Inside CEW Innovators Awards 2025

In this special episode, Skin Anarchy is partnering with CEW to shine a spotlight toward a group that rarely receives public recognition in the beauty industry: the scientists behind the products we use every day. Joined by CEW leaders Elana Drell Szyfer and Andrea Nagel, along with award recipients Dr. Jaime Emmetsberger of The Estée Lauder Companies & La Mer and Lavinia Popescu of Olaplex, the conversation explores the vision behind the CEW Innovator Awards and why celebrating scientific talent has become more important than ever.

The awards were created to address a long-standing gap in the industry. While founders, executives, and brands often take center stage, the chemists, biologists, and engineers responsible for developing breakthrough ingredients and formulations typically remain behind the scenes. Through its partnership with the New York Society of Cosmetic Chemists, CEW launched the Innovator Awards to recognize women leading scientific progress across research, formulation, sustainability, packaging, and emerging technologies.

Throughout the episode, we explore what true innovation in beauty really looks like inside the lab. Jaime discusses how breakthroughs begin with understanding the biology of skin—how cells communicate, how environmental stressors influence aging, and how new tools like artificial intelligence can accelerate discovery without replacing scientific judgment. Meanwhile, Lavinia offers insight into the science of hair repair and how bond-building technologies and emerging peptide research continues to transform modern hair care.

Listen to the full episode to hear how these innovators are shaping the future of beauty through science.

Learn more about CEW's Innovator Awards

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Transcript

Intro To Innovator Awards

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Hey guys, welcome to a very special episode in our episode we're going to be outlining the 2020 Innovator Awards. These awards are incredibly meaningful because they are really celebrating the women that are behind the stage and making duty happen on every level. So the scientists, the architect of what we consider to be innovation. So I cannot wait to dive in. And to begin the episode, please welcome back the president of CEW, Ilana Girl Cypher. And with her today is Andrea Natal, who is a CFP industry content executive and currently serving as Chief Content Officer at CEW. Welcome, Ilana Andrea. I'm so excited to dive into these awards and understand them because it is such an important celebration and I can't wait to learn more about it. Andrea, I would love to start and ask you a question because I really want uh our listeners to grasp, you know, the uh the true meaning and the relevance of the Innovator Award. So let's start at the beginning. Um, what was the gap in the industry that led to the creation of these awards?

SPEAKER_03 1:02

So it's so nice to see you and to speak to you. So thank you for having me. Um, I think even before talking about the awards, we should take a step back and really talk about CEW's relationship with NYSEC, who is so instrumental in the awards really coming together. So for more than a decade, CEW has partnered with NYSC really around the beauty awards and a specific award called the Ingredients and Formulation Award. So it's an honor that really recognizes true innovation in formulation science. So year after year, this category stands among the most highly submitted in the entire Beauty Awards program, alongside Facial Moisturizer and Indie Brand. So it was a real testament to the passion and ingenuity of the scientific community. So we kind of knew that something was bubbling up, right? There we're getting so many submissions for this specific award. And then in early 2025, CEW and NYACC, we saw an opportunity to really take that commitment even further. And they told us, they're like, we are very familiar with your awards platforms where you're honoring women in C-suite for Achiever Awards, and you're honoring female founders with your visionary awards. There's really an opportunity for women in the science of beauty to be recognized. And we said, oh, that is amazing. So ultimately, we created this award, innovators awards, and we partnered with NYSCC to really identify what that means. So, yes, it was there was a huge gap in the industry. We were the first to do it, and they held our hands the entire way, really from submissions, from helping to identify what the different categories were, and that's how we were able to really select and fine-tune who would ultimately be an innovator. So ultimately, we honored 31 women in five different categories. So across RD and product development, formulation, sustainability, emerging innovators and packaging. And we really honored them by putting them in a report talking about their career journeys. And then we celebrated them at a cocktail party, complete with keynote speakers of the lipstick lesbians who are innovators themselves. That's wonderful.

SPEAKER_01 3:22

No, it's it's so interesting because, and Alana, I want to kind of get your take on this because innovation is now such an important topic and it's such, I think it always has been, right? But now to see it come front and center is very inspiring, especially I think for a lot of women in medicine, women in science, especially. I mean, what is your take on that in terms of innovation being the focus rather than just the broader beauty category?

Pulling Back The Curtain

SPEAKER_04 3:48

Yeah, I mean, I can tell you because it was I attended the awards and it was before I officially joined CEW. And I think what struck me was that this is an industry that's based a lot on newness and on how it's marketed and what the package looks like, et cetera. But we never pull back the curtain on how the product actually gets made. And yet, interestingly, consumers love that, right? Like they love to see like on the line, like people love when brands kind of post, like, here's the lipstick getting filled, or this is what it looks like on the line, or whatever. And I think really what Andrea and CEW did was it refocused people's attention on the fact that there are individuals at every step of the process, and that not only are women the end consumer, but there's this group of women, obviously men also, but we put the spotlight on women of who are behind the scenes, right? Either doing the research, creating the ingredients, formulating the product, working on the product package fit, et cetera. And what I saw was in that room were a lot of women who felt like they were the intel inside, but they were the best kept secret out there, right? And so they were just so thrilled to kind of have this spotlight on them to say, A, thank you for doing this, but B, yes, like I raised my hand. I worked on the bench in this big company for 30 years, and what now I started my own ingredient manufacturer, my own lab, or my own whatever. And there was just an enormous amount of pride. And I would also say camaraderie among those people because they kind of looked at each other and they understood each other, right? Like they were like, we are part of this community. I feel like what happened was they they came together like a cohort and they they sort of wanted to create this subcommunity of innovators and creators.

