We spoke with Mariano Lesser, CEO of Blomon, a strategic consultancy specializing in sustainability for the beauty industry. With an extensive background in branding, design, and the cosmetics sector, Mariano promotes a vision of sustainability that is closely connected to business, impact, and competitiveness.
In this interview, he reflects on how to build a beauty industry that is more strategic, regenerative, and prepared for the future.
Name, Position and Company
Mariano Lesser, CEO at Blomon
Tell us about the company you work for. What is its story?
After 25 years developing brand strategies at Aktiva Design, I realized that true beauty lies in finding the balance between what is visible and what is unseen, between the tangible and aspiration. If authentic beauty in people emerges from the balance between body, mind, and soul, why shouldn’t we apply the same principle to businesses? A company is truly “beautiful” when it achieves balance between its business model, the impact it creates, and the environment on which it depends.
My purpose is to help an industry dedicated to outer beauty also develop inner beauty by creating genuine well-being for people and the planet—and, of course, for businesses as well.
That is why I founded Blomon, a strategic consultancy specializing in sustainability for the beauty industry. We like to define ourselves as a strategic partner because sustainability is not only an environmental issue; it is also a driver of competitiveness and long-term growth. It has been proven that when a company understands its impacts and manages them strategically, it improves efficiency, reduces regulatory and financial risks, and strengthens its brand positioning.
What does your day-to-day work involve?
I specialize in developing ESG strategies that integrate regulatory compliance, impact measurement (environmental footprint, Life Cycle Assessment, circular economy), ecodesign, packaging, and profitability, always through a beauty-focused approach where every detail matters.
I support companies and management teams through three stages:
(1) UNDERSTAND → (2) MEASURE → (3) TRANSFORM.
We begin with a comprehensive impact assessment to understand the entire system and make informed decisions. Based on verified data, we develop a strategy, determine what should be measured and how, and create a prioritized roadmap with clear metrics to help companies scale, automate processes, and strengthen their market position.
Most importantly, we turn these KPIs into action rather than leaving them as reporting exercises. Every strategic decision should drive innovation, product design, supply chain improvements, and the way companies create long-term value.
My focus is on turning sustainability into business value by reducing risk, increasing efficiency, and improving competitive positioning.
What sets you apart?
What differentiates us is our position at the intersection of business strategy, impact assessment, and deep expertise in the beauty industry. We combine strategic thinking, data, artificial intelligence, and human intelligence to translate sustainability into practical decisions regarding materials, packaging, processes, suppliers, and communication.
As with any innovation or design thinking process, the most important question is “how”, not “what.” To me, sustainability is all about finding how to do things the right way.
Our methodology is based on three clear stages. First, we understand the business model, including the product portfolio, packaging, regulatory landscape, and market expectations. Next, we measure environmental footprints, material impacts, risks, and opportunities. Only then do we transform the business through a realistic and actionable roadmap covering ecodesign, regulatory adaptation, and responsible communication.
Our goal is not to produce reports but to create meaningful change within companies and throughout their ecosystems. Together, we aim to improve the beauty of the industry.
We work with brands of all sizes, from large corporations to SMEs and clean beauty startups. We believe strategic sustainability should not be a privilege reserved for large organizations. That is why our projects are designed to be modular and scalable, adapting to each company’s level of maturity and size.
One of our flagship services is the Strategic Sustainability Assessment, where we analyze a company’s real environmental impact and that of its products in just a few weeks. This is particularly valuable for companies beginning their sustainability journey and looking for strategic clarity. We assess the regulations that affect them, the data required by regulators and markets, as well as ingredients, energy use, and emissions. Most importantly, we translate all of this information into a prioritized, actionable roadmap.
What challenges do you think you will face over the coming years?
