Tom Branna, Chief Content Officer01.01.24
The Society of Cosmetic Chemists 77th Annual Meeting & Technology Showcase, held last month in New York City, was the culmination of another busy year for the Society. The event included nearly 70 exhibitors and student posters as well.
As reported in Happi, the Society honored nearly 20 members. Chief among them, Roger L. McMullen, PhD received the Maison G. deNavarre Medal Award. In fact, two deNavarre medalists were recognized at the meeting. Howard Epstein won his Medal in 2020, the year turned upside down by covid.
In her State of the Society address, SCC President and CEO Erica O’Grady told attendees that the Society had successes to celebrate, significant financial challenges to face, and changes to navigate while keeping its members and chapters needs at the forefront. For example, the SCC has reacquired most of the nearly 30% membership lost due to the pandemic. Now, SCC has identified ancillary groups including dermatologists, cosmetologists and aestheticians to target for membership. On the topic of membership, SCC established subcommittees to address diversity and inclusion.
Furthermore, SCC awarded, for the third year in a row, $10,000 in STEM scholarships to underrepresented minorities through the Madam CJ Walker Scholarship program. As reported in Happi, scholarship winners included Precious Ulel, an undergraduate student at the University of California Irvine, and Xylia Ajose, a graduate student at the University of Cincinnati. Two finalists were also recognized during the Annual Meeting: Jada Alcantra, an undergraduate student at the University of Toledo, and Destiny Durante, a graduate student at the University of Illinois, Chicago.
Also in the area of education, SCC started upgrading its media library and resource center, which is due to go live early this year. It also assisted Spelman College and other universities in developing accredited cosmetic science education programs and curricula and created a task force charged with updating the current education courses and developing, recruiting and training instructors.
“We delivered a strong schedule of in-person and online CEP courses, plus hands-on lab instruction, and developed SCC’s first-ever certificate program, which is due to launch in 2024,” said O’Grady.
As part of ongoing outreach efforts, SCC continued successful partnerships with groups like the Independent Beauty Association (IBA), America Oil Chemists Society (AOCS) and TRI Princeton. SCC also established relationships with the International Academy of Dermatology and Ayolabs, a cosmetics business incubator geared toward diverse and underrepresented communities.
Internally, the SCC staff structure was reorganized to align with areas that deliver the most value to members. Accounting services were outsourced and resources were refocused on education, membership and chapter support. Overall expenses were significantly cut, and the Society looked for opportunities to create revenue-driving activities. As a result, O’Grady expected the SCC to break even for 2023, despite a budgeted $75,000 loss.
In other news, the Society began preparations for hosting the IFSCC Congress in the US in 2028; and held the Society’s first-ever annual scientific meeting in Los Angeles, which attracted more than 850 attendees. The SCC Annual Meeting & Technology Showcase returns to Los Angeles in December.
“All of these accomplishments are due, in large part, to our outstanding committee leaders and members,” noted O’Grady. “In 2023, our committees were thriving with more than 150 members volunteering to serve in various capacities. If you’d like to get involved and help shape the future of SCC, there’s no better way than volunteering.”
Despite a year of accomplishments, O’Grady noted there’s more work to do. The SCC staff and board of directors is hard at work developing and delivering opportunities for diverse education, important peer connections, and access to innovative science and research. At the local level, the SCC chapter network continues to provide members with unique programs and events designed to educate and inspire curiosity.
O’Grady took time to recognize SCC headquarter staff, including Sam Neely, associate director of operations; Lori Rebuck, member and chapter service coordinator; Jennifer Lewis, executive administrative assistant; and Peyton Kolovani, operations administrative assistant.
“In a particularly challenging year, they have remained committed to superior member service and support,” O’Grady concluded.
He was joined by Committee on Scientific Affairs (COSA) Chair Dennis Abbeduto of Colonial Chemicals and Vice Chair Caryn Weiss of Amway.
In his opening remarks, Browne noted that L’Oréal was founded by a chemist, employs 4000 scientists, was awarded 561 patents in 2022 and spends $1.2 billion a year on research and innovation.
“It’s part of our DNA,” he explained. “The question is, how can we leverage this beauty technology to be more inclusive and sustainable?”
Consumers are demanding more inclusive formulas for all skin types; at the same time, they want better products, he said.
“In the US, the consumer is more demanding than ever before. That means we have to design better products,” Browne told attendees. “Beauty is always evolving.”
To underscore that evolution, He pointed out that as emerging markets mature, millions of new consumers are entering the beauty category. These new customers want more sustainable solutions that are built using green science principles and backed by data.