How Nominations And Judging Work

SPEAKER_01 6:02

Yeah, that's I I that's really fascinating because I I like what you said. I think uh these awards really for me stand out so much because the recognition that's needed. I mean, you can spend your whole life, right, like trying to create something magical and do it behind the bench, but then to not have anyone even know that you are behind that. That's that's hard for any scientist, for any innovator. And so this is huge that you guys have introduced these awards. Andrea, I want to go back to you and ask you about the actual evaluation process for the awards. I'm sure that's pretty difficult, right? To kind of understand like what are the two factors that are stand out in any kind of innovation rather than something that's trend-driven novelty. So can you give us a little bit of insight into that evaluation process for the awards?

SPEAKER_03 6:49

So we received more than 100, 150 submissions, and they were entered by category, not only by the innovators themselves, but also by their peers. So their peers called out, hey, you should know about this fantastic product development person, or this amazing RD person, or an up-and-comer. And so a lot of them who were ultimately chosen didn't know that they were even in the running. So then we took all of these submissions who were then by category, and we all met in a room and we had our NYSEC partners help us, and we really just took a long time to look at the companies they were from, researching what are some of the ingredients that are trending and that are really making headway in the market right now. What are the products that these ingredients are being seen in right now? And it was easier than you kind of alluded to in that these women and the ingredients that they are behind and the brands that they're behind are kind of the raw stars of what's going on in beauty right now. And I feel like we really hit the nail on the head at the right time. Um, as you've seen in the market, on TikTok, on social media, scientists and people who are on the bench are getting the spotlight. So we were kind of in tune and riding that wave of all right, let's identify these women based on these very defined categories of emerging innovator and formulation and cosmetic chemistry, on and on. And they really just kind of rose to the top. It was a natural process.

SPEAKER_04 8:38

And Ecta, I want to say we had an experience where one of the innovators, I I think just to take a step back, I think this group of people is so used to not being credited, right? And not having attention put on them that somebody, one of our innovators, won the award, came alone, accepted it, and her company didn't know until afterwards. And like the company was sort of like, had we known, we would have been there to support you, whatever. But they're these innovators are so used to kind of being anonymous that they didn't even sort of like put it out there that that this was this was happening. And I like what you said about being a scientist and and kind of being used to being behind the scenes. Like if you think about it, we put a brand name on the front of a product and we put all the ingredients on the back, right? Yeah. But we never say formulated by, right? Yes. Yes. And often it's a group of people, right? I'm not saying it's one. Like we all know, having worked in this industry a really long time, like even on a small brand, there are probably a hundred people between the packaging people, the project managers, the contract manufacturers, the ingredient people, there are probably a hundred people involved in the launch of a product. But the I think for me, what struck me about the whole thing was the anonymity of the innovator themselves was completely blown up with the awards in a great way, right? Like it was really a reveal.

SPEAKER_03 10:15

Yeah. Just to piggyback on that, when we were creating the report, and as we were reaching out to the innovators, my inbox was filled with messages saying, I cannot believe that I'm being recognized. They were so humbled and proud and probably even a little overwhelmed with this recognition. And I think it just kind of reinforced how we were really tapping into a white space.

SPEAKER_01 10:41

Yeah, absolutely. I mean, this is like so huge. And I think that this is where I, for me, I think CEW really stands out because of reasons like this, because you guys are able to identify areas that I think the industry often overlooks. I've seen this time and time again, and I think that is very much represented in these awards in the heart of it when I'm looking at it, right? And I would love for you guys to speak on this this idea of like finding the areas in beauty that are just maybe like becoming the exception of like what should be recognized, what should we shine a spotlight on? What are some of those things like outside of even just the innovator awards or that really fueled these awards when you were thinking about creating them?

Where Innovation And Careers Go Next

SPEAKER_04 11:24

Well, I'll let Andrea talk about like things she thought about when creating the awards. I I can take what I think are the areas for the future. Yeah. If you look at the statistics around women's leadership in beauty and in fashion, right? The numbers for women at the top in the CEO roles are actually not getting better. They're getting worse. And when you peel back the rationale about why, what are the reasons that women are being told that they're not getting those top jobs, there are two there are three specific areas people talk about. One is financial acumen, one is operational expertise, and the third is international experience. And so I think for the future, if you think about how, as an organization, if part of our focus is on the advancement and development of women's careers at every stage, I think the women in this industry who are financially oriented, the women who work in operations, and the women who have international experience are an area of our three different areas that of opportunity that we can look at for sure. But now I'll let Andrea kind of answer her question, answer your question about like how did we know this was a place to look?

