Shannon Hess is CEO and Founder of Responsible Sourcing Partnership (RSP) and
Strategic Initiatives Lead for the Independent Beauty Association (IBA). Through RSP, she
advises beauty brands, suppliers and industry organizations on responsible sourcing,
sustainability, regulatory strategy, Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), natural and
clean beauty standards and supply chain resilience. She brings more than 25 years of
beauty industry experience across formulation, fragrance, ingredient governance and
supply risk mitigation.
Shannon spent a decade at Aveda and The Estée Lauder Companies and 15 years leading
responsible sourcing and sustainability at Burt’s Bees and The Clorox Company. She led
raw material qualification, ingredient governance and supply chain programs and helped
establish formulation, sourcing and traceability frameworks that contributed to natural and
clean beauty standards, while influencing retailer sustainability and responsible sourcing
programs.
In 2010, Shannon co-founded and launched Areej Aromatherapy in Egypt, bringing
firsthand experience building an independent beauty brand. As a U.S. delegate to ISO/TC
217 Cosmetics for 14 years, she helps shape ISO 16128, the international guidelines for
natural and organic cosmetic ingredients and products, and serves as Project Leader for
ISO/TR 23750, addressing frequently asked questions on the application of ISO 16128. She
represents IBA in the International Cooperation on Cosmetics Regulation (ICCR).