Browne cited megatrends shaping the global beauty market and, of course, how chemists formulate products: inclusivity, responsibility and personalization. He called the US a “majority minority” nation, noting that Gen Z is the last generation with a white majority in the US. By 2040, 40% of the population will have curly, coily hair—in fact, 50% of Gen Z already has this hair type.
Beauty companies must be responsible to the environment, too. By 2050, 7 out of 10 people will live in urban centers. That affects skin and scalp health. Browne noted that there’s been a three-fold increase in skin cancer since the 1990s. At the same time, water scarcity affects 2.3 billion consumers around the world.
How is L’Oréal meeting these challenges? It conducted a global study with 3,000 women to improve foundation offerings. By adding just two new pigments (ultramarine blue and chromoxide green) L’Oréal was able to expand its range, without overcrowding retail shelves. At the same time, L’Oréal revamped its descriptors, dropping terms like “cocoa” and “ivory” in favor of “cool,” “neutral” and “warm.” But it’s not enough to change a formula; there must be changes in applications, too.
Browne noted that most stylists aren’t trained in how to take care of curly hair.
“We’re investing in training stylists on how to work with curly hair. No state had a test on curly hair,” he said. “We’re working with the authorities to change that.”
To level the skin care playing field, last year L’Oréal created a $100,000 research grant with the Skin of Color Society to assist five early-career dermatologists and scientists in furthering their academic careers and promoting the development of innovative ideas in clinical and translational research.
On animal rights issues, Browne pointed to L’Oréal’s patented Episkin model, which L’Oréal made available to everyone. Finally, in a nod to personalization, L’Oréal created Modiface, a technology that analyzes the user’s skin condition and produces a customized beauty routine based on an AI algorithm.
L’Oréal is at the forefront of the consumer-technology interface. In fact, CES 2024 will include a keynote by L’Oréal CEO Nicolas Hieronimus.
“They have skin we would kill for,” added Weiss. “They don’t use soap, but bath in the river three times a day. Acne Vulgaris is a disease of Western Civilization.”
To what do researchers attribute their health? According to Weiss, the Yanamani have the highest diversity of bacteria and genetic function ever reported in a human group. To learn more, Good went on a quest to reconnect with his mother. During his expedition, his skin microbiome exhibited increasing species richness.
“His microbiome changed,” concluded Weiss. “That goes against all the data we had.”
More specifically, Good entered the Amazon on July 25, 2018. By September 23, 2018, his microbiome was more complex. Yet, within three-and-a-half days after his return to the US, his microbiome was returned to its pre-Amazon state.
“We have lost 80% of the richness and diversity of species. The Yanomami skin microbiome is complex,” said Weiss. “It is more diverse and compositionally distinct from Western skin.”
As a result, the Yanomami have an enhanced ability to respond to oxidative stress.
But that’s not the end of Good’s story. After seeing her son for the first time in 20 years, David’s mother wanted to return to the US. She took one shower with traditional bar soap and lost all of her biodiversity, according to Weiss. Modern lifestyles mean a loss of biodiversity.
“We are rusting. Skin disease is getting worse faster in the wealthiest of countries,” said Weiss. “As we cut off our relationship with the microbial world, we get sicker. We are raising the first generation of Americans who are sicker and will die younger than their parents.”
“Who wants gold that isn’t gold?” they mocked.
DaVanzo noted that wild innovations can be a hard sell, even with consumer research to back it up. To get one’s point across she recommended relying on examples from nature.
“Biomimcry helps when you are selling moonshots,” she reasoned.
Examples include flora-fauna hybrids or Xenobots that combine robotics with plants.
“What kind of chemical reactions will come from these combinations?” she asked. “DARPA is doing a lot of work with synthetic lifeforms.”
To be truly innovative, chemists must take inspiration from other fields.
“We are a society of cosmetic chemists, but we have to look at the automotive industry or the space industry. The building blocks of innovation can come from other industries.”
Getting back to that green gold—as it turns out, a lot of consumers wanted it. Today, in the Dubai Gold Souk, there is green gold everywhere.
“I was too early with my innovation. Today, there is a green gold industry,” concluded DaVanzo. “Be an alchemist. Future generations need your magic!”
As reported in Happi, the Society honored nearly 20 members. Chief among them, Roger L. McMullen, PhD received the Maison G. deNavarre Medal Award. In fact, two deNavarre medalists were recognized at the meeting. Howard Epstein won his Medal in 2020, the year turned upside down by covid.