SPEAKER_03 12:48

Well, I think we looked to our mission statement and CUW's overall vision, which is to really elevate women in the beauty industry. And this was just an untapped area in the beauty industry. Um as I said, we recognize manufacturers and retailers in C-Suite as well as Indian founder companies. And we are, we do have very good relationships with suppliers and contract manufacturers. So this was just the next obvious step.

SPEAKER_01 13:19

Makes sense. Yeah, no, I'm really glad you created these. It's very exciting. And we're in, I think we're in a moment right now where innovation is really becoming the baseline expectation, right, for a lot of different categories. I mean, obviously, I talk a lot about skincare. I love skincare a lot and I see it all the time in that. But what are your thoughts? I mean, Andrea, I'd love to hear your thoughts on this in terms of where innovation is really taking that center role. And apart from just recognizing, like just people recognizing the role of innovation and how that's shaping careers in the space.

SPEAKER_03 13:53

Well, I think just the role of innovation is probably being fueled also by the consumer who is commanding and demanding ingredients that are working and that are worthy of their time. We deal with lots of data partners who track consumer search and who are seeing and reporting that consumers are searching about ingredients and looking for the most effective solutions more now more than ever. And that's now even being seen on platforms like ChatGBT and Genesis and so on, where consumers are searching for solutions and in in a multitude of ways. So who knows which came first, the chicken or the egg, but innovation has to be there in order for product to move, in order for there to be a reason to launch something. Um, so that's really what is happening right now. And I think we're just seeing more and more women as there are more women in the back areas of science and in the science of beauty, they are also coming to the forefront. I mean, if you just look at some of the innovators and the brands that we recognized, all of them are women. One of them was Six Science, founded by two Turkish doctors, and just really amazing technology and innovation. And they're also being supported by people who have been in the industry for years and years at other brands. And I think we're just seeing a lot a lot of support and partnership by everyone to put women forward who are who are innovating and who have the science background.

SPEAKER_04 15:27

Yeah, and I think if I if we just take a step back, I what uh what I'm about to say is pure conjecture, but it's it's my my own personal supposition. We in our last conversation, we talked a little bit about sort of the history of beauty and like the categories, what people worked on, et cetera. I think one of the things I'm sure you'll agree over the past, let's call it 10 years, what I call the taboo topics hair loss, zits, menopause, facial hair, excessive sweating, body dryness, keratosis pylaris, like all of these things that people never talked about have become A, areas that people talk about, and B areas that brands have innovated and created solutions, right? And so I have to believe that women's involvement in science and in the conversation is part of that, right? Um I I myself worked on projects around in skincare more than 20 years ago that were sort of related to solutions for menopause, but they were developed by men and people weren't ready to have that conversation. I feel like that's a conversation today that people can't get enough of, right? And there's from a product perspective, from a conversation on Reddit perspective, from an influencer perspective, like across the board. And I think that's where innovation is coming from now and sort of all of these taboo and unmet topics, they're kind of coming to the fore, but also with solutions.

SPEAKER_01 17:08

Right, right. No, that's a really good point. And I I think that I've had this conversation on the podcast where, like exactly what you said, Alana, where it's like the the topics and the the industries that are so closely tied to like the medical side, right? Innovations that are really kind of bridging that gap between like, okay, this was just in medicine before, this was just in big pharma before, we never saw it come over into the space where there's so much accessibility. I mean, that's where I feel like awards like these matter so much because they spotlight how we can bridge that gap and we can really bring over things that are going to genuinely help people at the end of the day, and you're not going to be limited by any kind of blockade. So that's, I mean, it's huge. And I completely agree with everything that you said. On that note, I want to ask though, in terms of the future, Andrea, maybe you could tell us the future of the reader of words. Like what impact do you hope that this program has in the long run for the industry? Because right now, just to give you like my just opinion, I think we're in a time right now in beauty where we're seeing a lot of buzzwords come up. Although the science is there, the data is there, the consumers are still looking at them as like buzzy terms like biotech, all of the words in biotech. Where do you think the innovator words are going to fit into that, into that narrative of like educating consumers and really getting them on board with the science of everything?

SPEAKER_03 18:28

I think well, we're actually working on innovators for 2026 and what that event will look like. I think what we'll do is we will absolutely be looking into the categories that define what an innovator is, seeing how we might be able to expand on that and to include more people in science, more women behind the bench. And I think for the future, I mean, for now we're owning it and we're loving that. Really, how we can just get more people involved, make sure that everyone and within the scientific community knows about this opportunity for women in science and hopefully to really spur more submissions and to not be shy about that. And I think we should really make a goal to have it so that these women are becoming a little bit more comfortable in the spotlight. Last year it was a very interesting, it w it was kind of a phenomenon to have and to see such humility in accepting these awards. I will even say that the reporters who wrote about these women, they found it so refreshing to talk about, to talk with someone about the science behind the product and not the marketing. Because typically we're always reporting about marketing innovations and how they're cutting through the noise. So to talk to someone about how something was just a figment of someone's thought and to really talk about formulating that, they found that super refreshing. So I guess we should really be making sure that all of our innovators are really comfortable with the spotlight and are maybe talking about a little bit louder next time.

