TD Cowen Insights

Recorded on 07/09/25From Trauma to Transformation, the Future Is Regenerative Skincare. Nicolas Travis intimately shares how failed facial reconstruction surgeries at 19 inspired him to build Allies of Skin, a global brand rooted in clinical science. Nicolas' mission is to make science-backed skincare more human and accessible for all skin journeys using regenerative actives including growth factors and peptides.How Recovery Inspired Allies of Skin's Regenerative Approach. In this episode, Nicolas Travis, CEO/Founder of Allies of Skin, highlights how the brand combines rigorous science with a deeply human approach to beauty. He details how he launched Allies of Skin with three science-backed products, including the Peptides & Antioxidants Advanced Firming Daily Treatment (which is still their #1 best-selling moisturizer today), the Retinal & Peptides Advanced Repair Night Cream, and the Molecular Saviour Probiotics Treatment Mist. Travis explains how he then introduced the breakthrough Multi Peptides & Growth Factor Advanced Lifting Serum, a $188 hero product that took five years to create and has sold out seven times with a 12,000-person waitlist. Nicolas discusses how growth factors and peptides act as “personal trainers for your skin,” strengthening collagen and cellular communication. Travis also shares how Allies validates every launch through 28- and 56-day clinical studies and is now advancing into custom exosome delivery for 40x deeper ingredient penetration. We explore how Allies of Skin has scaled to 36 countries in nine years, driving rapid growth across Amazon, direct-to-consumer, and Cult Beauty, while also expanding retail doors at Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, and Violet Grey. Targeting mature customers with higher spending power and loyalty, Allies balances margin goals with accessibility, offering products like SPF at $45, and adopts a channel-agnostic philosophy, meeting consumers where they shop, from luxury retailers to TikTok Shop. https://go.td.com/PodcastDisclosure

Recorded on 08/13/25 This episode features Tom Fitzgerald, TD Cowen's airline analyst, and Moshe Orenbuch, TD Cowen's specialty finance analyst, discussing major takeaways on the health of the consumer and outlook for travel demand as we approach the fall. Topics include the continued strength in premium product demand, divergences in spend by income cohorts and age demographics, the latest color on corporate travel demand, credit card commentary on spending categories, competition across loyalty programs, and an update on aircraft leasing. https://go.td.com/PodcastDisclosure

Recorded on 07/07/25Learn About Clinically Kind Skincare Powered by Goat Milk. Co-Founder and Chief Kindness Officer of Beekman 1802, Dr. Brent Ridge, shares how he grew Beekman 1802 from a rural goat farm into a global leader in sensitive skin care. Brent's medical background, clinical efficacy, storytelling, and kindness philosophy fuel Beekman's omnichannel growth strategy across DTC, Ulta, QVC, and Amazon.Where Kindness Meets The Microbiome: Beekman 1802's Science-Backed Secret to Loyalty. In this episode, Brent shares how he and his partner co-founded Beekman 1802 during a financial crisis by embracing the original act of kindness - taking in a neighboring farmer’s goats. That ethos of empathy now drives their company culture, product development, and community-building strategy. Brent unpacks how goat milk became the foundation for barrier-safe skincare and how the brand has leaned into science with its proprietary “Milk RX” exosome line, microbiome-friendly body care, and peptide-forward innovation. We also dive into goat milk's composition of 160bn+ exosomes/mL, and how these natural vesicles may serve as delivery systems for peptides that support barrier repair and microbiome health.Brent explains how Beekman leverages a statistically validated “Kindness Quotient” to screen its 7,000-person ambassador crew, and how emotional connection, not virality, is the true measure of customer loyalty. He discusses the brand’s omnichannel strategy and how being bootstrapped for 10 years shaped Beekman’s long-term growth approach. From aging science and microbiome research to AI’s role in accelerating product innovation, Brent offers an insightful perspective into what it means to scale with intention, empathy, and scientific rigor.  https://go.td.com/PodcastDisclosure

Recorded on 07/30/25TD Cowen financial policy analyst Jaret Seiberg hosts TD Cowen's Two Cents Podcast, which includes a discussion with TD rates strategist Gennadiy Goldberg on the threat to interest on reserves as well as a broader recap of policy changes for financial companies, including expectations for bank capital reforms. https://go.td.com/PodcastDisclosure

