Tom Branna, Editorial Director01.05.22
After a one-year pause caused by the covid-19 pandemic, the Society of Cosmetic Chemists held its 75th annual scientific meeting and technology showcase (SCC75) in New York City. After the triumphant return to New York, the meeting is on the move again in 2022. Next year, the event heads west to Los Angeles, Dec. 12-14, 2022. Plans haven’t been finalized, but the goal is to return to New York City on odd-numbered years. Having the scientific meeting and technology showcase in other locations gives more SCC members an opportunity to attend.
SCC75 opened with a special session devoted to cosmetic chemistry advances during the past 75 years. Howard Maibach, MD, delivered the Henry Maso Keynote Award Lecture. The dermatologist has been closely linked to the SCC for decades, having delivered several presentations at Society events and receiving the deNavarre Medal, the Society’s highest honor, in 2011.
“Why look back? How can it help?” asked Maibach. “Remember, Thomas Edison said he never invented anything. He just took information from others and perfected it.”
In his presentation, Maibach recalled some of the modern pioneers of the beauty industry such as Helena Rubinstein, Mary Kay Ash and Charles Revson, and noted how much the world has changed since the founding of the Society. The global population has tripled to 7.7 billion, China has become the No. 2 economy in the world and global affluence has lifted 1.5 billion people out of poverty in the past generation alone.
Maibach highlighted the dynamic growth of the global cosmetics market in general and the global skin care market in particular. He cited figures that put the former at approximately $380 billion in 2019 and the later, at $148 billion. Skin care sales have been driven by demand for natural ingredients and formulations.
Products designed to improve the appearance of skin and hair of older consumers has been a focal point of cosmetic research for the past 20 years. But Maibach noted that in 1945, there were no products designed specifically for aging skin. Hair care formulas were limited to dyes in 1945, but today, there are a range of products including ingredients such as Minoxidil and Finasteride, which are proven to grow hair. Finally, while there were nail polishes and nail polish removers in 1945, today, pharmaceutical companies have developed topical nail products and ungual delivery systems.
He credited the gains, in part, to advances in instrumentation and techniques, including mass spectrometers and radioisotopes.
“The high school student of 2021 can do more advanced chemistry than the Nobel Laureate in Chemistry from 1945,” he asserted.
Maibach said he was excited for the cosmetics industry’s future, in part, because of the talent of today’s cosmetic chemists. But he warned that even the best science can fall victim to distortion.
“Misinformation is everywhere,” he admitted. “But my impression is, that on a 1:1 basis, you can get a consumer to understand the reliable v. the unreliable source.”
The Wisdom of Wickett
Randy Wickett, PhD is the only two-time winner of the deNavaare Medal. So, it was only fitting that he detailed three of the changes that occurred since the Society was founded:
The University of Cincinnati had the first US graduate cosmetic science program. It was started by Prof. J. Leon Lichtin in the 1970s as a co-op Master of Science program. Wickett joined the program in 1991 to add on-campus research and develop a PhD program. The Fairleigh Dickinson MS program started in 1982. Today, Long Island and Rutgers universities have graduate degree programs and Toledo has a bachelor’s degree program in cosmetic science. Meanwhile, Manhattan College offers an MS in cosmetic engineering. Finally, the Fashion Institute of Technology offers a Master’s degree in cosmetic and fragrance marketing.
The first study of stratum corneum water content was published by Irvin Blank in the 1950s. But the science was static for two decades.
“When I began working on skin in 1974, we didn’t see lipids in the intercellular spaces of the SC,” recalled Wickett. “Most considered the stratum corneum to be like a piece of plastic wrap—nearly impenetrable with no interesting chemistry going on.”
Those views changed in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Beverly Dale reported on a histidine-rich basic protein of the SC, now known as filaggrin. Once methods to image the SC lipids were created, Downing and Wertz discovered the intercellular lipid layers. Later, they showed the lipids were delivered from lamellar bodies to form a key component of the SC barrier. Downing’s group published detailed images of the SC lipids and proposed a model in 1989. From there, Peter Elias and his team developed the pro-barrier and barrier lipids concept. They found that lipids released into the intercellular space must be processed in the intercellular space to form a competent barrier. The ceramides are released as glucosyl-ceramides and phospholipids must be hydrolyzed to release fatty acids. Furthermore, cholesterol sulfate released in the intercellular space is hydrolyzed to cholesterol.