SPEAKER_01 20:22

Yeah, that makes sense. Um I I know a lot of people in science can be very shy about accepting recognition. So that makes a lot of sense. Yeah. Alana, I'd love to get your perspective as well on that and the future of the innovator awards.

SPEAKER_04 20:35

Yeah, I mean, listen, I think we have a little ways to go until innovators is the size and scale of achievers, right? But that doesn't mean it shouldn't be. And I also think that innovators for us, in a way, can be an incubator program for achiever. Um, there have been a few times along the way where we have recognized somebody in RD as an achiever. And but I do think that having innovator be a place where if one of these individuals' organizations has not put enough spotlight on them, if we can do that, and that it then propels them and makes them be seen in their companies in a new way and puts them not only in a scientific role, but also in a leadership role to become a head of RD, to be to be a head of research in an independent lab, to be somebody who's quoted as a scientific expert across the industry and is working with a PCPC or whoever. I think that one of the missions of CEW is recognition. And I think the recognition, this for me is the start for a group of people. Been unrecognized. Once the GD's out of the model, you can't put them back in, right? For me, it's the beginning of the recognition for what the contributions have been. And I can I see it only getting bigger whether that's we recognize them again because they've achieved more things, or just they use this as an opportunity and a platform to elevate themselves in their own visibility in their companies, in the industry, et cetera, so that people begin to know what they're capable of and it opens doors for them so that they can continue to advance.

Dr Emmitsberger On Real Innovation

SPEAKER_01 22:31

I love that. Well, I'm a huge fan, and for all of our listeners, I hope there's someone in the audience that can apply for next year's awards. Very, very exciting. But thank you so much to both of you for telling us all about the awards and everything. Thanks, Ecta. Thank you. Please welcome Dr. Jamie Emitsberger, who is a recipient of the Innovator Awards 2025 by CEW. Dr. Emmitsberger serves as the Director of Advanced Technologies at the SD Lover Companies, where she is a fellow on the research and innovation team. She is also the lead scientist at Lamaire's Max Huber Research Labs. A molecular neuroscientist by training, Dr. Emmitsberger's research primarily centers on neurocutaneous biology, such as skin sensation, neurocutaneous signaling, cutaneous neuromodulation, and the impact of cellular senescence on skin aging. Welcome, Dr. Emmetsberger. Oh, thank you so much for having me today. Yeah, and congratulations again on your CEW Innovator Award. I think it's so wonderful that you've been recognized. And I want to take this opportunity to actually ask you about innovation because it's such a important word, especially right now in the beauty industry. I think more than ever. Could you kind of talk to us about what your view is in terms of the real meaning of innovation and why it's so important to recognize in our industry?

SPEAKER_02 23:47

Yeah, so I think obviously innovation comes down to a deep biological understanding, at least in my role. So if I could just give you just a little background, a little bit of background. I'm a trained molecular biologist and neuroscientist. So to me, under having innovation is understanding the biology. So when it comes to skin, how do we approach affecting the skin in a beneficial way? But we won't have this type of understanding, right, without understanding the intricacies of these biological pathways. So how I position this is when we think of innovation, we can also incorporate and explore other possibilities. So, like for example, innovation can incorporate AI, for example, and this can explore additional possibilities like what ingredients, mixtures make sense in different skin types. This will allow us for like faster and opportunities with fewer experimentations. But to keep in mind, this will never replace scientific judgment or craftsmanship. It just enhances efficiency, insight, and precision. So when we think of innovation, it really is integrating like rigorous science with also craftsmanship when it comes to cosmetics. And it's not only to we don't want to chase trends, but instead gain a deeper understanding of how biology and nature already works, like what I was mentioning before. So you can translate uh this exceptional experience with real performance. So to me, uh discovery matters when it becomes an experience, right? And exceptional performance reflects a brand's value.

SPEAKER_01 25:29

Yeah. No, that's that's really powerful. And I I completely agree with you. I think that also one of the follow-up questions I have is like, what in your view really separates something brand new from innovation? Because I think right now we're in a time where things are really coming out very rapidly, and there's a lot of new stuff coming out, especially in the beauty space. So where is that line between, okay, this is just a new thing, right? Versus like truly it is going to make an impact in the scientific space.

SPEAKER_02 25:55

Yeah, and I think there is a balance there. Like you do have things that come out brand new and something that might be an exciting topic. But I think really what drives the innovation, as mentioned before, is understanding the complexity of what what that brand new thing is doing, right? So for example, I presented at MCAS this year, 2026, and we presented on exosome technology. And I think once again, it is it is a an emerging trend in the aesthetic field. But what's important is understanding that these are biological messengers. And diving deeper into what's brand new allows us to have a more targeted approach. So what I mean by this is let's give exosomes as an example, right? That these are delivery messengers. But really, what matters is the cargo inside exosomes or even other alternatives like these exosome-like vesicles coming from plants. So if we don't understand the cargo, we don't, we're not going to understand the benefit that cargo can basically deliver on. So I think there there is this fine line between all right, what's new, what's trending, and what's out there. But then understanding the biology behind of what we're truly studying will allow us to position it in the right way for the consumer and to elicit the proper benefit for that consumer.

