Clarins, CeraVe, AmorePacific, and the Research Institute for Fragrance Materials all made headlines in the cosmetics and personal care media this week.
🧱🔗Clarins uses blockchain tech to boost supply chain and manufacturing transparency
The family-owned prestige skincare brand has announced what it calls the T.R.U.S.T. platform, a blockchain system that links product batch numbers with data on manufacturing processes; source, harvest method, and certifications of plant-based ingredients; as well as behind-the-scenes imagery and testimonials. Anyone with a batch number can access the data online.
To date, T.R.U.S.T. data is available on some 30 products in the Clarins portfolio. By the end of next year (2023), the brand expects to have data on closer to 100 products.
RIFM Science Symposium set for November 30
🌺🧪This coming Wednesday the Research Institute for Fragrance Materials will hold a FREE virtual half-day event presenting the non-profit’s latest scientific findings, new approach methodologies (NAMs), and published research on fragrance safety.
This First Annual Science Symposium kicks off at 8am with an overview of RIFM’s Safety Assessment Process, which relies on “the largest collection of fragrance and flavor material data in the world” and results in published updates when new fragrance ingredient information comes up during evaluation.
Other sessions throughout the day will cover natural complex substances; risk versus hazard; dermal testing and CNIH (confirmation of no induction in humans); the Tanimoto Score, which indicates the similarity between fragrance chemicals; environmental NAMs; and more. There is even a dedicated opportunity for networking!
“The symposium will provide fragrance safety stakeholders worldwide the opportunity to meet the scientists and staff working to ensure that the world can safely enjoy their favorite fragranced products,” says Anne Marie Api, Ph.D., research program lead and Vice President of RIFM.
“Everyone,” she adds, “from those creating fragrances to regulators and consumers will find something of interest to them [during the First Annual Science Symposium].”
Amorepacific innovations win two 2023 CES awards
This week, the Consumer Technology Association announced the companies that will be honored at next year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada. And the South Korea – based beauty maker has won two Innovation Awards.
An at-home appliance that uses drinking water, microfluidic technology, and chips prescribed with anhydrous ingredients to make personalized skincare products was awarded the CES 2023 Innovation Award in the Home Appliance category. AMOREPACIFIC calls the intriguing counter-top device The Cosmechip.
In the Robotics category, an AI manufacturing system with two robotic arms that makes custom color cosmetics also received an Innovation Award. The Authentic Color Master by Tonework produces both liquid and cushion foundation products and lip color as well. And according to a recent press release from the company, “The device provides optimized color recommendations based on facial recognition technology and color science research.”
Skin Science & Skin Color
“Equity within skincare is more than representation in marketing and advertising. It is representation of all people at the root of product development,” says Tom Allison, Co-Founder of CeraVe and current Senior Vice President of Global Professional Marketing for the brand, which is (since 2017) owned by L’Oréal.
This month, the brand announced an academic partnership meant to bring more diversity and representation to clinical skincare research. “To truly achieve therapeutic skincare for all, people of all skin types and tones must be part of skincare research, and this fund at Howard University is one step towards closing the inequity gap,” explains Allison.
CeraVe has established a fund at Washington DC – based HBCU Howard University, with the aim of “helping the University become a leader in research and innovation of dermatological science for skin of color,” according to a recent press release.
Initially, the fund will support faculty training and the development of a dermatology clinical trials unit at Howard. And in the long run, L’Oréal hopes the initiative will prove to be “a critical and groundbreaking step in advancing dermatology for skin of color.”
And this isn’t L’Oréal’s only recent contribution to making skincare science more inclusive, in terms of both experts and data. Just a few weeks back, the beauty maker’s La Roche Posay brand announced funding for a fellowship for students in dermatology.
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