In the fast-paced cosmetics and personal care industry, a subset of brands and consumers are intentionally slowing down. With a focus on high value rather than high volumes, the slow beauty movement asks us to rethink the precedent of always-be-buying culture. This week on the CosmoFactory podcast, we learn about an emerging opportunity for brands and beauty lovers alike. Our guest is Katie Becker, freelance beauty writer and consultant. Based in the US, Becker has been a prominent voice in cons...
Aug 12, 2025•25 min•Ep. 66
Aluminum and stainless steel are readily recycled materials. These metals are valuable commodities; and they are often easier to identify and sort than other materials. As our industry searches for sustainable packaging solutions, some beauty makers are striving to close the loop with metal. This week on the CosmoFactory podcast, we learn more about the potential of classic metal materials and the importance of thoughtful beauty packaging design. Our guest is Kerri Leslie, CEO of Verity, a US-ba...
Aug 05, 2025•24 min•Ep. 65
Some of today’s pioneering beauty brand founders are not only measuring success differently but are also hoping to inspire industry change by recalibrating consumer expectations, retailer requirements, and the scope of sustainability. This week on the CosmoFactory podcast, we hear about the strategy and integrity behind a founder-led brand that is promising consumers effective, efficient, premium skincare. Our guest is Pauline Prescott, CEO and Founder of Formulae Prescott Skincare. The brand, b...
Jul 29, 2025•21 min•Ep. 64
Cosmetic ingredient makers, product manufacturers, and brands are using AI technologies to visualize, analyze, and simulate data—clinical data, consumer perception data, and everything in between. Today, advanced AI innovations are even able to anonymize facial data and generate predictive average results. This week on the CosmoFactory podcast, we learn how machine vision and generative AI are being used to facilitate ingredient development, product formulation, consumer product recommendations ...
Jul 22, 2025•22 min•Ep. 63
With the help of AI, our industry is becoming more transparent. And platform-powered solutions are changing the way that cosmetic ingredient makers, contract manufacturers, and beauty brands gather information and make decisions. This week on the CosmoFactory podcast, we step into a new era of cosmetic industry creativity and innovation. Our guest is Karen Ho, Co-Founder and CEO of Gravel AI, a London, England – based industry intelligence platform founded in 2021 to support ingredient makers, r...
Jul 15, 2025•22 min•Ep. 62
Skin treatment and skin diagnostic devices are more effective and popular than ever. Does building these technologies into beauty product packaging make them a more accessible for at-home consumer use? This week on the CosmoFactory podcast, we consider the practicalities of tech-enhanced cosmetic packaging. Our guest is Alain Dijkstra, CEO of Nuon, a subsidiary of China-based light therapy and medical device maker Kaiyan Medical. Nuon has been in business since 2010, specializing in caps and clo...
Jul 08, 2025•23 min•Ep. 61
Quality and exclusivity are the defining characteristics of luxury. As beauty consumer values shift, so to do the product, packaging, and promotional attributes that signal luxury. This week on the CosmoFactory podcast, we hear about the challenges and changes that are shaping luxury brand strategy today. Our guest is Dawn Hilarczyk, Chief Operating Officer at Borghese Inc., a legacy skincare brand based in the US. Founded in 1957, the privately held brand is well known in Asia and the States, a...
Jul 01, 2025•21 min•Ep. 60
Longevity is a movement because consumers understand that with the right skincare, nutrition, and lifestyle choices better ageing is possible. This week on the CosmoFactory podcast, we hear about pro-ageing product claims, microbiome and exosome science, the importance of consumer education, and more. Our guest is Richard Purvis, CEO of SkinModerne, a US-based beauty maker dedicated to skin wellness for both the consumer market and for the professional beauty sector. Purvis brings his background...
Jun 24, 2025•23 min•Ep. 59
Fine fragrance, body mists, hair fragrance, and other scented cosmetics and personal care products have conventionally been blended with alcohol. As consumer expectations and regulatory protocols change, water-based fragrance is becoming more popular and fragrance scientists are working to meet demand. This week on the CosmoFactory podcast, we find out about water-based fragrance creation tech and how perfumers and chemists are solving for miscibility and solubility of fragrance molecules, perce...
Jun 17, 2025•26 min•Ep. 58
In color cosmetics, product function is the priority. Creating a makeup brand that looks and feels expressive, statement making, and attuned to consumer preferences is nearly—if not equally—as important. This week on the CosmoFactory podcast, we open a conversation about makeup, neuromarketing, creative packaging design, brand loyalty, niche product benefits, and so much more. Our guest is Anna Blasco Salvat, Vice President of Marketing at ARTDECO Cosmetic Group. She’s also the Creative Director...
