Chain Reaction Ep. 23: The New Reality of Beauty Logistics

Natalia Gandara Vilas, Head of Supply Chain Europe at HCT Group, operates in a market where demand can spike a thousandfold overnight. A TikTok video goes viral. An influencer mentions a beauty product. A social trend crystallises. Orders flood in. Traditional forecasting, built on historical demand patterns, becomes worse than useless - it actively misleads you. Natalia's challenge is managing supply chains for products in hyper-volatile demand environments. You can't build inventory against social trends you can't predict. You can't negotiate long lead times with manufacturers when demand shifts weekly. You need partners who understand volatility and flexibility, not partners who require stability. The beauty supply chain Natalia manages looks nothing like traditional FMCG logistics. It's faster, more chaotic, more dependent on rapid communication and willingness to change direction mid-flight. For supply chain operators in fashion, beauty, and other trend-sensitive sectors, Natalia's perspective on what actually works is invaluable. It's not about building perfect forecasts. It's about building systems that survive high uncertainty, partners who embrace flexibility, and operations where speed of adaptation matters more than cost optimisation.