“This showed that important metabolic events are occurring in the stratum corneum,” observed Wickett.
A Fool with a Tool…
Wickett also recognized the contributions of Ronald Marks, MD. He helped organize the first symposium on noninvasive methods and the skin in 1976 and founded the International Society for Biophysics and Imaging of the Skin in 1979. Instrumentation advances have helped chemists map the SC and deliver products that truly benefit skin. The Servo-Med Evaporimeter, for example, was one of the first commercial instruments for non-invasive skin measurement to gain widespread use. About a decade later, in the 1980s, electrical devices like the Nova DPM and corneometer, came into vogue to measure skin hydration.
“We know there are important things happening, thanks to dramatic advances in skin measurement technology,” said Wickett. “But remember, what Albert Kligman warned, ‘a fool with a tool is still a fool.’”
Fools, of course, aren’t isolated in the laboratory. Wickett recalled that in 1974, while at Procter & Gamble, his first project was on a team attempting to deliver effective moisturizers from a soap bar.
“We concluded that it would be very difficult, if not impossible to achieve that with a solid bar, but it might be possible with a liquid body wash product,” said Wickett. “Marketing told us that US consumers would never buy liquid products to wash their bodies.”
Now, of course, body washes are popular and body washes that can be shown to moisturize the skin have been developed. Wickett concluded his presentation with a look to the future. He told attendees that there will be continued use of genetic (rtPCR) analysis to investigate effects of treatments on specific genes, but the challenge is to understand what the results really mean, he cautioned. Some of the “exotic” instruments like multiphoton spectroscopy will become more readily available to skin research labs.
“We hope to see much wider application of imaging and other techniques for evaluation of skin disease states,” said Wickett.
He predicted the use of SC biomarkers for research and claim support will continue to develop, and there are almost certain to be more studies of the effects of air pollution on the skin.
The Benefits of Barriers
Jason Harcup, PhD, global VP-skin care research and development, Unilever, paused discussions on cutting-edge technology to sing the praises of water, a most fundamental component of skin. Harcup said water is at the essential core of skin’s barrier purpose. Traumatic events, such as wounds, burns and abrasion; environmental factors such as exposure to ultraviolet radiation or heat; and life stage events like puberty and menopause, are just some of the things that impact water levels.
One way to maintain the barrier is via occlusive agents; and, in the 1860s, Robert Augustus Chesebrough, a Brooklyn, NY chemist, discovered the occlusive benefits of petroleum jelly. In the 1870s, he branded it Vaseline Petroleum Jelly. About 120 years later, none other than Kligman, called it, “the best damn occlusive agent we have.”
Occlusive agents aside, the microbiome plays a critical role in the barrier function—and it’s getting noticed. In fact, according to Harcup, in the past 20 years, the amount of research on the microbiome has increased 300-fold.
“The microbiome nourishes skin. When you feed the bacteria with probiotics you improve the barrier,” he insisted.
Today, Harcup and his team are studying the benefits of pro-lipids in the skin.
“When pro-lipids penetrate skin, there is a 35% increase in ceramide production,” explained Harcup. “Pro-lipid led omics has helped us build on 75 years of skin care research.”
Jane Hollenberg, JCH Consulting, provided insights on the past 75 years of color cosmetics. It’s a time dominated by regulations and, later, color-shifting innovations. To secure FDA approval of color additives under the Color Additive Amendments of 1960, the industry led by the then-Cosmetic Toiletry and Fragrance Association (CTFA), now Personal Care Products Council, embarked on more than 30 years of research.
Meanwhile, mild surfactants were developed that were capable of forming stable emulsions that delivered color in an easily spreadable and blendable form. Film formers helped mascaras take a quantum leap in efficacy, too. But pigment developments have been most interesting, Hollenberg insisted. Beginning with synthetic white pearl flakes in the 1960s, the technology of metal oxide coatings on transparent flaky substrates has evolved to create a dazzling array of light reflection and colors, according to Hollenberg. Film formers were introduced into color cosmetic to lengthen the wear of formulations for lips, eyes, face and nails. Polyacrylates, polyvinylpyrrolidone copolymers, polyvinyl acetates, natural resins, polyamides, silicone resins, and, more recently, complex curable polyacrylates to form gel nails, have made possible claims such as “transfer resistant,” “waterproof,” and “kiss proof.”
