Los Angeles Has Passed!
Speakers & Panelists
Nerida Joy
Host & Skin Expert
Renowned esthetician Nerida Joy has performed more than 100,000 facials in her over 45-year international career and is known for the way she transforms her clients’ skin by pinpointing specific concerns and designing custom treatment plans to deliver fast results.
She has been named one of the top facialists in the country by SELF magazine and was the only esthetician – along with 49 dermatologists – to be listed as a Skin Expert by ELLE. Nerida has been featured in over 60 prestigious beauty publications worldwide and serves on the Brain Trust for NEWBEAUTY magazine.
Born in Australia, Nerida knew at an early age that she wanted to devote her life to understanding and caring for the skin. Her education in skincare began in 1978 and she is also certified in nutrition, Reiki, kinesiology, iridology, Australian bush essences, color therapy and therapeutic massage.
Over the past 35 years she has built a loyal following of celebrity clients at her boutique skincare clinic in Los Angeles, California. She is also sought after as a consultant by luxury hotels, who rely on her expertise to transform their spas into a true five-star spa experience, and by skincare lines for advice on developing new products.
The videos on her popular YouTube channel are taught in beauty schools across the world, and she offers regular skincare advice and inspiration on Instagram, Facebook and Clubhouse. She is the creator of the FIVESTAR Method, a step-by-step online course designed for the international esthetician community. Above all, she is passionate about elevating her fellow estheticians by teaching a deep and detailed understanding of the skin.
Dara Levy
DERMAFLASH Founder
After struggling with cystic acne in her early twenties, Dara became obsessed with professional dermaplaning. She was amazed by the instant, transformative results it delivered—helping to gently and effectively erase her post-acneic discoloration. Not only did it dramatically improve the tone, texture and appearance of her skin, it also boosted the effectiveness of all her skincare products and created a flawless canvas for makeup.
Dara loved this gentle, minimally invasive treatment so much she opened her own Med Spa and made dermaplaning the foundation of all treatments offered. She trademarked her spa’s signature dermaplaning service… DERMAFLASH.
Five years and 6,000 dermaplaning facials later, she invented a revolutionary sonic device that delivered the same smooth, glowing results in the comfort of home—and empowered estheticians with a safer alternative to the existing dermaplaning scalpel. This next-gen device safely removes peach fuzz and dead skin cells, helps prevent acne-causing buildup, and smoothens and brightens skin. With 23 patents and counting, Dara’s “magic wand” has transformed the skincare industry.
“The skin you want is lying just beneath the skin you see.”
Ara Katz
Co-founder and co-CEO of Seed Health
Ara Katz is the co-founder and co-CEO of Seed Health, a microbiome science company pioneering innovations in probiotics. She is the author of A Kids Book About Your Microbiome, which gives children (and their grown-ups) a powerful new framework to understand their bodies and health. She also oversees Seed’s environmental endeavors and directs its venture addressing unmet needs in women’s health through the vaginal microbiome.
Her work at the intersection of health, consumer tech, media and design has garnered such awards as TIME’s Best Inventions 2018, Inc.’s Best in Business, and Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas for the last five years in a row. She has also been featured in Inc.’s 100 Female Founders: The Top Women Entrepreneurs of the Year, Marie Claire’s The New Guard: The 50 Most Influential Women in America, Business Insider’s Silicon Alley Top 100 and Women We Admire’s Top 100 Women CEOs of 2021.
She lives in Venice, California, with her husband and two sons, Pax and Zen. She is also the proud owner of several tardigrades, which live at Harvard’s Museum of Natural History.
Nayamka Roberts-Smith
LA Beautyologyist
Nayamka Roberts-Smith is an award-winning esthetician, acclaimed skincare educator and a fountain of knowledge on beauty culture. Popularizing the 60-Second-Rule on cleansing and consistently pushing the beauty industry forward with a progressive approach to skincare, she believes that the gift of beauty is that it is deeply, innately human.
As the eldest daughter to Jamaican-born parents, she uses her cross-cultural big sister energy to make complex scientific skincare jargon simple, fun and approachable. She has been featured in Korean Allure, Glamour UK, Cosmopolitan, USA Today, Forbes, Access Hollywood and the Emmy Award-winning show The Doctors.
She’s also the owner/founder of The Cozi Club, a line of luxury bath and shower apparel, and the Most Valuable Esthetician, a comprehensive masterclass on marketing yourself and your business.
Nicole Tracy Arranaga
Co-founder, La Bella Donna
Nicole Tracy Arranaga is the co-founder of La Bella Donna and has been in the beauty industry for over thirty years. Nicole developed her brand because of her own skin issues and challenges.
La Bella Donna is a high-performance, clean, cruelty-free, non-chemical, non-toxic, reef-safe SPF 50 color brand. La Bella Donna prides itself on using the purest ingredients that contain NO dyes, oils, talc, fragrance or parabens.