Our biggest internal challenge—and also our greatest motivation—is how to democratize access to strategic sustainability without losing our boutique essence. We want to support many more small and medium-sized companies while maintaining the same level of personalization and strategic insight.To achieve this, we combine high-value consultancy with digital tools and AI that allow us to accelerate environmental assessments, compare material and packaging scenarios through Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), and structure data more efficiently. However, the human factor remains essential for decision-making and managing emotions, both in strategy, contextualization, and client relationships. Ultimately, we all seek human intelligence.From an industry perspective, our main challenge is helping companies understand that sustainability is not a cost but a long-term business strategy. This means working more deeply on governance and corporate culture through the training of internal teams and the design of roadmaps that connect impact goals with financial objectives. And, of course, through continuous education and awareness.The second challenge is helping companies move beyond isolated initiatives—such as redesigning packaging, producing a carbon footprint report, or auditing sustainability claims—and instead embrace genuine business model transformation.This is closely linked to another key challenge: innovation. Our goal is to ensure companies stop improvising and begin developing new solutions and products based on demonstrable insights and data, integrating ESG data into their R&D processes.
Table of Contents
What does being part of the Beauty Cluster bring to your company and to you as a professional?I’ve been a member of the Beauty Cluster for many years. For me, it is essential as a place to learn and collaborate. I really appreciate how proactive the team is and how open they are to working together. We’ve organized many joint events over the years. Today, they are a fundamental part of my ecosystem—almost like family.Partnerships are essential to accelerating change. The challenges we face are simply too great for any one organization to solve alone. By working together, we have a much greater ability to redefine the standards of both the industry and the planet. But this requires effort both inside and outside companies.It is crucial to actively build alliances with clusters and industry associations, universities, technology centers, packaging suppliers, regulatory experts, and other stakeholders across the beauty ecosystem, because we know that the best solutions emerge through collaboration.In our own communications, we believe the language of sustainability needs to become more strategic and less alarmist in order to reach the executives who make business decisions. That’s why we publish content, participate in industry forums, and collaborate with media outlets like this one—to translate complex topics such as PPWR, CSRD, DPP, and EUDR into the language of business and opportunity.This educational role is part of our commitment. If we all gain a better understanding of the changes ahead, the transition will be faster, and sustainability will become recognized as smart business management rather than merely a regulatory obligation.
Returning to you, how did you find your way into the beauty industry?
I have to admit that I truly love the beauty industry. I’ve spent the past 25 years working in this sector from many different perspectives: brand strategy and design, marketing and communication, consumer trends, packaging, and also as a business owner. As a result, I have a deep understanding of the market, brand positioning, and consumer expectations.This experience has given me a systemic perspective. I understand that everything is interconnected and that problems cannot be solved in isolation. That is why Blomon takes a holistic approach, seeking the right balance between a company’s business model, the impact it creates, and the environment on which it depends.Sustainability, finance, and reputation are also interconnected. Failing to measure environmental impact means exposing a business to significant financial risks, including the loss of raw materials, customers, certifications, increased costs, and reputational damage.
Speaking of “beauty,” how would you define it?
As I mentioned earlier, true beauty is holistic. It emerges from the balance between body, mind, and soul. When a person is aligned with their purpose, their energy shines through, their beauty grows, and it becomes immediately noticeable.The same should apply to businesses. A company cannot exist separately from society and the planet because everything is connected.That is why we advocate for a systemic and regenerative vision of beauty—one that creates greater shared value because we are all part of the same system. It is a vision that gives back more than it takes from nature and actively nurtures life.
Do you have any hobbies, hidden talents, or passions you’d like to share?
I have quite a few hobbies! I play bass guitar and sing backing vocals in an indie rock band. Whenever I get the chance, I head into the forests to go enduro mountain biking—I love riding single tracks through the trees.I also spend a lot of time gardening. I have countless plants, fruit trees, and aromatic herbs. Looking after them gives me a great sense of peace and fulfillment. Watching them grow and seeing life regenerate through insects, birds, and nature itself is incredibly rewarding.
What’s the last book you read or film you watched?
At the moment, I’m very much in “learning mode.” I regularly read blogs and listen to podcasts about sustainability, packaging, and economics. I’m also really into science fiction series that closely reflect today’s world, such as Severance, Pluribus, and Paradise.One film that has particularly stayed with me is One Battle After Another by Paul Thomas Anderson. At first glance, it seems like a conventional thriller, but it closely reflects today’s immigration challenges. To me, it serves as a metaphor for living in the modern world—solving one problem at a time rather than becoming overwhelmed by everything that lies ahead.
Business is based on…
Shared growth, mutual benefit, and long-term relationships. It is built on trust and empathy—understanding other people’s challenges and committing yourself to doing your very best to help solve them.