Jun 10, 2025•25 min•Ep. 57
AI helps cosmetic and personal care brands conduct social listening analysis, identify and respond to trends, personalize product recommendations, support retail service teams, and so much more. Multinationals that own numerous brands and serve markets around the world use AI tech to do all of this at scale and at a very fast pace. This week on the CosmoFactory podcast, we take a closer look at how AI—augmented intelligence—is being used to keep pace with beauty consumer trends globally. Our gue...
Jun 03, 2025•26 min•Ep. 56
In the transition to a circular economy, can the cosmetics and personal care sector step into a leadership role among CPG industries? This week on the CosmoFactory podcast, our guest is Jo-Anne Chidley, Founder of Beauty Kitchen and Reposit—a entrepreneur who is fully confident that, by engaging stakeholders from the supply chain through to the end consumer, the beauty industry can model meaningful change. She launched the Beauty Kitchen skincare and body care brand in 2014 to “create the most e...
May 27, 2025•22 min•Ep. 55
The business of fragrance creation is an artistic business. Nevertheless, opportunities to enhance the perfumery and scented personal care product creation process through digital engagement, and with consumer and market data, are significant. This week on the CosmoFactory podcast, we hear about the work of a fragrance evaluator and the advantages of an intelligent perfumery platform. Our guest is Federica Libralon, Fragrance Development Manager at Scentmate by dsm-firmenich, an online platform ...
May 20, 2025•20 min•Ep. 54
Local cosmetic ingredient supply chains, local brand leadership, and local beauty tech are all on the rise in the East African nation of Kenya—a country known for its entrepreneurial spirit. This week on the CosmoFactory podcast, we learn how one of Kenya’s leading cosmetic brand executives is shaping and inspiring the future of beauty both within and outside of that country. Our guest is Suzie Wokabi, CEO of O’Bao, a plant-based skincare brand founded in 2015 by Amisha Patel. Wokabi is also the...
May 13, 2025•24 min•Ep. 53
The familiar gesture of pencils have made this classic component format a mainstay in beauty. Pencils, as well as pens and crayons, are at once fun and functional. But given the pace of change and the importance of sustainability in our industry, they are also forever evolving. This week on the CosmoFactory podcast, we consider how nuanced the materials, production, and formulation are that go into to making of these deceptively simple makeup and treatment applicators. Our guest is Christian Eis...
May 06, 2025•23 min•Ep. 52
Our industry’s sustainable transformation is a work in progress. Every sort of stakeholder, from raw material suppliers to beauty consumers to waste management specialists, is involved. To make it all happen there is an ongoing cycle of assessment, planning, implementation, monitoring, reporting, and reciprocal improvement. This week on the CosmoFactory podcast, we hear about the tools and tactics that multinational cosmetic and personal care companies are using to better their businesses and th...
Apr 29, 2025•21 min•Ep. 51
The forest floor is rich in microbial life, which is one reason why exposure to nature is so beneficial. And new science shows that those microbes, even when inactivated, have remarkable skincare benefits, particularly for sensitive skin and atopic conditions. This week on the CosmoFactory podcast, we learn about the skincare benefits of being in contact with nature, and with soil microbes in particular. Our guest is Iida Mäkelä, Product Director of Uute Scientific Oy, a spin-out company establi...
Apr 22, 2025•22 min•Ep. 50
With ecommerce comes unparalleled access to data—to fragrance and beauty consumer behavior insights from every market around the world. Which is how digital-forward companies are building brands that meet consumer expectations in real-time, in the very moments and markets where opportunity exists. This week on the CosmoFactory podcast, we consider the potential that a digital, trends-based business strategy has to impact the fragrance category and to reach perfume lovers at every market tier. Ou...
Apr 15, 2025•19 min•Ep. 49
It’s normal now for cosmetic and personal care product manufacturers to incorporate environmental sustainability into their processes. Part of the challenge is deciding what to focus on, and how to prove and talk about green claims. This week on the CosmoFactory podcast, we hear about the complexity of the beauty industry’s sustainable future. Our guest is Iveta Kovacova, Research Director at Ecovia Intelligence, a research and consulting company founded in 2001 that caters to both the cosmetics...
Apr 08, 2025•23 min•Ep. 48
In the cosmetics industry, product development directly impacts formulation efficacy, consumer retention, and brand value. Which is why R&D leaders today need not only scientific knowledge but also skills including strategic thinking, scenario planning, and (especially within SMEs) a shared accountability with other business units. This week on the CosmoFactory podcast, we explore product creation, raw material selection, and brand differentiation with our guest Jeff Rosevear, Head of R&...
