered:
✔️Fernando Acosta’s career journey from Buenos Aires to international marketing executive.
✔️Lessons in global brand harmonization and maintaining consistency across markets.
✔️How to balance global brand identity with local consumer cultural adaptation.
✔️The role of AI and sensory marketing in modern product development and discovery.
✔️Essential leadership qualities for global business: humility, kindness, grit, and curiosity.

🎯About Fernando Acosta:
Fernando Acosta is a global marketing executive and business leader known for scaling high-profile consumer brands across international markets. With extensive leadership experience across major FMCG powerhouses, Fernando specializes in brand architecture, consumer insights, and cross-cultural expansion. He is a passionate advocate for purpose-driven branding, empathy-led leadership, and leveraging emerging tech to meet evolving consumer needs.

🔗 Stay Connected with The DARL:

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedarlagency

👍 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thedarlagency/

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thedarlagency/about/

🐦 X (Twitter): https://x.com/thedarlagency

🌐 Website: https://thedarl.com/

In this episode of Coffee N°5, Lara Schmoisman chats with Noah Rosenblatt. Recorded live at Cosmoprof (with a huge thank you to the Cosmoprof team for hosting us!), Noah shares deep insights into the rapid evolution of the beauty industry, digital transformation, and modern brand curation. From building sustainable brand longevity in an oversaturated market to navigating fragrance trends and wellness integration, this conversation uncovers what it takes to expand distribution channels while prioritizing speed, service, and consumer personalization.

✍️Key Topics Covered:
✔️Strategies for building brand longevity and disrupting traditional market channels.
✔️The development of digital platforms and modern e-commerce experiences.
✔️Evolving consumer behavior, personalization, and shifting retail expectations.
✔️Market expansion tactics for brands aiming to establish a strong presence in the US.
✔️Emerging trends in fragrance innovation and the convergence of beauty and wellness.

🎯About Noah Rosenblatt:
Noah Rosenblatt is a prominent leader and executive in the beauty and retail space, recognized for his strategic vision in brand curation, digital transformation, and market expansion. With extensive experience in scaling retail platforms and developing strategic brand partnerships, Noah plays a pivotal role in identifying next-generation beauty trends. He is passionate about helping innovative skincare, fragrance, and wellness brands navigate retail channels and connect authentically with the modern consumer.

🔗 Stay Connected with The DARL:

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedarlagency

👍 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thedarlagency/

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thedarlagency/about/

🐦 X (Twitter): https://x.com/thedarlagency

🌐 Website: https://thedarl.com/

n this episode of Coffee N°5, Lara Schmoisman chats with Linda Dang, founder of Sakoshi. Linda shares her expert insights on the evolution of Asian beauty in North America, moving far beyond traditional K-beauty trends. From navigating cultural localization and brand readiness to building seamless omnichannel retail experiences, this conversation uncovers what it takes for emerging skincare and beauty brands to successfully scale, differentiate themselves, and conquer competitive new markets.

✍️Key Topics Covered:
✔️The evolution of Asian beauty in North America and expanding beyond K-beauty.
✔️Strategies for market entry readiness, brand onboarding, and retail expansion.
✔️Balancing authentic brand heritage with localized marketing and packaging.
✔️The power of customer education, storytelling, and skin analysis in-store.
✔️Building omnichannel retail strategies that drive engagement and retention.
✔️Key criteria for product assortment, curation, and clean beauty innovation.

🎯About Linda Dang:
Linda Dang is the visionary founder behind Sakoshi, a premier platform and retail destination dedicated to bringing the best of Asian beauty to North America. With a strong background in retail operations, brand curation, and market expansion, Linda specializes in bridging the gap between Asian beauty innovators and Western consumers. She is passionate about authentic storytelling, omnichannel growth, and helping ethical brands scale successfully.

🔗 Stay Connected with The DARL:

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedarlagency

👍 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thedarlagency/

💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thedarlagency/about/

🐦 X (Twitter): https://x.com/thedarlagency

🌐 Website: https://thedarl.com/

In this episode of Coffee N°5, Lara Schmoisman sits down with Oliver Garfield, former COO and Co-President of Cos Bar, to explore how a family-founded Aspen beauty boutique grew into a luxury beauty retail powerhouse.

Oliver shares the story behind Cos Bar, founded by his mother, Lily Garfield, and explains what it really takes to scale a luxury beauty business without losing customer trust, brand identity, or financial discipline.

From building operational infrastructure and managing early-stage growth to retail education, brand positioning, wholesale strategy, and changing digital consumer behavior, this conversation offers practical insights for founders, investors, marketers, and anyone working in beauty or luxury retail.

Key Topics Covered

• How Cos Bar started in Aspen and evolved into a luxury beauty retailer
• What founders need to know about scaling operations and managing cash flow
• Why retail partnerships, sales education, and staff training matter
• How beauty retail is changing across DTC, wholesale, social media, and physical stores
• The difference between prestige and mass-market beauty strategies
• What Oliver looks for when evaluating early-stage brands and investments
• The role of beauty incubators, positioning, and capital efficiency in brand growth

About Oliver Garfield

Oliver Garfield is an experienced retail executive and investor who previously served as Chief Operating Officer and Co-President of Cos Bar, the luxury multi-brand beauty retailer founded by his mother, Lily Garfield.

Having grown up alongside the business, Oliver helped modernize Cos Bar’s operations, expand its retail presence, and develop scalable systems across both physical and digital channels. Today, he brings deep expertise in luxury retail strategy, operational growth, capital management, and early-stage brand development.

🔗 Stay Connected with The DARL:

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedarlagency
👍 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thedarlagency/
💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/thedarlagency/about/
🐦 X (Twitter): https://x.com/thedarlagency
🌐 Website: https://thedarl.com/

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