In her State of the Society address, SCC President and CEO Erica O’Grady told attendees that the Society had successes to celebrate, significant financial challenges to face, and changes to navigate while keeping its members and chapters needs at the forefront. For example, the SCC has reacquired most of the nearly 30% membership lost due to the pandemic. Now, SCC has identified ancillary groups including dermatologists, cosmetologists and aestheticians to target for membership. On the topic of membership, SCC established subcommittees to address diversity and inclusion.
Furthermore, SCC awarded, for the third year in a row, $10,000 in STEM scholarships to underrepresented minorities through the Madam CJ Walker Scholarship program. As reported in Happi, scholarship winners included Precious Ulel, an undergraduate student at the University of California Irvine, and Xylia Ajose, a graduate student at the University of Cincinnati. Two finalists were also recognized during the Annual Meeting: Jada Alcantra, an undergraduate student at the University of Toledo, and Destiny Durante, a graduate student at the University of Illinois, Chicago.
Also in the area of education, SCC started upgrading its media library and resource center, which is due to go live early this year. It also assisted Spelman College and other universities in developing accredited cosmetic science education programs and curricula and created a task force charged with updating the current education courses and developing, recruiting and training instructors.
“We delivered a strong schedule of in-person and online CEP courses, plus hands-on lab instruction, and developed SCC’s first-ever certificate program, which is due to launch in 2024,” said O’Grady.
As part of ongoing outreach efforts, SCC continued successful partnerships with groups like the Independent Beauty Association (IBA), America Oil Chemists Society (AOCS) and TRI Princeton. SCC also established relationships with the International Academy of Dermatology and Ayolabs, a cosmetics business incubator geared toward diverse and underrepresented communities.
Internally, the SCC staff structure was reorganized to align with areas that deliver the most value to members. Accounting services were outsourced and resources were refocused on education, membership and chapter support. Overall expenses were significantly cut, and the Society looked for opportunities to create revenue-driving activities. As a result, O’Grady expected the SCC to break even for 2023, despite a budgeted $75,000 loss.
In other news, the Society began preparations for hosting the IFSCC Congress in the US in 2028; and held the Society’s first-ever annual scientific meeting in Los Angeles, which attracted more than 850 attendees. The SCC Annual Meeting & Technology Showcase returns to Los Angeles in December.
“All of these accomplishments are due, in large part, to our outstanding committee leaders and members,” noted O’Grady. “In 2023, our committees were thriving with more than 150 members volunteering to serve in various capacities. If you’d like to get involved and help shape the future of SCC, there’s no better way than volunteering.”
Despite a year of accomplishments, O’Grady noted there’s more work to do. The SCC staff and board of directors is hard at work developing and delivering opportunities for diverse education, important peer connections, and access to innovative science and research. At the local level, the SCC chapter network continues to provide members with unique programs and events designed to educate and inspire curiosity.
O’Grady took time to recognize SCC headquarter staff, including Sam Neely, associate director of operations; Lori Rebuck, member and chapter service coordinator; Jennifer Lewis, executive administrative assistant; and Peyton Kolovani, operations administrative assistant.
“In a particularly challenging year, they have remained committed to superior member service and support,” O’Grady concluded.
R&I from L’Oréal’s Perspective
The SCC annual meeting featured three standalone lectures on a variety of topics. The first was a “fireside chat” with Sanford Browne, L’Oréal USA’s president of research and innovation for North America.He was joined by Committee on Scientific Affairs (COSA) Chair Dennis Abbeduto of Colonial Chemicals and Vice Chair Caryn Weiss of Amway.
In his opening remarks, Browne noted that L’Oréal was founded by a chemist, employs 4000 scientists, was awarded 561 patents in 2022 and spends $1.2 billion a year on research and innovation.
“It’s part of our DNA,” he explained. “The question is, how can we leverage this beauty technology to be more inclusive and sustainable?”
Consumers are demanding more inclusive formulas for all skin types; at the same time, they want better products, he said.
“In the US, the consumer is more demanding than ever before. That means we have to design better products,” Browne told attendees. “Beauty is always evolving.”
To underscore that evolution, He pointed out that as emerging markets mature, millions of new consumers are entering the beauty category. These new customers want more sustainable solutions that are built using green science principles and backed by data.
Browne cited megatrends shaping the global beauty market and, of course, how chemists formulate products: inclusivity, responsibility and personalization. He called the US a “majority minority” nation, noting that Gen Z is the last generation with a white majority in the US. By 2040, 40% of the population will have curly, coily hair—in fact, 50% of Gen Z already has this hair type.
Beauty companies must be responsible to the environment, too. By 2050, 7 out of 10 people will live in urban centers. That affects skin and scalp health. Browne noted that there’s been a three-fold increase in skin cancer since the 1990s. At the same time, water scarcity affects 2.3 billion consumers around the world.