Apr 01, 2025•20 min•Ep. 47
Scent transports us. It recalls memories, evokes emotions, invites connection among cultures, and propels us to places both real and imagined. Growing a global business around something so powerful and so invisible requires both passion and acumen. This week on the CosmoFactory podcast, we learn about the business and nuance of fragrance made in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Our guest is Ralph Bou Nader, General Manager of Arabian Oud International, a fragrance manufacturer and retailer formally ...
Mar 25, 2025•22 min•Ep. 46
The longevity movement is an opportunity and a challenge for beauty makers. The age range of cosmetic consumers has expanded tremendously in recent years, making messaging and product development more complex than ever. This week on the CosmoFactory podcast, we consider the implications of catering to cosmetic and personal care consumers across the generations—in Gen Alpha, Gen X, and every age group in between and beyond. Our guest is Mallory Huron, Director of Beauty and Wellness at Fashion Sn...
Mar 17, 2025•23 min•Ep. 45
Ingredient discovery and scale up is time consuming, expensive, and competitive. Tech tools like AI are helping suppliers minimize the risks and bring truly new beauty benefits to consumers. This week on the CosmoFactory podcast, we learn more about AI along the cosmetic industry supply chain. Our guest is Lucile Bonnin, Head of Personal Care at Cambrium, a Berlin, Germany – based biotech research company specialized in molecular design. Cambrium was established in 2020; and already, consumer pr...
Mar 11, 2025•21 min•Ep. 44
It takes time to build a heritage beauty brand—a lot of time. But every brand starts somewhere; and the early years and founder’s vision go a long way toward building trust and an emotional connection with consumers. This week on the CosmoFactory podcast, we talk about indie beauty with Sandra Velasquez, Founder of the Modern Mexican brand Nopalera. Based in New York City, and established in 2020, Nopalera is a personal care and lifestyle brand comprising products in bath and body care, hair car...
Mar 04, 2025•21 min•Ep. 43
Revenue figures are up; men in the US are buying skincare and hair care as well as makeup and complexion products more than ever before. They are more informed and more interested in beauty care ingredients and product efficacy too. This week on the CosmoFactory podcast, we learn about the growing men’s beauty sector from our guest Dominique Petruzzi, Consumer Goods and Retail Research Expert at STATISTA. The market data, visualization, and research company is based in Germany and provides clien...
Feb 25, 2025•21 min•Ep. 42
Digital technologies, from red light therapy to skin and hair analysis to AI and blockchain, are shifting beauty consumer expectations, retail experiences, and demand planning along the supply chain. This week on the CosmoFactory podcast, we hear about a variety of digital tech that’s impacting the cosmetics and personal care industry now and in the near future. Our guest is Robin Raskin, Founder of Virtual Events Group. Robin is a veteran of the tech industry, an events consultant, and former m...
Feb 18, 2025•22 min•Ep. 41
Retail touchpoints for cosmetic and personal care brands today extend well beyond stores with doors and conventional print and outdoor advertising. Beauty brands are reaching consumers in experiential and engaging ways with the help of digital ad tech firms. This week on the CosmoFactory podcast, we hear about imaginative ways that brands are connecting with and educating consumers on the platforms, apps, sites, forums, etc. where they are already spending their time online. Our guest is Val Vac...
Feb 11, 2025•22 min•Ep. 40
Cosmetic and personal care brands draw inspiration and ingredients from every corner of the globe. And there is something to be gained by meeting people and experiencing places that are at the source of the products our industry is creating for consumers. This week on the CosmoFactory podcast, we consider the value of travel and cultural immersion. Our guest is Stephanie Flor, Founder of the specialty travel company Around the World Beauty and author of The Global Beauty Journey: One Traveler’s ...
Feb 04, 2025•21 min•Ep. 39
Beauty consumers and ingredient makers alike are eager to discover how products can impact mood and act on the skin-brain axis, which is why neurocosmetics is a trend worth watching. This week on the CosmoFactory podcast, we survey brand innovations, ingredient research, formulation textures, packaging design, and retail strategy—all within the realm of neurocosmetics. Our guest is Melissa Hago, long-time beauty and wellness trend forecaster. Her work exposes her to global cultural movements, co...
Jan 28, 2025•21 min•Ep. 38
Rainforest conservation is an under-leveraged opportunity when it comes to cosmetic and personal care ingredient sourcing. There are however, ambitious suppliers working to ensure that sustainable wild harvesting is not only environmentally beneficial and economically feasible but also a reliable source of high-quality effective beauty care ingredients. This week on the CosmoFactory podcast, we hear about the wild forest economy and how international collaborations are helping bring novel ingred...
Jan 21, 2025•29 min•Ep. 37
