During the Annual Awards Luncheon and Business Meeting, Irwin Palefsky received the Maison G. deNavarre Award, the Society of Cosmetic Chemists’ highest honor, for his dedication to the SCC for more than 50 decades.

During his career, Palefsky served as an instructor, New York Chapter Chair and  is a co-founder of NYSCC Suppliers’ Day, the largest cosmetics industry event in North America.

In accepting the award, Palefsky thanked the Society, noting it has been his professional “home” for more than five decades. He also recalled the first planning sessions for NYSCC Suppliers’ Day.

“We couldn’t find 10 suppliers willing to participate,” he joked.

Today, NYSCC Suppliers’ Day includes dozens of education sessions and hundreds of exhibitors.

Palefsky thanked his family for their support, noting that his wife, a two-time SCC Chair and deNavarre honoree Mindy Goldstein, “won’t let me retire!”