“Effect pigments are the most exciting technology of the past 75 years. There’s been an explosion of color,” said Hollenberg.
The Beauty of INCI
All of today’s cosmetic attributes would be impossible without ingredients. Joanne Nikitakis of the Personal Care Products Council detailed the creation of the International Nomenclature Cosmetic Ingredient system of standardized names for cosmetic raw materials. With the enactment of the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act in 1967, the FDA was authorized to publish regulations requiring the declaration of ingredients for cosmetics. To create a nomenclature system, CTFA (now PCPC) established a Nomenclature Committee with representation by chemists from industry, academia, the FDA, USAN and FCC.
“It is an evolving nomenclature,” said Nikitakis, noting that terms such as peptides have been added in recent years and polymers have grown tremendously.
Now in its 16th edition, The International Cosmetic Ingredient Dictionary and Handbook contains more than 27,000 ingredient monographs.
Innovative Ideas
The session closed with a presentation by Lisa Napolione, global senior vice president, research and development, The Estée Lauder Companies. She predicted that hyper-specific consumer needs will propel advances in personalized skin care formulations. To get there, cosmetic chemists will put greater emphasis on genetics, epigenetics and their role in human skin. For example, Estée Lauder researchers harnessed the power of one mRNA, mI-146A, to create Advanced Night Repair. A proprietary blend of yeast extract, peptide and plant-derived ingredients is said to help skin produce collagen for firmer skin.
“Fermentation pushes the boundaries of natural and helps us create performance naturals,” insisted Napolione.
Another requirement is diversity and inclusion. In order to serve an increasingly diverse consumer base, successful beauty companies must attract a diverse workforce, said Napolione.
“Diversity drives a company’s success,” she insisted. “Small steps matter, but companies must choose to do it.”
The Estée Lauder Companies attracts a diverse workforce via 39 employee resource groups to foster a culture of inclusion and create a work environment where employees can feel comfortable and empowered to share and exchange ideas, according to the company.
At the same time, ELC is committed to mentorship, networking and partnerships to foster diversity, equity and inclusion. It must be working; The Estée Lauder Companies is one of the most successful organizations in the cosmetics industry.
“It’s the 75th anniversary of The Estée Lauder Companies, too!” said Napolione.
For more SCC annual meeting coverage, click here.
SCC75 opened with a special session devoted to cosmetic chemistry advances during the past 75 years. Howard Maibach, MD, delivered the Henry Maso Keynote Award Lecture. The dermatologist has been closely linked to the SCC for decades, having delivered several presentations at Society events and receiving the deNavarre Medal, the Society’s highest honor, in 2011.
“Why look back? How can it help?” asked Maibach. “Remember, Thomas Edison said he never invented anything. He just took information from others and perfected it.”
In his presentation, Maibach recalled some of the modern pioneers of the beauty industry such as Helena Rubinstein, Mary Kay Ash and Charles Revson, and noted how much the world has changed since the founding of the Society. The global population has tripled to 7.7 billion, China has become the No. 2 economy in the world and global affluence has lifted 1.5 billion people out of poverty in the past generation alone.
Maibach highlighted the dynamic growth of the global cosmetics market in general and the global skin care market in particular. He cited figures that put the former at approximately $380 billion in 2019 and the later, at $148 billion. Skin care sales have been driven by demand for natural ingredients and formulations.
Products designed to improve the appearance of skin and hair of older consumers has been a focal point of cosmetic research for the past 20 years. But Maibach noted that in 1945, there were no products designed specifically for aging skin. Hair care formulas were limited to dyes in 1945, but today, there are a range of products including ingredients such as Minoxidil and Finasteride, which are proven to grow hair. Finally, while there were nail polishes and nail polish removers in 1945, today, pharmaceutical companies have developed topical nail products and ungual delivery systems.
He credited the gains, in part, to advances in instrumentation and techniques, including mass spectrometers and radioisotopes.
“The high school student of 2021 can do more advanced chemistry than the Nobel Laureate in Chemistry from 1945,” he asserted.
Maibach said he was excited for the cosmetics industry’s future, in part, because of the talent of today’s cosmetic chemists. But he warned that even the best science can fall victim to distortion.
