Episode 22: Formulating for Efficacy Software Podcast - Johann Wiechers
Today we have a very special show. We have an interview with our first returning guest, Dr. Johann Wiechers. I recorded the interview in May but it took a little time to edit and post. Sadly, Johann passed away on November 5. I was uncertain whether I should post the interview but I’ve been informed that Johann had a great passion for this formulation software and wants it to thrive and flourish.
We’re going to skip the usual features of the show and just focus on the interview.
But before we get to the interview, I wanted to share with you some memories that I have of Johann.
I first became aware of Johann while reading his last page article in the IFSCC journal. Johann was the president of the organization at the time. His articles were always interesting and thought-provoking. Typically, they would be some form of a puzzle or challenge that would make you think. I recall one had to do with calculating the height of the skin cells that a person sloughed off over the course of their lives. It was fun. What I appreciated about Johann’s work was that he injected science into the cosmetic industry. That doesn’t happen too often.
Johann also published some excellent articles in Cosmetics and Toiletries. I was particularly impressed with his essays on whether cosmetic science should be considered junk science or not. That was the topic of our first interview. Johann gave a great defense of cosmetic science and cosmetic scientists.
I only met Johann this year in Milan at the inCosmetics trade show. He was very personable and kind. He was also rushing here and there as he had a number of talks and meetings scheduled for the event. I was happy that we got a few moments to speak. One thing that was clear about Johann was that he was extremely passionate about cosmetic science and truly interested in teaching. He gave a number of talks which have been well received all over the world. He was an international rock-star of the cosmetic world.
We lost a great teacher and ambassador of the industry too soon.
I’m going to miss Johann.
Interview
In this interview, we spoke with Johann about his software called Formulating for Efficacy. It’s an extremely interesting approach to cosmetic formulating in that the program helps you pick exactly the levels of the actives you need to optimize the performance of the formula you are creating. It really is an interesting technology.
Dr Johann Wiechers got his degree in 1989 at the University of Groningen, The Netherlands, in the subject of skin penetration enhancement. After working a number of years at Unilver Research in the UK, he joined Uniqema in Gouda, The Netherlands, in 1995 where he had global responsibility for the company’s skin R&D as their Skin R&D Director. In 2007, he was appointed Visiting Professor at the University of London, School of Pharmacy, Brunswick Square, London. Later that year, he founded JW Solutions, where he worked as an independent consultant for cosmetic science in the field of his main scientific interests: formulation optimization, cosmetic claim substantiation, non-invasive skin bioengineering, skin sensory techniques, clinical trial design, skin penetration and biostatistics.
Show notes:
JW Solutions
