After a month or two of working on it, we have revamped the Midwest SCC website. The previous version was excellently handled by our former webmaster but his departure gave us an opportunity to revisit the site and make some tweaks that will help with community building.

It’s my hope that this new website becomes a model for how all the websites throughout the chapter can be revised. We will begin posting content from the meetings and solicit comments . Ideally, the website will become a place where chapter members will interact and swap information about cosmetic science in the Midwest.

Take a look and let us know what you think.

Midwest SCC website

On Thursday I visited the New England SCC chapter and did a talk on how a cosmetic chemist can use the internet to become a better formulator.  It was a great visit.

I flew into Boston in the morning from Chicago.  It was uneventful but was certainly more bumpy than most flights I’m used to.  I don’t know if that was the weather or just a natural bumpiness on that air path.  Whenever I fly, I always imagine what would happen if the thing crashed.  It doesn’t exactly worry me because the probability of a crash is low but that doesn’t stop my brain from thinking about it.

The talk was held in one of the suburbs of Boston in a steak house.  We had a large room off to the side which was packed.  I was very impressed that they needed to bring in extra chairs because more people kept showing up.

My presentation went off without a hitch although I have to do a little more investigating on how to use PowerPoint.  I’ve been using OpenOffice and LibreOffice for so long that I’ve forgotten most of the PowerPoint shortcuts.  Unfortunately, I couldn’t figure out how to adjust the screen size so my slides didn’t show up perfectly.

No matter.  When giving a presentation you want the focus to be on you not your slides.  You should be able to do any talk even if your slides don’t show up.  This is a good habit to get into because it frequently happens when you are giving presentations that something can go wrong.  There have been a couple of times when my slides practically didn’t show up at all.  Also, always bring a zip drive to hold your slides just in case you need to use someone else’s computer.

After the talk I had an enjoyable discussion with some new people at the dinner table.  I thoroughly enjoy meeting new people.  It’s really one of my favorite things about being involved with the Society of Cosmetic Chemists and with this website.

This is my last real meeting of the year but I’ve already got a speaking engagement at the mid-year meeting next year.  Unfortunately, I’m going to miss the New York National meeting this year.  Hopefully, I’ll be back there next year.

Here is the 5-minute, speed talk I did at the Midwest SCC November dinner meeting.  The idea is that speakers get 5 minutes to talk about a topic.  There must be 20 slides and the slides automatically move after 15 seconds.  It’s really a challenging way to give a talk.

The topic I picked was just meant to encourage people to become experts at their chosen field and discussed the steps to do it.  Essentially,

Step 1 – Develop a general knowledge of all cosmetic science then pick a niche to specialize in.

Step 2 – Share your expertise with the world by writing, giving talks, and communicating with people.

Step 3 – Continue to learn.  The field is constantly changing and experts have to keep up.

Midwest SCC meeting

We had a total of 7 talks at the meeting and everyone did a great job getting their ideas across in only 5 minutes.  I’m hoping this becomes a regular feature of the SCC meetings.  I’d love to see a National SCC version of this.

This is a guest post submitted by cosmetic chemist & formulator Valerie Patton.

The California SCC Suppliers’ Day, which took place October 25 & 26 at the Long Beach Convention Center, is a highly anticipated event – and rightly so – this two-day soiree only comes around once every two years. I was particularly looking forward to going this year for two reasons: everyone likes a field trip out of the office (especially when free food is involved) and I’m working on some particularly interesting products for my company. Suppliers’ Day is a must-see for anyone involved in the cosmetics industry, and for good reason.

A Little Bit of Everything

There was great variation amongst booths, so I was able to cover all my bases – even for a hair color line I’m working on. And when I wasn’t particularly looking for things, I was able to make reference of interesting raw materials and keep the company information – as a cosmetic chemist you never know what you’re going to end up needing.

I also liked how some of the booths were grouped together – DD Chemco created Jungle Safari, a series of booths featuring botanicals, extracts, a jungle photo booth, and Animal Crackers – proving science can be fun! Ross Organics featured their partners in a trendy, metropolitan type manner with high glass tables to chat at with brand representatives and an espresso bar.

Meeting the Little Guy

We all know some heavy hitters – such as DuPont, HallStar, and BASF – make appearances often, but this week was intimate enough to show what the little guy has to offer. My most exciting moment was meeting with the master perfumer of a small fragrance company who offered excellent advice on an upcoming project. I feel I really got the attention I needed from some smaller booths.

Technical Posters

I haven’t seen a single one of these since my days as a graduate student – so it was nice to read about some research being done. As cool as it was, they were my only criticism of the show. The posters were off to the side and a little difficult for people to notice. It would have been nice to see them integrated into the aisles of exhibitors.