Skin Aging Is A Signaling Story

SPEAKER_01 27:21

Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. And I think that's also something that we see a lot. I mean, I hear about this a lot from our listeners too, where it's like there's this misunderstanding, I think, also around truly advanced like biologics and like these kind of technologies because there's no, I mean, I think there needs to be this like education. Like what you're explaining, like there needs to be that level of like very transparent education. And yeah, that it's very interesting the way you explained it. We often talk about things like collagen and pigmentation and also like cutaneous neuromodulation. How much of visible skin aging is really a story of signaling dysregulation rather than just structural decline?

SPEAKER_02 28:02

That's a good question. And I think it also is gonna depend on uh an individual's genetics, right? So it's quite complex. And also environmental exposure. So I I I know based on literature and current publications that we consider majority of aging associated with uh environmental factors, right? But when you take into account what's contributing to that breakdown, it is associated with signaling molecules. So even for example, like for from UV exposure, right, you might have some breakdown, structural breakdown from light. But mostly what's contributing to structural breakdown is those signaling molecules that are actually attacking the collagen, for example. Or if you talk, you mentioned before, like pigmentation, right? There's always a signaling component that's going to enhance pigmentation. So I really think that there is this crosstalk and communication. It's not just like, all right, we're going to have degradation of collagen because that just naturally occurs with age. It really is associated with what signaling molecules are present and how they're contributing to that degradation. So they really worked hand in hand with one another. I don't think that there's one one defined answer for this. Like I said before, it does take into account the the um the individual's background, right? How much they are exposed to environmental stressors. And in addition to that, right, what what is the complexity of that signaling environment, and particularly for me within within skin?

SPEAKER_01 29:36

Right. That's really interesting. And I also want to dive in because I know you you explore through your research, cellular senescence and its impact on aging. I think senescence is a very interesting topic because we've heard the word. And again, like this is the industry is, I think, trying to catch up or catch consumers up with these very heavy science concepts. But again, like to understand something like that, I think it takes such a deeper look. And so I'd love for you to talk more about this topic and really about the role of senescence in true anti-aging. Like, what does that really mean? And how should consumers be looking at this topic to understand it and its role?

SPEAKER_02 30:16

So, well, senescence is obviously a natural biological process. And every individual has a senescence cell in them at any given time. So we have to understand that senescence is built right in our bodies as a natural fail-safe mechanism. It actually is not such a detrimental thing. The the trouble becomes is when you lose with age regulatory mechanisms or components that will help modulate or reduce the amount of senescent cells that we have, let's say, within our skin. So what I what I mean by this is that at any given time, right, a senescent cell can be beneficial because, like I said before, it is a fail-safe mechanism. You don't want, you don't want, let's say, for example, a cell that is damaged to keep on dividing, right? You want to make sure all the healthy cells in that environment are functioning prop front functioning properly. So in this case, the body will say, all right, this this senescent, this cell in particular is damaged. So I'm going to become senescent. I don't want to divide anymore. All right, I don't want to make any more of myself because I'm damaged. And that's great because then what will happen is that our body will over time remove that senescent cell. But with age, like I mentioned before, those regulatory mechanisms of removal decline. So what happens is that these senescent cells end up accumulating within any given system, let's say, for skin. And what they do is they release all of these irritation or inflammatory factors, right, that can communicate with neighboring cells. And really that that's the component that can be damaging. It's more about this bystander damage than it is about the senescent cell just being there, right? So it what they're doing is they're communicating with their neighbors, and that can cause the neighboring cells to become damaged and the neighboring cells to become senescent. So it's really more about this communication, like you were mentioning before, these signaling molecules. And those signaling molecules is what is detrimental. And that is what's going to cause the tissue to eventually decline because they're no longer working optimally. And to that point as well, there's a lot of contributing factors that will lead to senescence, like I like I said prior, enhanced environmental exposure. That's going to cause cells to become damaged, which can trigger senescence, right? And if you don't have this proper communication or this proper, I should say, regulation within any given tissue, then they'll end up commute um accumulating. And the more exposure you have to these environmental stressors will enhance the amount of these senescent cells. So really, even though senescence is considered cellular aging, right? It's when they accumulate where when it becomes an issue.

SPEAKER_01 33:10

That's yeah, that's really fascinating. And again, like it's just this understanding of like truly what senescence is. And I think I had asked this question a long time ago, like in terms of like, can we even quantify senescence at this point in terms of like have we figured out all the biomarkers? Have we figured out what that cellular profile really looks like to where we can say, yes, this is a senescent cell? I think, I mean, we're this is a brand new concept in itself, right? I mean, we're finally coming into this now in the scientific realm. And so I think it's again this consumer, like like for consumers to wrap their head around it, it becomes so important for voices like yours to be present in this industry to like really, really teach and just kind of guide us into like a realistic understanding and not buzz words. And that's what I worry about a lot from my end as well, like both as a scientist and also consumer, is like, are we really understanding or are we just kind of diving into these buzzy topics?