Recorded on 06/23/25TD Cowen's Machine Medicine: AI & Health Care podcast series takes on the cross-sector revolution in artificial intelligence and breaks it down one piece at a time. We highlight some of the biggest misconceptions about how AI is and can be used in different health care settings and aim to contextualize the latest and most impactful developments in a field defined by rapid innovation.In this episode, TD Cowen's Health Care Analyst Brendan Smith hosts William Feehery, Chief Executive Officer of Certara, to check under the hood of Certara's premier biosimulation platform. We explore in-depth how in silico modeling fits into the rapidly evolving field of AI but also how it is already tackling some of health care's biggest challenges and where the technology can go from here. https://go.td.com/PodcastDisclosure

Through conversations with leading innovators and executives across the industry, TD Cowen's ToolTalks podcast series seeks to explore the key technologies and business strategies that are transforming life science and clinical diagnostics markets today. Each episode aims to highlight the potential for Tools to enable more efficacious drugs, lower care costs, and provide better and earlier diagnoses that ultimately extend and save human lives. In the podcast's inaugural episode, TD Cowen's health care analyst Dan Brennan hosts Christian Henry, Pacific Biosciences President and CEO, to understand the progress and continued promise of next-generation sequencing to deliver new biological insights, accelerate discoveries, and power the next generation of clinical assays. We discuss Henry's experience and success with short-read NGS leader Illumina, his move to long-read sequencing leader Pacific Biosciences, and reflect on PacBio's recent success dramatically scaling/improving their technology as well as the tremendous opportunity that lies ahead across clinical, research, and applied markets. Recorded on 06/24/25 https://go.td.com/PodcastDisclosure

Recorded on 06/18/25We host Melissa Butler, Founder & CEO of The Lip Bar, to discuss her journey building an inclusive beauty brand rooted in authenticity and community. From crafting lipstick in her kitchen to now being a national leader in Target, Walmart, and Amazon, Melissa shares how purpose, performance, and customer connection power growth and cultural relevance for The Lip Bar.Brand Building With and For Community. In this episode, Melissa Butler, CEO of The Lip Bar, shares how she’s scaled a brand that’s as bold in performance as it is in purpose. Headquartered in Detroit, The Lip Bar blends cultural authenticity with data-driven product development, delivering high-efficacy formulas designed to show up on every skin tone and last all day. Melissa discusses how the flagship store serves as a real-time R&D lab, why retention, not virality, is the true measure of success, and how she leads with both community connection and operational clarity. From navigating tariffs to decoding TikTok, she offers a rare look at what it takes to build a brand that endures. https://go.td.com/PodcastDisclosure

Recorded on 07/18/25In this episode, Roman Schweizer, TD Cowen’s WRG geopolitics & defense analyst, discusses recent congressional accomplishments with an All-Star reporter lineup. Topics include the passage of the One Big Beautiful Act, FY26 defense authorization and appropriations bills, as well as an update on President Trump's NATO visit and new plans to support Ukraine with U.S. military hardware purchased by NATO. https://go.td.com/PodcastDisclosure

Recorded on 07/10/25TD Cowen's Life Science Tools & Diagnostics analysts Dan Brennan and Brendan Smith discuss the current and future outlook of the Tools/Dx sector as a wrap-up to The 4th Annual Tools/Dx Revolution Conference featuring a broad spectrum of executives and industry insiders from leading public and private players in the space. The team dives into key themes and critical investment topics across the sector and sheds light on lessons learned, the path forward for the space, and strategies to differentiate the leaders from the laggards.Panel highlights include salient commentary pertaining to everything AI (which permeated every panel), company strategy (to navigate the challenging times), lessons learned (from industry vets about assessing the current environment to past periods), how Pharma is looking to improve R&D productivity, optimizing products/strategy for the Longevity wave, and the oncology Dx business models (particularly as competition intensifies). Though the Tools sector has seen challenges in recent years, confidence in the long-term vibrancy of the sector is evident, coupled with enthusiasm for the Dx and AI spaces that are experiencing numerous tailwinds. https://go.td.com/PodcastDisclosure

Recorded on 06/03/25Follow the Digital Luxury Leader: How Will Differentiation, Integration, & Long-Term Growth Evolve at LuxExperience? On this episode of Retail Visionaries, we host LuxExperience's CFO, Dr. Martin Beer, for a discussion on the transformation ahead for the company. LuxExperience now operates three distinct segments: Mytheresa, Net-a-Porter & Mr. Porter, and YOOX & The Outnet following the YNAP acquisition from Richemont in April 2025. Key discussion points include: differences of each platform, potential synergies following the integration, long-term financial targets, and the outlook for the luxury industry. The digital luxury sector remains much better positioned relative to last year with leaner inventories; however, management monitors customer uncertainty related to tariffs and other geopolitical factors. https://go.td.com/PodcastDisclosure