“Misinformation is everywhere,” he admitted. “But my impression is, that on a 1:1 basis, you can get a consumer to understand the reliable v. the unreliable source.”
The Wisdom of Wickett
Randy Wickett, PhD is the only two-time winner of the deNavaare Medal. So, it was only fitting that he detailed three of the changes that occurred since the Society was founded:
- Cosmetic science education in the US;
- Understanding the structure of the stratum corneum (SC); and
- Development of instruments and other new methods to measure skin functions.
The University of Cincinnati had the first US graduate cosmetic science program. It was started by Prof. J. Leon Lichtin in the 1970s as a co-op Master of Science program. Wickett joined the program in 1991 to add on-campus research and develop a PhD program. The Fairleigh Dickinson MS program started in 1982. Today, Long Island and Rutgers universities have graduate degree programs and Toledo has a bachelor’s degree program in cosmetic science. Meanwhile, Manhattan College offers an MS in cosmetic engineering. Finally, the Fashion Institute of Technology offers a Master’s degree in cosmetic and fragrance marketing.
The first study of stratum corneum water content was published by Irvin Blank in the 1950s. But the science was static for two decades.
“When I began working on skin in 1974, we didn’t see lipids in the intercellular spaces of the SC,” recalled Wickett. “Most considered the stratum corneum to be like a piece of plastic wrap—nearly impenetrable with no interesting chemistry going on.”
Those views changed in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Beverly Dale reported on a histidine-rich basic protein of the SC, now known as filaggrin. Once methods to image the SC lipids were created, Downing and Wertz discovered the intercellular lipid layers. Later, they showed the lipids were delivered from lamellar bodies to form a key component of the SC barrier. Downing’s group published detailed images of the SC lipids and proposed a model in 1989. From there, Peter Elias and his team developed the pro-barrier and barrier lipids concept. They found that lipids released into the intercellular space must be processed in the intercellular space to form a competent barrier. The ceramides are released as glucosyl-ceramides and phospholipids must be hydrolyzed to release fatty acids. Furthermore, cholesterol sulfate released in the intercellular space is hydrolyzed to cholesterol.
“This showed that important metabolic events are occurring in the stratum corneum,” observed Wickett.
A Fool with a Tool…
Wickett also recognized the contributions of Ronald Marks, MD. He helped organize the first symposium on noninvasive methods and the skin in 1976 and founded the International Society for Biophysics and Imaging of the Skin in 1979. Instrumentation advances have helped chemists map the SC and deliver products that truly benefit skin. The Servo-Med Evaporimeter, for example, was one of the first commercial instruments for non-invasive skin measurement to gain widespread use. About a decade later, in the 1980s, electrical devices like the Nova DPM and corneometer, came into vogue to measure skin hydration.
“We know there are important things happening, thanks to dramatic advances in skin measurement technology,” said Wickett. “But remember, what Albert Kligman warned, ‘a fool with a tool is still a fool.’”
Fools, of course, aren’t isolated in the laboratory. Wickett recalled that in 1974, while at Procter & Gamble, his first project was on a team attempting to deliver effective moisturizers from a soap bar.
“We concluded that it would be very difficult, if not impossible to achieve that with a solid bar, but it might be possible with a liquid body wash product,” said Wickett. “Marketing told us that US consumers would never buy liquid products to wash their bodies.”
Now, of course, body washes are popular and body washes that can be shown to moisturize the skin have been developed. Wickett concluded his presentation with a look to the future. He told attendees that there will be continued use of genetic (rtPCR) analysis to investigate effects of treatments on specific genes, but the challenge is to understand what the results really mean, he cautioned. Some of the “exotic” instruments like multiphoton spectroscopy will become more readily available to skin research labs.
“We hope to see much wider application of imaging and other techniques for evaluation of skin disease states,” said Wickett.
He predicted the use of SC biomarkers for research and claim support will continue to develop, and there are almost certain to be more studies of the effects of air pollution on the skin.
The Benefits of Barriers
Jason Harcup, PhD, global VP-skin care research and development, Unilever, paused discussions on cutting-edge technology to sing the praises of water, a most fundamental component of skin. Harcup said water is at the essential core of skin’s barrier purpose. Traumatic events, such as wounds, burns and abrasion; environmental factors such as exposure to ultraviolet radiation or heat; and life stage events like puberty and menopause, are just some of the things that impact water levels.
