Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to join nearly a dozen beauty industry colleagues on a three-day trip to Portobelo, Panama to give women in the community a primer on cosmetic science and, hopefully, spark a cottage industry based on local raw materials, growing demand and, most importantly, the enthusiasm of the women in the community. The Panama Beauty Project was organized by Chris Humberstone, Humberstone International, who worked with the Center for Panamanian Women (CEMP). The Center works with low-income women located in indigenous areas to improve their quality of life by strengthening their leadership skills, promoting the formation and strengthening of grassroots women’s organizations for community management and political advocacy, and enhancing skill sets to help provide them with a trade.

Every participant agreed that The Panama Beauty Project was worthwhile, and that it has had a profound effect on each of us. But in order to have a profound effect on the women of Porto Belo and elsewhere, the project needs your input. We’re looking for more volunteers, micro-financing, contract manufacturing contacts and more. Obviously, the project is in its infancy, but has great potential. As physicist Stephen Hawking once noted, “We are very, very small, but we are profoundly capable of very, very big things.”

Also in this issue, as Spring arrives here in the Northern Hemisphere, marketers big and small are rolling out their latest fragrant creations just in time for the all-important Mother’s Day selling season. Melissa Meisel reports on the latest offerings from Guerlain, Lauder and other fragrance leaders. Personal cleansing is much, much more than soap and water. At last month’s annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology, formulators and dermatologists were on hand discussing the important role that gentle cleansing plays in skin health. Finally, all of these indie cosmetics must be made by someone, right? Christine Esposito interviewed contract manufacturing experts to learn more about the brawn behind all of these beauty and personal care brands.

We hope you enjoy our April issue; as always, we welcome your comments and suggestions; and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.

Tom Branna
Editorial Director
tbranna@rodmanmedia.com