A Very Innovative Conference

Innovation is alive and well in the personal care industry, according to speakers at a symposium aptly titled, “Innovating with Purpose: Transforming Trends into Breakthrough Products.” The sold-out event was part of the New York Chapter of the Society of Cosmetic Chemists’ education program. Event Chair Carolina Denman attended her first NYSCC event 18 years and was impressed with the passion of cosmetic chemists.

“I am excited to put this event together,” she added. “I hope you walk away feeling inspired about what’s next for our industry.”

Innovating with Purpose was sponsored by Ajinomoto, Azelis, Chemyunion, Evolved by Nature and Symrise.

Past SCC National Chair Kelly Dobos of the University of Cincinnati opened the meeting with a deep dive into the innovation landscape. Innovation provides multiple benefits for companies, including competitive advantage, business growth, customer satisfaction, adaptability and increased efficiency, explained Dobos.

“Innovation also boosts brand recognition and reputation. It helps attract and retain talent, too,” she added.

But what is innovation? Some observers explain it as “creating something that I didn’t know I needed.” As an example, Dobos noted that Post-it notes languished in the 3M lab for 10 years before their introduction.

But don’t chalk innovation up entirely to serendipity. Dobos quoted Louis Pasteur, “Chance favors the prepared mind.” That is, luck alone won’t lead to innovation. It requires skill, knowledge and mindset to recognize and act upon opportunities as they arise.

That explains William Henry Perkins’ discovery of mauveine, the first commercial synthetic organic dye. Made from aniline, Perkins’ research enabled the creation of an inexpensive purple colorant that was easier to mass produce than natural purple dyes. After the discovery of mauveine, new aniline dyes appeared, revolutionizing fashion just as the Industrial Revolution was underway.

Sustaining or Disruptive Innovation

Bringing purple dyes to Victorian England certainly disrupted the fashion world. Dobos explained that there are two types of innovation: Sustaining and Disruptive. The former builds on existing technology and is usually a slow and steady process.

“Be cautious when creating sustaining innovations,” warned Dobos. “Adding incremental benefits doesn’t provide excitement for consumers.”

Wayward, sustaining innovation can lead to feature bloat and unnecessary complexity. It can result in increasing cost without increasing value; think 72-hour wear lipstick or a vibrating mascara wand.

“Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should!”

In contrast, disruptive innovation creates a new market and value network. It eventually disrupts existing markets and displaces established market-leading firms, products and alliances. Per Dobos, disruptive innovation typically starts by serving a niche market with a product that may be simpler, cheaper or more convenient than existing offerings.

And where can chemists uncover innovations? Dobos offered several examples:

• Unexpected Occurrences;

• Ancillary Industries (such as food and pharma);

• Consumer Feedback;

• External Collaborators (suppliers);

• Demographic and Market Changes;

• Nature Inspired (biomimicry); and

• Universities (industry research partnerships).

Dobos told the audience that fruitful partnerships can lead to unexpected discoveries. For example, shark skin was the bioinspiration for the development of antimicrobial surfaces based on nanoimprint lithography.

Innovative and Organic

Ogee Cosmetics Co-Founder Abbott Stark spent a decade at multinational beauty companies before creating his beauty company after realizing that lip products contain microplastics.

“It was my gross-out moment,” he recalled. “I realized that I can’t give these products to people I care about. I was giving them to my mom in swag bags!”

Ogee’s key ingredient is jojoba oil. According to Stark, this liquid crystalline wax has incredible skincare benefits. It is a moisturizer, antioxidant and skin soother. The line includes makeup and skincare formulas. All formulas are NSF-certified, utilizing a minimum percentage of 70% organic ingredients.

Company executives originally selected a direct-to-consumer sales model. The brand launched in 2016 on www.ogeecosmetics.com. In time, Ogee landed on Amazon and started a subscription service.

“We thrived online,” recalled Stark. “Now we’re going into Blue Mercury and will soon add luxury retailers.”

He attributes Ogee’s success to a three-pronged point-of-difference: luxury, performance and certified organic. The brand is NSF-, USDA Organic- and ISO 16128-certified.

“Organic standards matter. There is a lack of regulations around the word ‘clean,’” Stark told attendees. “Third-party certification ensures transparency & trust.”