Unreturned Phone Calls?

Suppliers’ Day is a prime opportunity for networking, and not just with exhibitors. As a Los Angeles local, I got to catch up with many other industry professionals that I hadn’t seen in months. We shared pointers on interesting booths at the event, and I even got to dust off an old project with another company and get it back on its feet. Also, it was a good chance to conveniently bump into a certain someone that hadn’t returned my calls.

If you didn’t make it to Suppliers’ Day in Long Beach this year, you missed a great event. Don’t worry, you can always go in 2013.

Today, I went to the Midwest SCC Technical Symposium and was pretty impressed with the event. The talks were nicely done (no awful slides) and the topics were really engaging. Of course, I might be biased because I did give one of the talks but I thought overall, the talks were better than most events that I’ve attended. A great job all-around.

Cosmetic science topics

The topics included

Formulating Products for the Growing Ethnic Skin and Hair Care Markets
Eunice Cofie, president and chief cosmetic chemist at Nuekie

I did not realize ethnic hair care was a $1.2 billion industry.
Also learned about http://Houseofmikko.com which is a great place for seeing what consumers care about.

Designing Devices for Better Skin Care Efficacy
Robb Akridge, PhD, co-founder and VP of clinical affairs for Clarisonic

An interesting story about the development of the Clarisonic skin device.
Came from the people that worked on the Sonicare toothbrush
A good summary of the product development process

Choosing Successful Fragrance for Personal Care
Jill Costa, PhD, chief perfumer at Bell Flavors and Fragrances

Learned lots about fragrance for example, why vanilla fragrance works better from candles than citrus

Specks and Flecks, Lumps and Bumps–Identifying What Shouldn’t Be There
Kathleen Martin, Research Scientist/Spectroscopist for McCrone Associates

Ever wonder what those little unknown bits are in your products?  Kathleen does. She looks at these things using a microscope and figures out what they are.  Usually bug parts, paint chips, or pieces of dirt.

Interpreting the FDA’s Final Rule for Sunscreen Formulation
Farah Ahmed, Chair of the Personal Care Product Council’s Sunscreen Task Force

Pretty good summary of the new proposed rules.

Internet Research in Personal Care Formulating
Perry Romanowski, Brains Publishing

This was my talk on how a cosmetic chemist can best use the Internet for doing their job.

I especially liked the student posters.  This was the first time we had posters at an event like this and it is encouraging to me to see new people come into the industry.

Networking

In addition to the talks and posters, I enjoyed catching up with so many cool people in the industry.  I’ve known most of the people in the Midwest SCC chapter for more than 10 years and it is always fun to swap stories.  One of the biggest companies here is shutting down and lots of people are losing their jobs so there was plenty of talk about what people are going to do.

Overall, a great event! If you get a chance to go to one of these in the future you must do it.

Incidentally, if you are on Twitter you can get our complete reporting of the event by searching the hashtag #midwestscc.

The Journal of Cosmetic Science published by the Society of Cosmetic Chemists is the premiere scientific journal and a great resource for finding out the latest developments in the field of cosmetic science. You can find new methods, new raw materials, and research in biology, chemistry, and physics. Some of the articles are incredibly useful and enlightening.

Unfortunately, some of them are not.

Recent JSCC Issue

The May/June 2011 issue of the Journal has the following articles. If you are a member of the SCC you can access the articles online, otherwise you’ll have to wait for 5 years or go to the library.

1. Enhanced female attractiveness with use of cosmetics and male tipping behavior in restaurants.

2. Tryptophan fluorescence in hair – Examination of contributing factors

3. Evaluation of anti-cellulite efficacy: A topical cosmetic treatment for cellulite blemishes

4. Luster measurements of lips treated with lipstick formulations

Article Evaluation

There are a number of good things to say in general about the journal. First, it is consistent in look and content. They cover a wide range of topics that would be relevant to cosmetic chemists. Next, the articles are readable, have relevant graphics and most importantly, are peer reviewed.

But the JSCC faces a significant problem. Most of the research being done in the cosmetic industry is paid for by companies that want to promote some product. This means that there is an inherent bias in almost all the articles. Sometimes this problem is less significant but other times, it’s just ridiculous.

Let’s look at some of the articles.