One way to maintain the barrier is via occlusive agents; and, in the 1860s, Robert Augustus Chesebrough, a Brooklyn, NY chemist, discovered the occlusive benefits of petroleum jelly. In the 1870s, he branded it Vaseline Petroleum Jelly. About 120 years later, none other than Kligman, called it, “the best damn occlusive agent we have.”
Occlusive agents aside, the microbiome plays a critical role in the barrier function—and it’s getting noticed. In fact, according to Harcup, in the past 20 years, the amount of research on the microbiome has increased 300-fold.
“The microbiome nourishes skin. When you feed the bacteria with probiotics you improve the barrier,” he insisted.
Today, Harcup and his team are studying the benefits of pro-lipids in the skin.
“When pro-lipids penetrate skin, there is a 35% increase in ceramide production,” explained Harcup. “Pro-lipid led omics has helped us build on 75 years of skin care research.”
Jane Hollenberg, JCH Consulting, provided insights on the past 75 years of color cosmetics. It’s a time dominated by regulations and, later, color-shifting innovations. To secure FDA approval of color additives under the Color Additive Amendments of 1960, the industry led by the then-Cosmetic Toiletry and Fragrance Association (CTFA), now Personal Care Products Council, embarked on more than 30 years of research.
Meanwhile, mild surfactants were developed that were capable of forming stable emulsions that delivered color in an easily spreadable and blendable form. Film formers helped mascaras take a quantum leap in efficacy, too. But pigment developments have been most interesting, Hollenberg insisted. Beginning with synthetic white pearl flakes in the 1960s, the technology of metal oxide coatings on transparent flaky substrates has evolved to create a dazzling array of light reflection and colors, according to Hollenberg. Film formers were introduced into color cosmetic to lengthen the wear of formulations for lips, eyes, face and nails. Polyacrylates, polyvinylpyrrolidone copolymers, polyvinyl acetates, natural resins, polyamides, silicone resins, and, more recently, complex curable polyacrylates to form gel nails, have made possible claims such as “transfer resistant,” “waterproof,” and “kiss proof.”
“Effect pigments are the most exciting technology of the past 75 years. There’s been an explosion of color,” said Hollenberg.
The Beauty of INCI
All of today’s cosmetic attributes would be impossible without ingredients. Joanne Nikitakis of the Personal Care Products Council detailed the creation of the International Nomenclature Cosmetic Ingredient system of standardized names for cosmetic raw materials. With the enactment of the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act in 1967, the FDA was authorized to publish regulations requiring the declaration of ingredients for cosmetics. To create a nomenclature system, CTFA (now PCPC) established a Nomenclature Committee with representation by chemists from industry, academia, the FDA, USAN and FCC.
“It is an evolving nomenclature,” said Nikitakis, noting that terms such as peptides have been added in recent years and polymers have grown tremendously.
Now in its 16th edition, The International Cosmetic Ingredient Dictionary and Handbook contains more than 27,000 ingredient monographs.
Innovative Ideas
The session closed with a presentation by Lisa Napolione, global senior vice president, research and development, The Estée Lauder Companies. She predicted that hyper-specific consumer needs will propel advances in personalized skin care formulations. To get there, cosmetic chemists will put greater emphasis on genetics, epigenetics and their role in human skin. For example, Estée Lauder researchers harnessed the power of one mRNA, mI-146A, to create Advanced Night Repair. A proprietary blend of yeast extract, peptide and plant-derived ingredients is said to help skin produce collagen for firmer skin.
“Fermentation pushes the boundaries of natural and helps us create performance naturals,” insisted Napolione.
Another requirement is diversity and inclusion. In order to serve an increasingly diverse consumer base, successful beauty companies must attract a diverse workforce, said Napolione.
“Diversity drives a company’s success,” she insisted. “Small steps matter, but companies must choose to do it.”
The Estée Lauder Companies attracts a diverse workforce via 39 employee resource groups to foster a culture of inclusion and create a work environment where employees can feel comfortable and empowered to share and exchange ideas, according to the company.
At the same time, ELC is committed to mentorship, networking and partnerships to foster diversity, equity and inclusion. It must be working; The Estée Lauder Companies is one of the most successful organizations in the cosmetics industry.
“It’s the 75th anniversary of The Estée Lauder Companies, too!” said Napolione.
For more SCC annual meeting coverage, click here.