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Breakthru Beauty

About Us

Who are we?

About Breakthru Beauty

At Breakthru Beauty, we know not every brand has access to an experienced executive team. That’s why we offer flexible, cost-effective consulting tailored to your needs. With decades of beauty expertise—from retail readiness and financial management to marketing and relationship development—we’ve guided brands at every stage, from incubation to legacy.

Our Story

founded in 2024

We live and breathe beauty. Let our passion fuel yours. 

Our single goal & purpose is to help you build out a robust agency that can support all business needs required to be successful in Retail. 

meet The team

Lisa

Co-Founder

Expert on Retail, Relationships & Driving Sales | Former Ulta Beauty Executive, Chief of Sales, Chief of Retail Brand Executive 

Allison

Co-Founder

Expert on Brand Building & Marketing


Emily Herrera

Associate Brand & Account Manager.

Brand Marketing & Retail Partnerships Expert | Beauty Industry Strategist | Briogeo Hair Care, Breakthru Beauty

Susanna Tang

Head of Accounts

Senior Commercial & Retail Leader | Strategic Sales & Key Accounts | IT Cosmetics, Sabon, Victoria’s Secret Beauty

Breakthru Beauty - Co-Founder

Lisa

As the founder, I bring over 20 years of expertise in retail leadership, buying and beauty brand executive leadership. My extensive background has equipped me with a unique understanding of what drives market share growth and profitability in the beauty industry.  My passion is relationship, team and brand building. Relationships are everything! 

Throughout my career, I have successfully:

– Developed and executed merchandising strategies that drove sales growth and increased market share

-Launched & grown hundreds of brands 

-Lead buying and sales teams across all beauty categories including makeup, skincare, body, haircare, suncare etc. 

-Lead sales, planning, trade marketing, education and 3rd party field teams to drive sales at both Ulta & Sephora 

– Fostered strong relationships with key partners and stakeholders

– Built and led high-performing teams that delivered results-driven solutions

– Negotiated profitable agreements that benefited both businesses and brands

– Analyzed financial data to inform strategic business decisions

– Successfully launched or managed relationships across key retail partners including Ulta, Sephora, Target, Kohls, Nordstrom, International, Salon distribution etc. 

With a passion for empowering beauty brands and elevating their success, I established Breakthru Beauty to share my expertise and help clients achieve their goals. I am dedicated to delivering tailored solutions that drive growth, profitability, and long-term success for my brands.

Breakthru Beauty - Co-Founder

Allison

Allison Slater Ray has over twenty-five years of experience as an executive in beauty, wellness, retail and e-commerce. Breakthru Beauty, the beauty advisory firm founded by Allison and Lisa Motzko Hamilton, develops brands from start-ups to established with C-level guidance across merchandising, sales, marketing, brand and team building. 

As a consultant, Allison has worked with beauty brands and fin tech companies on brand positioning, strategy, business development, team building, and sales. Supergoop, Afterpay, Charlotte Tilbury, Scentbird and Live Tinted are among her clients, as well as TZP Private Equity Group where she serves as an operating advisor.  Prior to consulting and board advisory roles, Allison was President at MBX, a Korean beauty incubator and then served as an advisory board member to MBX.  She was Senior Vice President of Marketing for IT Cosmetics at a critical time in the brand’s growth and transformation, helping to position and grow the brand for sale to L’Oreal for $1.2 Billion, the largest acquisition in the company’s history. Allison spent over 10 years heading up marketing at Sephora driving its evolution to the beauty and retail leader it is today. At Sephora, she launched the brand marketing team which acted as an in-house marketing agency for many of Sephora incubator brands. Prior to Sephora, Allison worked for Unilever and DDB Needham on the Calvin Klein and Chanel businesses. 

Allison’s strength lies in marketing, retail and strategy with a focus on high growth, early stage businesses.  Wander Beauty, All Golden and Cove Brands are the boards that she currently serves on.  Allison lives in NYC with her husband Brian and 2 children, Sammie and Max and cavapoochon, Gigi.

Associate Brand & Account Manager

Emily Herrera

Emily brings a strong foundation in brand marketing, retail partnerships, and go-to-market execution within the beauty industry. With professional experience in haircare and a long-standing passion for skincare & makeup, Emily combines hands-on experience with a deep curiosity for emerging brands, product innovation, and consumer trends.
Previously at Briogeo Hair Care, she played a key role in supporting brand growth through strategic partnerships, campaign launches, visual merchandising, and marketing initiatives. Emily has worked closely with retail partners and internal teams to bring brand stories to life both in-store and online.
At Breakthru Beauty, Emily supports brands as they scale thoughtfully into retail, combining her marketing expertise with a strategic mindset to help them build lasting momentum and meaningful partnerships.
Head of Accounts

Susanna Tang

Susanna is a senior commercial leader with over 15 years of experience across strategic sales, retail, and account management within the beauty industry. As Head of Accounts at Breakthru Beauty, she leads strategic partnerships and oversees key retail relationships, helping brands scale with intention across competitive and evolving markets.

With a career rooted in building meaningful partnerships and driving commercial growth, Susanna has held senior commercial roles with globally recognized brands including IT Cosmetics, Sabon, and Victoria’s Secret Beauty & Accessories. In these roles, she partnered closely with cross-functional teams to drive retail expansion, manage complex account portfolios, and support brand growth across both established and emerging channels.

Throughout her career, Susanna has worked closely with leading specialty, department store, and travel retail partners including ULTA Beauty, Sephora, Macy’s, Nordstrom, and DFS Group, guiding brands through assortment strategy, launches, and long-term account growth. Her ability to align brand vision with retailer expectations has made her a trusted partner to both clients and retail counterparts.

Known for her thoughtful leadership and disciplined execution, Susanna brings a calm, strategic approach to complex account landscapes. At Breakthru Beauty, she combines deep industry insight with a collaborative mindset to help brands build sustainable, long-term success in the beauty marketplace.