Certifications & Standards Defined

NSF: An international standard. Requires 70%+ organic ingredients by weight to designate “contains organic ingredients” on labeling.

USDA Organic: A domestic standard. “Made with Organic Ingredients” is defined as containing 70 %+ organic ingredients. “Organic” is defined as containing 95%+ organically produced ingredients. “100% Organic” must only contain organically produced ingredients.

ISO 16128: A two-part standard. ISO-16128-1 defines natural ingredients as generally obtained from plants, animals, microorganisms or minerals. It defines “Derived Natural Ingredients” as greater than 50% natural origin. ISO-16128-2 describes an approach to calculate natural, natural origin and organic origin.

NSF was the first certification Ogee earned. But as the company grew, Stark realized NSF didn’t keep pace with Ogee’s goals.

“We are going clean for health and safety reasons. We have natural preservatives,” he explained. “We adopted ISO 16128. It is in the US and Europe, and it seems like it is coming into some progressive Asian suppliers too. It’s a great tool to screen ingredients.”

Ingredients and formulas aside, Ogee products are packaged in glass and metal whenever possible. But Stark acknowledged plastic still accounts for most packaging. The company offers a refillable lipstick, but it’s been a challenge to get consumers to change their purchasing behavior. Most recently, Ogee launched SPF Skin Enhancing Primer, which sold out quickly. Now, the company is developing organic-certified color cosmetics. Later this year, Ogee will launch a novel skin cream that’s being co-developed with Evolved by Nature.

In closing, Stark offered some key takeaways:

• Identify a real gap in the market—don’t chase trends;

• Stay committed to your mission—even when facing adversity;

• Use innovation to solve constraints; and

• Be patient, persistent and adaptable.

“If I had known how tough it was to get product organic certified, I wouldn’t have done it,” Stark admitted.

Health and Beauty Converge

Denman, director of R&D at Evolved by Nature performed double duty. In addition to chairing the event, she gave a presentation on innovation. According to Mintel, US beauty and personal care sales will approach $400 billion by 2029. Denman noted wellness, beauty and health are merging. Today, beauty is smart and personalized, and consumers seek advanced solutions.

“Innovation enhances product results,” she added.

In the future, 2027 and 2028, Denman predicted that slow beauty and longevity will dominate. There will be a focus on long-term benefits, brands will prioritize science-backed products and purposeful ingredient use will be essential.

“Innovative product design is the process of transforming creative ideas into tangible products,” she reminded attendees. “This process not only involves creativity and technical skills, but also strategic thinking to meet market demands.”

For the personal care chemist, that means getting involved in three key areas:

• Concept development. Transforming ideas into viable product concepts.

• Prototyping and testing. Building and refining prototypes according to market needs.

• Manufacturing support. Assisting with the transition into mass production for commercialization.

Understanding the source of beauty trends is critical. Denman told attendees to follow the consumer to be aware of shifts in consumer preferences.

“Forty-nine percent of mass market skincare growth is driven by Alphas,” she noted.

At the same time, successful chemists follow social media, read market and industry reports, make store visits, and are well-versed in regulatory shifts and new ingredient launches.

Denman said “age anxiety” impacts consumer purchasing decisions.

“A WGSN survey found 74% of Gen X women worry about aging, but on average, women start worrying about it as early as 29,” she said. “Age anxiety is an issue that must be addressed as a form of responsibility to consumers’ mental health.”

Rapid weight loss can lead to sagging skin. These “Ozempic Face” consumers seek non-surgical alternatives to lift, firm and plump skin. Savvy formulators should develop products that firm skin and tailor them specifically for those consumers who experienced rapid weight loss.

Bringing Innovation to Market

In a panel discussion, beauty executives provided their innovation insights. The session was moderated by Brian Freedman, Evolved by Nature.

“Everything is about the skinification of hair,” observed Angelica Ceballos, VP-product development, Moroccanoil. “I’m trained as a makeup artist and I look to see how that can be applied to haircare.”

Former NYSCC Chair Giorgio Dell’Acqua is the founder of Dellacqua Consulting, Jersey City, NJ. It’s a full-service consultancy for new product development, including ingredient sourcing, third-party formulating/manufacturing and technical marketing. The company specializes in sustainable and natural ingredients sourcing and development.