1. Enhanced female attractiveness and tipping behavior

This study purports to determine whether a waitress wearing makeup will garner more tips than one not wearing makeup. While it is an interesting question, it seems nearly impossible to control all the factors that would enable you to adequately figure out the answer. And indeed the researchers make an attempt but there are so many holes in this research it’s hardly worth publishing. Small sample size, no blinded controls, not controling for the psychological effect of wearing make-up versus not, no comparison of the waitresses normal tip generating ability, etc. This kind of stuff might be passed off as science in areas like Consumer Research or Psychology but come on, this is hardly science.

2. Tryptophan fluorescence in hair

Ah, finally some science complete with controls and a specific analyasis. This article looks at the fluorescence emissions in a variety of different types of hair. They control the chromophore emissions from different wave lengths, compare hair types, and look at the effect of various treatments. Now this, could be useful to cosmetic chemists. For example, if you get good at this method of hair analysis you can determine what effect your new formulation will have on hair. You could then set targets for which to exceed and use it to help steer your formulation efforts. A nice study. Of course, Janusz Jachowicz is one of the rock star researchers in cosmetic science, so it’s not unexpected.

3. Evaluation of anti-cellulite efficacy

Ugh. I still am trying to recover from having gone through this article. Now, on the one hand I appreciate the introduction which explains the latest thoughts on what is responsible for the development of cellulite. But after that, it goes down hill. This article attempts to demonstrate that a special concoction of herbal extracts can significantly reduce cellulite via topical application. Certainly a worthwhile study and one that would be of interest to any skin care cosmetic formulator.

Unfortunately, their study doesn’t support the conclusion that the treatment had any significant effect versus the placebo. Their argument essentially goes like this…

The formula with the acitve ingredient performs better than baseline.

The placebo formula does not perform better than baseline.

Therefore, the active ingredient works.

This isn’t how science works! You are supposed to compare the results versus the placebo and their own data shows that there is no significant difference. The conclusion of this study should be “our active ingredient works no better than placebo.”

4. Luster measurements of lips

This is another paper by the folks at ISP and they do a decent job with a difficult topic. In it they evaluate the luster (shine) of mannequin lips after the application of various lip sticks. They use computers and digital photography to rate the various treatments. Pretty good work although it would have been nice to see how the instrumental measurements compare to human evaluations. It would also have been nice to see this study repeated on actual human lips. I’m not sure how a mannequin lip compares to a human one. Perhaps that will be forthcoming in future research. Overall, this is a well-done study that could be useful to anyone formulating lipsticks.

Cosmetic science research

So 2 out of 4 research papers are worthwhile. I guess that’s not awful, but I sure would like to see a little better vetting of what gets published.

If you live anywhere near Chicago or can be around on March 31, 2010, you won’t want to miss the 2010 SCC Midwest Chapter TEAMWORKS trade show. This is always a great show and you can’t beat the price…FREE. The TEAMWORKS show features all the biggest & best raw material and ingredient suppliers in the cosmetic and personal care industry. It also features a half-day educational program. Every cosmetic chemist or interested science major should make it a point to attend.

Here are the details

SCC Midwest Chapter TEAMWORKS 2010

March 31, 2010 – 8:30 AM-6 PM
Donald E. Stephens Convention Center
5555 N. Des Plaines River Road
Rosemont, IL (Chicago)
Educational Program March 31 8:30 AM – noon

New colleagues are waiting, new concepts abound and innovations are within reach – discover
them in Chicago. The Midwest Chapter Society of Cosmetic Chemists (SCC) will host TEAMWORKS 2010, the premier exhibition for formulators among the specialty chemical allied trades, on March 31, 2010, at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois-conveniently located near O’Hare International Airport.

Chemists, chemical buyers, engineers and technologists in the cosmetic, personal care, pharmaceutical and other allied industries will mingle among 130+ booths representing prime technology suppliers in the industry. TEAMWORKS 2010 is an opportunity to gather for an exciting learning experience, and to foster friendships in a bond of cooperation and success.

Education, innovation and networking are key focal points during this event. The half-day educational program will highlight the latest material launches to give formulations an added edge, and technology exchanges will occur throughout the exhibition. See below for more information.

Networking opportunities will also abound-grab a colleague during the buffet luncheon, sit down together and debate product development strategies; or arrive a day early to network during the Social Night with some of the great minds in the industry.

A buffet lunch, raffle prize drawings, BINGO card prizes, and a well-appointed networking area will be provided. Pre-registered attendees are also eligible for a raffle prize. (must register by March 16, 2010)

Attendance is FREE! Register online –
Educational Program: Formulating for Marketing Demands – 8:30 AM – noon
8:30-9:00 Continental Breakfast and Networking

8:50-8:55 Opening Remarks
Gene Frank, Raani Corp.

