Even The New Yorker can get with the times. Last month, the venerable periodical finally bid adieu to diaeresis. You know, those two little dots that float over the second vowel indicating it forms a second syllable, as in coöperate. Silly right? As EB White wrote more than a century ago in Elements of Style, “simplify, simplify.” Diaeresis is just downright confusing. And downright archaic.

But kudos to The New Yorker for entering the 21^st Century…with nearly 75 years to spare! A lot of businesses have one foot in the past and the other in the future. Consider artificial intelligence. Many companies are setting up AI departments and appointing chief artificial intelligence officers (CAI?). But a recent Wall Street Journal article argues that AI is just another tool to get the job done and should be incorporated into existing business functions.

I write all this after a fascinating conversation with Ron Robinson, founder of BeautyStat. Like other beauty industry experts, he bemoans the lack of innovation in recent years. But Robinson predicts things will change…he even knows when it will happen! In 2026, a new generation of innovative beauty ideas will hit the market. That’s when this convergence of chemistry, biotechnology and other disciplines takes hold. Some companies are well on their way. To learn more about R&I advances and innovative partnerships in beauty, click here. 

Also, this month, Melissa Meisel reports on fine fragrance. Category sales have outpaced the overall beauty industry since the days of covid. Industry experts explain why there’s no reason to think things will slow down any time soon. Another category on the move is men’s grooming (p. 56). Lianna Albrizio explains why tough guys like Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Jake Paul entered the cosmetics business with their own collections of cleansers and creams.

Happi is on the move this month, too. We’ll be at In-Cosmetics Global in Amsterdam. Stop by stand 12J32 to say “hello” and discuss all things beauty. If you can’t make it to Amsterdam, be on the lookout for our Live from In-Cosmetics eNewsletter. It’s delivered to your inbox before, during and after the exhibition, and designed to show you what you missed by missing the world’s biggest B2B beauty event.

Until then, we hope you enjoy this edition of Happi and we welcome your comments and suggestions.

Tom Branna
Chief Content Officer
tbranna@rodmanmedia.com