The Highlight Reel

Get to know the haircare consumer of 2026 ft. amika & Not Your Mother's Haircare

amika and Not Your Mother's Haircare leaders join Highlight to unpack how haircare is outpacing the rest of beauty — from skinification and wellness rituals to Gen Z's demand for texture-specific routines and community-built launches.

• Beauty & Personal Care
• Gen Z

Packaging predictions for 2026 ft. Fred Hart

Design strategist Fred Hart shares what he expects on shelf in 2026 — a push-pull between AI-generated sameness and hand-crafted analog design, the protein bubble, private-label pressure, and why color and character are back.

• Packaging
• Branding

Setting celebrity CPG brands up for success ft BERO & BARREL

Founders behind celebrity-backed NA beverage brands discuss building trust beyond the name on the label — and using real consumer testing to earn repeat purchase, not just launch buzz.

• NA Bev
• Branding

Showcase 2025: Buy, buy baby ft. Little Spoon & Nunona

Little Spoon and Nunona share how they innovate for modern parents — balancing kid appeal, parental trust, and the rigor it takes to win in kids and baby categories.

• Kids
• Parents

Move over protein. It's time to fibermaxx ft. Zesty Z

Zesty Z talks fiber-forward snacking beyond the protein wave — and how Express Checkout brands use fast consumer reads to refine flavor, messaging, and shelf story.

• Fiber
• Better for you
• Protein
• Express Checkout

Spark 2025: Brewing up better beverages ft Suja Life & Nova Naturals

Suja Life and Nova Naturals leaders on Spark discuss building better-for-you beverages that clear the taste bar — and what it takes to earn space in a crowded functional drinks set.

• Beverages
• Better for you

Selling sustainability: How to make "green" the new black ft. bille & Sonsie Skin

bille and Sonsie Skin join Highlight on making sustainability credible — not just a label callout — and how transparent sourcing and efficacy together win skeptical beauty shoppers.

• Beauty & Personal Care
• Sustainability

Innovation on tap: How BERO & Stiller's are making beverages better for you

BERO and Stiller's Soda founders unpack NA beverage growth, the limits of better-for-you as a catch-all, and why taste, packaging, and in-context testing still decide winners.

• Beverage
• Non-alcoholic

Engaging a new generation of pet parents ft. Floof

Floof founder Michael Kim on modern pet parents — why health and safety beat price, how at-home care routines are replacing vet-only fixes, and what in-home testing revealed about product experience.

• Pet Care

Showcase 2024: The power of packaging ft Whipnotic & Cabinet Health

Whipnotic and Cabinet Health on Showcase 2024 discuss packaging as a growth lever — structural innovation, shelf standout, and testing pack before you commit to a national run.

• Packaging
• Express Checkout
• Dairy
• Health & Wellness

Is "Better for You" better for business?

• Express Checkout
• Protein