9:00-9:30 Keynote Presentation: A Corporate Strategy for Sustainability
Peggy Ward, Manager of Corporate Sustainability Programs, Kimberly-Clark

9:30-9:35 Q&A

9:40-10:00 Addressing the ‘Free-from’ Conundrum-paraben-free, sulfate-free, etc.
Tim Kapsner, Senior Research Scientist, Aveda Corp.

10:00-10:05 Q&A

10:05-10:20 Coffee Break

10:25-10:45 Formulating for Sensitive Skin
Russell Walters, PhD, Johnson & Johnson

10:45-10:50 Q&A

10:55-11:15 Formulating for Ethnic Care
Ali Syed, CEO, Avlon Industries

11:15-11:20 Q&A

11:25-11:45 Improving Sensory Benefits in Hair Care
Michael Wright, Senior Research Scientist, Nexxus Salon Hair Care/Alberto Culver Co.

11:45-11:50 Q&A

11:55 Closing Remarks

*The education session will open with a continental breakfast at 8:30 am, followed by opening remarks with the keynote presentation beginning at 9:00 am.

Online Exhibitor Guide!

Plan your visit ahead of time and check out the exhibitors today! All exhibitors are listed alphabetically on the online exhibitor guide. Contact exhibitors to set up appointments during the show!

Information is provided about the products and services they offer along with a link to each exhibitor’s website. Check it out anytime and plan your trip through the exhibitor hall.

On Friday afternoon, I walked out of the New York Hilton and waved down a cab. The drive got out of his taxi and I said, “Can I get a ride to LaGuardia?” “Sure,” he says as he went back to his car to open the trunk.

Just then a man and his wife asked if I wanted to share the cab. They were going to the airport too. I momentarily hesitated, then said, “Alright.”

The entire cab ride we discussed the SCC meeting, the posters, the talks, and different ideas for beauty products. It turns out he was a dermatologist from Florida who attends SCC meetings to inspire new ideas. We had a great talk. When we finally got to the airport, I was happy to have shared the cab. It also occurred to me that this one ride illustrated some of best reasons to attend a National SCC meeting. Here are the 5 best.

5 Reasons You Should Attend a National SCC Meeting

1. Best talks about the latest science in our industry.

This year’s meeting featured over 35 presentations about skin, hair, testing methods, sustainability, and fundamentals of polymer/surfactant delivery systems. It featured many of the industry’s biggest and best speakers including Dr. Manuel Gamez-Garcia, Dr. Robert Lochead, Dr. Yash Kamath, and Dr. James Gruber. Even the famous dermatologist Dr. Zoe Draelos presented. It was the best line-up seen at any industry meeting in years and attendees learned a ton of new stuff. The Chicago mid-year meeting promises to attract equally impressive speakers, so mark down June 4 & 5 now. As an added bonus, your hotel in Chicago won’t cost nearly as much as in New York.

2. Information about over 100 new raw material product offerings

If you’re from a small company you’ll rarely get proper attention from big raw material suppliers, missing out on their latest technologies. And at big companies, you probably don’t take meetings with small raw material suppliers, so you might have missed some unique, little-known technologies. At the National SCC meeting, you can over come both of those problems. In the poster session you can find all types of new and interesting technologies. If you can’t get a new idea here, you just aren’t trying. At the very least, you should be able to get an invite to one of the hospitality suites for drinks and food later.

3. Meet more friendly cosmetic chemists than anywhere on the planet

While you may meet a few new people at your local meeting, that’s nothing compared to the number of fellow cosmetic chemists you can meet at a national event. Attendance this year was well over 1100 people and the majority of them are cosmetic scientists. You can find out all sorts of useful information like how things work at other companies, what techniques they use to develop products, and maybe even learn what new approaches to solving problems. Making friends throughout the industry is great for your career.

4. Inspire new ideas

Perhaps the best reason to go to a National SCC meeting is that you will come back brimming with ideas. It might be from a talk you heard, a poster session you attended, or even a conversation over a couple of beers at the hotel bar. Just remember to write them down and follow-up when you get back home. I came up with 15 new ideas that will directly help my business.

5. Help other people get what they want.

If you want to sell something, get something, or just develop more friendships, there is no better way than to figure out what people want and give it to them. The National SCC meeting provides an excellent opportunity to meet people and discover what they want. You can then spend time figuring out how to help. If you’re sincere and offer real solutions, they’ll be inclined to help you when you need it.

The National SCC meeting is a special event that can have a significant impact on your chemist career if you let it. If you only get to attend one meeting a year, this is certainly one you should consider.

Were you at the SCC meeting in New York this year?  Leave a comment and let eveyone know what you thought.