Top Cosmetic Industry Magazines You Should Be Reading

When you first enter an industry you will learn that there are a host of magazines dedicated to that industry. In their pages you'll find news, technology developments, stories about industry influencers, and many other useful bits of information.

Here is a list of some of the most useful trade journals for cosmetic chemists about the cosmetic industry and cosmetic science.

Free Cosmetic Industry Magazines

These magazines are supported by advertisers and are usually given away for free to qualified readers. Just having a job (or interest) in the cosmetic industry is usually enough to qualify.

Happi — A great magazine reporting on both the household and personal care industry. They also have a pretty good website too. GCI Magazine — This magazine is less about science but filled with useful business and marketing information for people in the cosmetic industry. They also cover personal care, fine fragrance and candle and home fragrance manufacturers and marketers. Skin Inc. Magazine — An industry publication for day spa, medical spa and wellness professionals. If you work in skin care, this is a good magazine to read for finding market trends. The science however, is a little “soft”. Modern Salon — If you are a creator of beauty products for the hair, this magazine will give you an insight into what stylists are doing and the trends that affect them. Cosmetic chemists will find it a great source for new product ideas. Of course, it’s thick with marketing “stories” so read with a skeptical mind. Spray Technology & Marketing — This publication specifically covers the world of sprayable products like hair spray, fragrance, AP/DO, etc. If you are working in this area of the cosmetic industry, you’ll want to keep up on this magazine.

Paid Cosmetic Industry Subscriptions

The problem with free subscriptions is that they don’t dedicate a lot of money to content generation so you get articles that seem more like sales pitches than unbiased articles. For the most unbiased the industry has to offer, a paid subscription to one of these magazines is a great idea.

Cosmetics & Toiletries — This is the premiere trade journal discussing the topic of cosmetic chemistry. If you have any interest in the science of beauty products, this is the publication for you. If you purchase only one magazine, this one should be it. Journal of the SCC — This is a peer reviewed scientific journal that you get your membership to the Society of Cosmetic Chemists. The topics represent the latest in cosmetic science research and have titles/articles that are more complicated than the usual trade publication. Excellent for anyone who is trying to become an expert in a specific area of cosmetic science. The Rose Sheet - If you are looking for anything about regulatory, legislative, and just about any other insider news about the cosmetic industry, this journal has it. The design isn’t much to look at (it’s a glorified newsletter) but the content is top notch. And you’ll pay top dollar for it too. Subscriptions run ~$1400 per year. But they do have an RSS feed, so it’s worth signing up for even if you don’t buy the magazine. Perfumer and Flavorist — This is another publication from the folks at Allured focusing on the fine fragrance and flavor industry. If these subjects are the type of cosmetic chemist that you are, P&F is a better choice than Cosmetics & Toiletries. They are both excellent magazines however. Chemical & Engineering News — This publication comes to you for free with your membership to the American Chemical Society. It isn’t specifically focused on the beauty industry but it does have valuable information about the latest developments in chemistry. It also features personal care product issues a couple times a year. It’s a great resource for new product ideas too. Women’s Wear Daily — This daily newspaper is the proclaimed authority on the news and happenings of the beauty and fashion industry. I found it a great source of ideas for new products. It also was an excellent way to keep an eye on what your competitors were launching and how they were promoting it. Being deluged with a paper every day was challenging but it is certainly filled with information worth reading.

Next Step

There are other magazines but these are the big players. If you are able to keep up with some of these journals, you’ll definitely be ahead of your industry colleagues.

The first thing you should do is go sign up for all the free publications. If you find that you are getting too much mail and can’t keep up, you can cancel any time.

After you’ve gotten a few issues of free magazines, consider getting one of the paid publications. Since you are already a member of the SCC (you are, aren’t you!!) you will get the JSCC every quarter. Consider purchasing a subscription to Cosmetics & Toiletries.

Lastly, web links were included for all of the magazines and many have RSS feeds so you can keep up with the headlines without getting the paper subscription. This is highly valuable and will make it easier to keep up with all of the latest news and science in the cosmetic industry.

Have we missed any must-read magazines for the cosmetic industry? Leave a comment below and let us know.