SPEAKER_02 34:05

Yeah, and I I absolutely agree with you. And I think in terms of senescence too, like you were mentioning before, what is the proper signaling pathway or what's going to induce that? So if you have, let's say, UV exposure versus pollution versus just natural aging, all of those are going to make a senescence cell a little bit different, right? You're never going to have an identical cell, that senescence profile, I should say, from a given cell. And also it depends on the cell type, right? Whether it is a upper layer skin cell like a keratinocyte or a lower layer skin cell that produces collagen like fibroblasts. That the difference between those cells will actually give different signaling molecules. So it's much more complex than we think it is. We can say, all right, well, we have senescence, let's just treat it with something. But the biology for each cell type and each condition that induces senescence will be a little bit different. And that's what makes it unique. And that's why we have to understand the deep science behind what, let's say, environmental stressors are truly doing to cells, right? And then what those cells are doing in response to those environmental stressors. And that's how we can end up targeting them better.

SPEAKER_01 35:20

I I couldn't agree with you more. And with that in mind, especially the signaling component, I mean, looking ahead, are do you think we're entering into what you might call a signaling era in skincare? I mean, do you think that that's coming next with that? I feel like we've been through this whole biotech introduction, right? And different phases of what people consider to be more scientifically forward skincare. But now is it, I mean, do you think it is finally like a signaling era that we're coming up on?

SPEAKER_02 35:46

I do think so. I mean, I think that we have been, we've been doing it for a while. We just haven't been um very forward with it. Because everything in biology is like mentioned before, is based on a signaling component. So whether it's peptides, right, or or let's say exosomes, for example, which are these vesicles that carry signals within them. I think all of this is leading to us being more forward about talking about signaling, but I think that we've been doing it for decades. I I just think that we're still learning more deeply as new technologies come out, right, and and new instruments come out, it allows us to explore the science more deeply. So as the industry progresses from a scientific standpoint, meaning new methods, right? New advancements in in microscopy or new advancement in certain types of instrumentation, our science is also going to excel. So now we're learning how complex this communicate, the skin communication is. And that once again will help us have a better targeted approaches on how we're designing our formulas.

Dr Popescu On Haircare Breakthroughs

SPEAKER_01 37:02

That makes sense. And I love that you said that we've always kind of been here. And I love that you said that because I think that's where many times as consumers we can get so lost in this idea of like, oh, this is brand new. When in reality, yeah, cell signaling is queen when it comes to anything. And if we don't understand cell cell signaling and molecular biology, it becomes very difficult to kind of wrap our heads around like the latest innovations and the latest true advancements when it comes to skin health sciences. So I I really, really appreciate your viewpoint on all this. But thank you so much again. This is wonderful and congratulations on your innovator award. Thank you very much. So now we're welcoming Dr. Lavina Popescu, who is in charge of all of the RD at Olaplex. She's the chief scientist there and chief researcher. And I'm so excited to welcome her and congratulate her on the innovator awards that CEW granted. Welcome, Lavina. I'm so excited to talk to you. Same. Thank you so much for this invitation. I'm excited to dive in because I think innovation is really leading the way right now in beauty, especially in hair care. And I'd love for you to kind of tell us a little bit about where what you see is truly in a like true innovation in the hair care space. I mean, what are some of the things that you've seen in the last few years that have been like, wow, this is a huge shift for the hair care industry?

SPEAKER_00 38:17

Well, definitely recently, especially the last couple of years, we noticed that treatment in hair care category plays a much more role and bigger role than uh did in the past. Treatment usually is coming from skincare. But honestly, with the amount of the peptide and proprietary technologies that we notice in the industry, I feel hair care is the next big trend in the treatment category. Not only, again, not only for hair follicle, for hair growth, but I'm talking more about the hair fibers, like classical shampoo conditioner or treatments for the hair fiber. This, in my opinion, I see a big shift. And like I said, big innovations.

SPEAKER_01 39:02

So I mean that's huge. And I think Olaplex is so unique because when the bond building technology was introduced, I think it really changed the way that we think about hair, right? And we the way we the way we approach it. And I think that's, I mean, Olaplex has been such a hallmark brand in so many ways in terms of even shifting the culture around how consumers interact with the science of hair. And so I'd love for your thoughts on that in terms of being an innovator. How do you manage that kind of bringing the science to the consumer without overwhelming them, but showing them that this is really going to improve your day-to-day?

SPEAKER_00 39:40

Yeah. Well, to be honest, I was not part of Olaplex 12 years ago when uh this technology came out. And I I have to be very honest, that time I was uh part of Estel Odhor, and I remember I was looking in their technology in Olaplex technology, because in reality, to be able to repair the cortex of the hair, that was a holy gray for us. And like I said, 12 years ago, the owner, the ex-owner of Olaplex Dean Crystal, joined the force with a very amazing scientist from California, and um they actually realized the existing proprietary molecule, which is the bisamino, this is how we call uh not very scientific, is the one that actually can reform the disulfide bonds, because we know that the disulfide bonds are the most important bonds that we need to reform when the hair is damaged, different types of damage, damages, especially chemical damages, because this is the hardest damage that we need to take care of. Now, like I said, um other technologies this happened 12 years ago, right? But other technologies um evolved uh in the meantime, and like I said before, the peptide category is the one that, in my opinion, it's it's it's huge and can really change this industry. But in reality, our technology in this moment still is number one technology in reforming the sulfide bonds. Probably you are aware that um Olaplex acquired a biotech company, uh Purvala, uh born with uh in MIT laboratories with uh MIT scientists. And by acquiring this technology, this biotech company, we actually acquired a couple of uh proprietary technologies still in the peptide categories that actually I I can say it's it's uh it's more innovative in terms of benefits, it's more advanced. Um instead of building one diesulfine bonds, now with one of the technology we can build six diesulfine bonds in the same time. Wow. And it's in the peptide category and it's a 360 round, which is like I said, is 3D, uh, which actually will help not only to uh repair the hair but also to reshape the hair, which is the next generation in our industry. We have other technologies that we are working, proprietary technologies that we are working in this moment, but I feel this technology, especially this technology that I'm talking about, we call band shaper technology. It's one that really can put the hair care industry in the next level.

