Susan Desteno

WORK HISTORY

EDUCATION

SKILLS

ABOUT SUSAN DESTENO

I’m a color cosmetics innovation and product development leader with 18+ years of experience building high-impact formulations—and turning them into commercially successful, scalable beauty franchises.My passion lives at the intersection of color cosmetic formulation, product development, and innovation. I’ve spent my career creating modern textures, shades, and formats across lip, eye, face, and nail, always grounded in consumer relevance, performance, and speed to market. From breakthrough concepts to full-scale commercialization, I thrive on bringing ideas to life in a way that brands can actually sell—and scale.What differentiates me is my ability to bridge technical excellence and commercial execution. I don’t just develop products; I partner closely with founders, brand leaders, sales teams, and customers to translate innovation into compelling stories, strong value propositions, and profitable growth. I’m equally comfortable in the lab, in the innovation room, or in front of customers and stakeholders selling what we’ve built.I’ve led and built multidisciplinary teams across R&D, innovation, quality, regulatory, and commercial functions, and I’m known for fostering collaborative, empowered cultures that deliver results. I’m especially energized by entrepreneurial, fast-growth environments—where agility, creativity, and smart decision-making shape the next generation of beauty.I’m excited by brands that are redefining what beauty looks like next—and I love helping turn bold ideas into products consumers can’t live without.