La Bella Donna’s products cover, correct and protect and are ideal for all skin tones and types – especially acne, sensitive and rosacea-prone skin.
Claudia Fabian
The Beauty Debut
Claudia Fabian is a beauty industry expert whose three decades working as a make-up artist, esthetician and Instagram beauty influencer has given her a deep understanding of industry trends. In 2021 she decided, against the advice of her peers, to embrace her grey hair. She began documenting her experience on Instagram, where she shares make-up tips, tutorials and her love of all things glamour with her over 199K followers. Her message of age-positivity and “glamour never expires” has inspired many to join her in embracing their own grey.
Claudia’s mission as a beauty industry veteran is to begin shifting the message that aging is bad and should be avoided at all costs. She encourages beauty brands to showcase more women over 40, and believes in changing the narrative from pushing anti-aging to promoting skin health.
Claudia has been an esthetician for many high-profile salons and spas throughout her career and has served in executive positions with many skincare brands. She currently is a full-time influencer and takes clients two days a week exclusively at Awana Spa at Resorts World in Las Vegas.
KimBella
The Solo Esthetician
KimBella is the founder and creator of The Solo Esthetician, an influencer brand and resource concierge for the esthetic industry, with a Facebook community hosting over 90k esthetic professionals worldwide.
She is a seasoned esthetician with over 15 years of experience and a leading voice in the field. Specializing in helping aspiring estheticians build solo careers, she focuses on imparting the essential fundamentals and mindset required for success.
KimBella’s belief is simple: without this foundation, opportunities are missed. Get ready to be inspired and empowered by KimBella’s insights on the panel of beauty esthetic professionals.
Melanie Simon
Electrical Esthetician, founder of ZIIP BEAUTY
Part mad scientist, part dreamer, Melanie Simon is the creator and co-founder of ZIIP. She is an expert in the field of nanocurrent and coined the term Electrical Esthetician to describe the work she has been doing with clients in Los Angeles, New York, Montecito, and Jackson Hole for the last 20 years. Upon winning a 2018 Elle Genius Award she was dubbed “the Nikola Tesla of facialists” for her ability to harness electricity in the name of lit-from-within skin.
She performs what Vogue calls the “holy grail of treatments” to a discerning and intelligent client base from around the world, but an entrepreneurial drive and a desire to bring her unparalleled electrical expertise outside of the treatment room led her to create ZIIP in 2015.
ZIIP, the first-of-its-kind at-home nanocurrent tool, syncs with an app that allows users to access different electrical combinations designed by Simon to lift, tone, and sculpt the face.
Rachel Anise
The Beauty Professor
The Beauty Professor, otherwise known as Rachel Anise, is a beauty expert, full-time professor of Communication Studies and mom of a sweet 6-year-old, with a penchant for resource-driven content creation.
When not teaching, writing or consulting, she spends an inordinate amount of time thoroughly swatching and sharing her favorite products, which skew towards her endless pursuit of the perfect foundation and pinky nude lip color.
Her Beauty Professor website features in-depth reviews, true-to-life images and video tutorials that collectively create an authentic and interactive community for beauty lovers who want to put their best face (and communication skills!) forward.
Liz Ritter
Executive Editor, NewBeauty
Christine Tian
Research and Innovation Chemist, Rejuvi Laboratory
Christine Tian is a Research and Innovation chemist at Rejuvi Laboratory. With an unwavering passion for cosmetic chemistry and product education, she is committed to advancing the boundaries of science and technology to develop effective skincare solutions. Through her work, she has published papers and formulations that address the intricacies of skin health and deliver tangible results.
Christine has degrees in chemistry and human health, and remains dedicated to delivering products that empower estheticians to succeed in the treatment room.
SPONSORS & PARTNERS
Frequent Questions
We strive to have a variety of options. Breakfast and lunch on Sunday and Monday will be served buffet-style, with the foods clearly labeled
Because of the risk of cross-contamination, if you are a celiac you will need to receive a special plated lunch instead of the buffet. Please check the box to let us know if you require this option when you book your place.
We will provide you with a special uniform and all the tools you need to work hands-on on the skin during this exclusive small-group session. You will have time to change before the cocktail hour.
We naturally recommend the Kimpton Pittman Hotel. When you reserve your place at the Understanding Skin event, you’ll receive a discounted rate for the hotel exclusively for conference attendees.
There is a limited number of rooms available, so we advise booking as soon as possible.
Yes, we will have product tables with a variety of products available throughout the event.
Yes, the cocktail hour is open to all attendees. We look forward to seeing you there!
Yes, whether you’re staying at the hotel or driving to the event daily, valet parking is included in the total fee.