Innovation is a cross-functional process. Dellacqua Consulting works with marketing and product development, while listening to leadership, when developing products.

“If it needs to be disruptive, it needs to be something that doesn’t exist,” said Dell’Acqua. “Therefore, we look, as a team, at ingredients. If you can’t find what you need, work with suppliers.”

Laura Muollo, VP-R&D, True Colors Chemistry, agreed.

“Cross-functional collaboration can help,” she said. “But there has to be constant communication. It can’t be marketing does this and R&D does that. There must be constant back and forth.”

But whatever product is under development, it must be unique.

“There isn’t a shampoo for everyone,” noted Ceballos. “We look at trend reports, follow Spate, listen to suppliers and watch market leaders to figure out what comes next. A brand must be consumer-centric to survive and thrive.”

Brands must work within a regulatory framework, too. Craig Onofry, chief R&D and innovation officer, KDC/One, warned that creativity must be compliant.

“It’s table stakes,” he insisted. “Information share is instantaneous, and the consumer is driving the regulatory landscape.”

Therefore, information share across departments and with regulators is critical.

What’s Driving Innovation?

Freedman asked the panel what innovations are driving the market? Dell’Acqua offered fermentation and biotechnology.

“I like the gut microbiome, too,” he added. “I see a lot of investment on the gut microbiome and its effect on skin and hair. Right now, it’s beauty from within, but eventually topicals, too.”

Neuroscience will be a big innovation driver in the future, observed Ceballos.

“Hair loss has a lot to do with stress. Neuroscience can reduce stress,” she insisted.

For Mullo, innovation will be driven by science-backed ingredients.

“You don’t need a big INCI list,” she advised. “Understand why ingredients are in your formula. What are they doing in there? Formulators must use intentional ingredients.”

Dell’Acqua noted that biology is becoming increasingly important in product development. Biologists understand the physiology of skin, hair and target sites.

“Many companies don’t have biologists. We need more expertise into physiology,” he explained. “That will help develop the best products and the mechanism of action.”

An Evolving Subject

The definition of innovation changed for the panelists. For Onofry, it was during a scale-up operation a decade ago. At the time, he was creating an innovative product that didn’t scale up beyond 10 kilos. That led to the creation of an innovative way to transfer an internal phase into an emulsion.

“Innovation was the difference between doing something and not doing it,” he recalled.

Covid forced Muollo to revamp production from cosmetics to hand sanitizers. She was given one week to switch production but had no ingredients on hand and received little direction. Muollo recalled that tainted products containing methanol and acetone were showing up on store shelves.

“I needed to know the history of the ingredients I was using and how they were produced,” she recalled. “I dove into sourcing like I had never done before.”

Inspiring Innovations

Freedman asked panelists what inspires them. For Onofry, it’s exosomes. They’re packed with growth factors and peptides.

“Fifty percent of the body’s hyaluronic acid content is found in the skin. So, we put hyaluronic acid in skincare formulas,” he reasoned. “I see the same with exosomes, which decline with age.

Dell’Acqua said climate change may push the industry to take another look at vertical farming and fermentation to produce ingredients in the lab.

“Both can help take the pressure off the environment,” he reasoned. “The technology is getting better and more cost-effective.”

Upcycled ingredients can reduce environmental impact, too. Muollo singled out SeaBalance’s upcycled Sargassum seaweed, which has applications as a cosmetic emulsifier.

Career Advice

No panel would be complete without some career advice from industry veterans. Onofry recommended finding a mentor.

“Even after 20 years, I still ask more questions than give answers,” he noted.

Muolo recommended a shift in perspective. She recalled her PhD advisor once reminded her, that an experiment didn’t “not” work—it did exactly what it was supposed to do.

“Figure out what it did, why it did it and learn from it,” Muolo advised. “The thing that didn’t work may be a source of innovation.”

Ceballos reminded attendees that innovation doesn’t need to be huge. A simple change can reap big rewards.

Dell’Acqua’s focus is on plant-derived ingredients.

“They are simple. Even if things look like they don’t work, try it. Always try to connect the dots. Think out of the box. Break the process, this is the way to disrupt,” he concluded. “As a disruptor, if you think it is impossible, make it possible.”