SPEAKER_01 42:35

That's really fascinating to hear because that's my main question, right? Innovation is such a broad term, but then when you think about it, I mean, where like this science component, you and I can sit here for hours and you can explain all of this to me, and I will love it because I I enjoy science. But I think for the everyday consumer, bringing this science forward, what were what are some of the hurdles that you think that Olaplex faces from the RD side or any brand, right? I mean, any any brand, I guess you could say, in terms of showing consumers that we are entering a new era, especially with biotech. Like this is a new space that we're entering in the beauty industry. And what are your thoughts on that?

Earning Trust With Proof And Safety

SPEAKER_00 43:16

Well, in reality, the consumers are looking looking to see the benefits. Yeah. If you can deliver the right products with the right benefits for the consumers, of course, they will trust the brand. And I feel this is this is the first thing that um any brand can do. It can really deliver what they are saying to do it. The second one that it's in my opinion, it's extremely important is the safety. And I can say that at Oplex we have specific standards for safety. I think um I and I don't want to be exclusive, but probably we want one of the highest in the safety uh testing. And I think for the consumer matter. Because they want to be sure when they use a product, the product is safe. Even if they use multiple times or one time, the product is safe. And also, what is important is important in the cleaning category, right? Like we want to work in saving the planet. We want to be in the area that we don't use harsh chemicals, and not they are safe only for the consumers, but also for the planet. If we will be able to deliver everything that I'm saying and with the right benefits, I think the consumer will listen to the science. And uh it's a it's a very interesting shift even in the consumer's mentality. Uh, and probably because more and more they are exposed to science, we have a lot of questions about the mechanism. How exactly this product is working. Even when we do like one-to-one classes with a hairstylist or directly with the consumers, we have uh meetings with them. They always are extremely curious and they love to understand science behind the product, which is great. Yeah, no, I mean there's a big shift right now, I think.

Why Visibility Matters For Women

SPEAKER_01 45:11

Like the everybody's asking questions. Everybody, and that's why I feel like this award is so it's just so important. When I spoke to Alana and Andrea about the the real significance of CEW's innovator awards, I was blown away by their responses as well, because right now I think it's so important to highlight the scientists, especially the women in STEM that are behind these innovations, because I think that really speaks to how people can kind of feel like they can relate to that, right? Like me as a consumer myself, like I mean, I'm in science, but if I wasn't in science, if I knew there was a female scientist, you know, such as you, and you were behind the scenes and you were creating this, I would feel better as a consumer knowing that. And and so I I would love to get your your take on and your opinion on this idea of like congratulating and awarding the scientists and bringing the scientists to the forefront when it comes to the identity of brands and and letting consumers see them and say, oh, okay, this person is behind the brilliant idea that that changed the game. So, what are your thoughts on that?

SPEAKER_00 46:13

I I completely agree with you. And I have to to give you my personal experience um in this area. Um before I uh I came to the United States, I'm from Romania, I was assistant professor to quantum chemistry department in Bucharest. Wow. And um I was one of the few women in that department. To be very honest, um it's not like I felt um a little bit different, but I felt that it's hard sometimes to fit in that scientific world. Probably because I was young, um, I didn't know exactly what's going on, but I felt a little bit being we basically we were only two two women in that department, was a little bit hard to fit. Yeah. When I came in the United States and I joined cosmetics industry, I felt much better because in RD, at least at the lauder, we had a lot of women that work in the scientific part, and I felt so good. And even now I remember when uh when I realized that first of all, I'm a woman that I fit in this area. I have a partner that I discuss with, and I think even the communication, the connection between us was uh so different, especially in cosmetics industry, which like I said many, many years ago was very much into the woman category. We express ourselves much better. Yeah we communicate, we we connect it very easy to say. And I feel I agree with you. I mean, even now, when like I said, I I'm I'm going to PR events and I met the hairstylists, uh the ambassadors, they are fascinated to understand who is behind, who is the scientist or who are the scientists behind the products. We have a lot of uh people that are coming in the lab. We have special tours for, especially for the hairstylists, even for some influencers, but they are fascinated to to meet people behind the products.