How is L’Oréal meeting these challenges? It conducted a global study with 3,000 women to improve foundation offerings. By adding just two new pigments (ultramarine blue and chromoxide green) L’Oréal was able to expand its range, without overcrowding retail shelves. At the same time, L’Oréal revamped its descriptors, dropping terms like “cocoa” and “ivory” in favor of “cool,” “neutral” and “warm.” But it’s not enough to change a formula; there must be changes in applications, too.
Browne noted that most stylists aren’t trained in how to take care of curly hair.
“We’re investing in training stylists on how to work with curly hair. No state had a test on curly hair,” he said. “We’re working with the authorities to change that.”
To level the skin care playing field, last year L’Oréal created a $100,000 research grant with the Skin of Color Society to assist five early-career dermatologists and scientists in furthering their academic careers and promoting the development of innovative ideas in clinical and translational research.
On animal rights issues, Browne pointed to L’Oréal’s patented Episkin model, which L’Oréal made available to everyone. Finally, in a nod to personalization, L’Oréal created Modiface, a technology that analyzes the user’s skin condition and produces a customized beauty routine based on an AI algorithm.
L’Oréal is at the forefront of the consumer-technology interface. In fact, CES 2024 will include a keynote by L’Oréal CEO Nicolas Hieronimus.
The Skin Microbiome
The human body is under attack by modern world lifestyles and conveniences. In a fascinating Frontiers of Science Keynote Address, Dr. Larry Weiss, founder of Symbiome, detailed the story of Microbiologist David Good. His father is American and his mother is Yanomami, one of the last indigenous group of people in the Venezuelan Amazon rainforest. Remarkably, the Yanomami do not suffer from any disease—no clinical inflammatory disease, no cancer, no degenerative joint disease—they don’t even sunburn! According to Weiss, there are Yanomami in their 70s and 80s whose arteries are cleaner than those of American teens.“They have skin we would kill for,” added Weiss. “They don’t use soap, but bath in the river three times a day. Acne Vulgaris is a disease of Western Civilization.”
To what do researchers attribute their health? According to Weiss, the Yanamani have the highest diversity of bacteria and genetic function ever reported in a human group. To learn more, Good went on a quest to reconnect with his mother. During his expedition, his skin microbiome exhibited increasing species richness.
“His microbiome changed,” concluded Weiss. “That goes against all the data we had.”
More specifically, Good entered the Amazon on July 25, 2018. By September 23, 2018, his microbiome was more complex. Yet, within three-and-a-half days after his return to the US, his microbiome was returned to its pre-Amazon state.
“We have lost 80% of the richness and diversity of species. The Yanomami skin microbiome is complex,” said Weiss. “It is more diverse and compositionally distinct from Western skin.”
As a result, the Yanomami have an enhanced ability to respond to oxidative stress.
But that’s not the end of Good’s story. After seeing her son for the first time in 20 years, David’s mother wanted to return to the US. She took one shower with traditional bar soap and lost all of her biodiversity, according to Weiss. Modern lifestyles mean a loss of biodiversity.
“We are rusting. Skin disease is getting worse faster in the wealthiest of countries,” said Weiss. “As we cut off our relationship with the microbial world, we get sicker. We are raising the first generation of Americans who are sicker and will die younger than their parents.”
Insights from Alchemy
In the Information Age, data is the new currency. In her Henry Maso Keynote Address, Sarah DaVanzo of Pierre Fabre urged attendees to improve their innovations by collecting data and changing their way of thinking. She recalled her career in the gold industry. In Johannesburg mines, gold dust is everywhere. DaVanzo’s team planted stevia to absorb the gold dust, which could then be easily extracted from the plant. The extraction produced a green-tinted gold that experts insisted was worthless.“Who wants gold that isn’t gold?” they mocked.
DaVanzo noted that wild innovations can be a hard sell, even with consumer research to back it up. To get one’s point across she recommended relying on examples from nature.
“Biomimcry helps when you are selling moonshots,” she reasoned.
Examples include flora-fauna hybrids or Xenobots that combine robotics with plants.
“What kind of chemical reactions will come from these combinations?” she asked. “DARPA is doing a lot of work with synthetic lifeforms.”
To be truly innovative, chemists must take inspiration from other fields.
“We are a society of cosmetic chemists, but we have to look at the automotive industry or the space industry. The building blocks of innovation can come from other industries.”
Getting back to that green gold—as it turns out, a lot of consumers wanted it. Today, in the Dubai Gold Souk, there is green gold everywhere.
“I was too early with my innovation. Today, there is a green gold industry,” concluded DaVanzo. “Be an alchemist. Future generations need your magic!”