SPEAKER_01 48:29

Yeah, I mean, I can I can imagine because I think for us, like in those who are in science, I think it's very early in your in your career, it's ingrained in you to be curious about who knows what, you know what I mean, and seek knowledge. And now I feel like that culture, that true spirit of science is now seeping into the consumer mindset. And I love seeing that because now it's like, I want to know. I want to know the the mind that came up with this. And and that is where I think these kind of awards are so critical at this stage in the beauty industry, you know what I mean? Because it it's this is what's going to change how consumers demand more from brands. It's like you you don't just want products anymore as a consumer, you want an experience, you want to feel like you're part of something. And I and I just love I love that this exists, and I love that women like you are are here and you're showing up in in a way where the consumers can see this person did this, you know, she did this, came from her mind.

SPEAKER_00 49:29

So I mean they put the face behind the product, which yeah matters so much for them. 100%. Yeah, it's not uh created in a special laboratory, AI or something with they they feel humans. It's it's a human connection, I think. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 49:48

Well, also with a brand like Olaplex or any hair brand, right? Who are the main consumers? And this is across the board in beauty, right? It's it's women, women are exactly exactly. If we don't represent women, then what are we doing? That's the that's the fundamental. That's why I love that CEW made these awards. I really do, because this is, I think it's a benchmark. And I mean, I would love to get your advice though, because there are a lot of, I think, young women right now that obviously you see them they're going into STEM, but it's a different, it's a different place now, I think, STEM than it was maybe 20 years ago. And you know, what's your advice to the budding scientist, to the to the young woman who wants to go into science about career, about expectations, anything, any words of wisdom you can offer?

SPEAKER_00 50:32

This is actually a very good question. And I have two girls, two daughters. Um, and um, it's funny because especially my oldest one, she's in the science already, and I really encourage from the beginning to be in science because she had a very uh scientific mind. But now with the AI and everything was going on, a lot I have a lot of questions um regarding the new generations, Gen Z, Gen Alpha, if science is still safe, because first this is the first question that uh I they always ask me. And I have to say science it's safe, is not only safe, but especially when you work in the lab, yeah, I feel you cannot replace this so easy. Second, talking about girls in science, I feel as women, especially in cosmetics industry, because we use the product, we we know how to we know what we are looking for, we know what is missing. I think uh they have such a big potential and definitely they can create and they can come up with uh so many innovative ideas that I'm 100% for girls, women's in science, especially in cosmetics industry in RD. And uh surprisingly, or not surprisingly, in in the RD, in uh Dolanplex R D, uh, we have very young women that they are doing amazing. And um, yes, of course we have men in the in the lab, but majority of the scientists are women and they are young and they are extremely uh creative, they are they love the job, and like I said, we love cosmetics. We this is part of our DNA, right? Look now, especially Jen Alpha, they start um probably when they are five years old to understand exactly what the products are. It means it's in our DNA. We want to look pretty, beautiful, young, attractive. And when you have this in your mind, you understand better what products we should develop in order for us to look beautiful, right? Or to look the way you want to look. And again, I I feel we need to encourage the woman to be in science. Science is amazing, not only in cosmetics, in general. I feel I feel uh science is it's a fantastic area, but especially in cosmetics industry, we need more girls, more women.

SPEAKER_01 53:15

I agree, I agree 100% with you. And those those are wonderful words. And I I love that you have daughters and that you're able to share with them because I sometimes I look out and I see so many. Like for me, I remember when I went to science, I didn't have a mentor. And I see that a lot these days. There's very few mentors that are, you know, it's hard, it's hard mentoring people, but I think girls don't get those opportunities as readily until they seek them out. So I think even from that, that mindset, it's so important to have women and beauty, especially like like pioneers and and visionaries such as yourself to be forward in the in the media and to see you because they're they're going to be exposed to that immediately. You know, like if you're if you're buying a product and a woman scientist was behind creating that, you as a little girl, I'm sure something happens in your brain when you start thinking because they're not they're not in college yet. You know what I mean? So they haven't seen the female professors. So that's their first exposure to a female scientist. That's 100%.

SPEAKER_00 54:17

And like I said, I know girls uh who actually very young. Yeah, they do their own product. Um, a couple of young influencers, they they create their own master, they act like a scientist. Imagine one day will be in the lab, how much innovation they can bring. Because they their mind, they know how to build this type of products, like to work in this industry.

SPEAKER_01 54:42

It's beautiful. It's beautiful. Well, thank you so much for your time. I have really, really enjoyed this, and I congratulations again on the award. It's so well designed.

Closing And Listener Question

SPEAKER_00 54:49

Thank you, thank you. And thank you again for for everything. Like, really appreciate uh having uh a little bit of time to listen to my ideas and to promote the fact that women are so important and I I really want them to be in more in science than any anywhere else.

SPEAKER_01 55:07

Thank you guys so much for tuning into this episode. I have really loved learning about the CEW Innovator Awards. I think these awards are incredibly just needed in the space because they are talking about a topic that I think just has never been touched before. You know, for so long, women in science have been silently working away in the background, bringing the most advanced technologies to the forefront. And very rarely do we see them celebrated in this capacity. And so I really urge all of you go check out CEW if you have not already. Follow along with all of their content and leave us your thoughts below. I would love to learn from you what you think about, you know, celebrating women in this way and what you think about the awards. And, you know, just keep tuning in, guys. Thanks so much.