Sustainable Beauty E-Summit 2022 Replay
The Sustainable Beauty E-Summit happened over on our Discord on March 6th, 2022. A full-day conference featuring highly curated and interactive expert presentations to dive into the nuance of the topic. This blog is a replay of the whole e-summit!
A common critique of industry events is that they are either too expensive, close their eyes to misinformation, or both. I put this event together to show my younger self how accessibility makes a difference. This is the conference that I would have wanted, and my attempt to democratize accurate information for the cosmetics industry. This e-conference will be the first of many, stay tuned.
If you would like to support our initiative, please share! If you’re interested in supporting our scicomm outreach efforts, please consider supporting our work over on Patreon. Find us at www.patreon.com/theecowell. Huge thank you to all of our Patreon supporters for helping us create more content like this!
HUGE THANK YOU to all of our fabulous speakers, all of whom donated their time and expertise to support the event. Without you guys, this event would not be possible. Thank you so so much!
Finally, thank you to our event sponsors, Apothaka, and our gold sponsor, Deciem. This was a massive help in keeping this conference free for anyone.
Spoiler alert - the next conference up will be a free Sunscreen E-Summit, a collaboration with Michelle at Lab Muffin Beauty Science (sunscreen queen of the interwebs👑), scheduled for May 15th! We’ll be announcing more details shortly. Interested in supporting the event as a sponsor? Reach out to us via email at info@theecowell.com.
Without further ado, here’s the conference replay! Enjoy!
Introduction by Jen Novakovich
Presentation 1: Sustainability in Packaging by packaging technologist, Dan Coppins.
Dan Coppins is a packaging technologist and quality manager. Prior he has close to a decade of experience within the personal and home care sector working for several multinational companies. In light of the many environmental impact-related packaging misconceptions, he is passionate about sharing the science of packaging design and impacts.
Presentation 2: Communicating Sustainability by Eva Lagarde from Re-Sources
Eva Lagarde has over 15 years of international experience in the beauty industry, starting with Cosmoprof (the leading B2B beauty event), and continued with MakeUp in shows and then Premium Beauty News (leading B2B publication), Eva is now helping brands to develop beauty product with sustainability at the core thanks to the re-sources.co platform. Eva is always about innovation. Scouting the latest trends and products over the world with sustainability in mind. She has hosted in the last four years, annual events about innovation in beauty packaging, make-up, skincare, and fragrance in Paris. Eva holds a Master’s Degree in Communications & Marketing from Paris II Assas University.
Presentation 3: Substantiating Ingredient/formula Sustainability by Evonik, featuring Anna Howe
Anna Howe is an Applied Technology Manager, North America, for the Personal Care business of Evonik Corporation at the new Business & Innovation Center in Richmond, Virginia. Anna responsibility focuses on new product developments, formulations, performance evaluations, test method development for claims, and technical services. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry at Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University in Blacksburg, VA. Anna joined the Personal Care Group of Evonik Corp. in 1997. Prior to joining Evonik, Anna held positions of increasing responsibility at Inolex Chemical Company, Rhône-Poulenc (Rhodia), and Alcolac Chemical Corporation. Further, Anna is a member of the Society of Cosmetic Chemists and holds several application patents as well as authored several scientific papers in the personal care arena
Presentation 4: Substantiating botanical safety & sustainability by Prof Monique Simmonds, Ph.D. from KEW
Prof. Monique Simmonds, Ph.D. is Deputy Director of Science at KEW. Her research draws on a long-standing interest in plant-animal interactions and the chemistry and economic uses of plants. Her current research is on the economic uses of plants/fungi, in particular their potential as pharmaceutical leads, especially antibiotics, as well as uses in over-the-counter products such as cosmetics. Prof. Simmonds is also interested in the development of chemical and DNA authentication methods to check the quality of plant-derived products being sold as medicines, cosmetics, and functional foods. These projects often involve the development of benefit-sharing strategies with collaborators and supporting plant conservation in developing countries. Monique has recently been recognized as a top influential figure by Allure magazine, fighting for sustainability and preservation in the beauty industry, and has been praised for the preservation of biodiversity and expertise in plant science.
Presentation 5: Biotech Beauty by Jasmina Agonovic from Arcaea
Jasmina Agonovic is a cosmetics industry professional who is passionate about translating her expertise from chemical and biological engineering at MIT into innovation for the beauty industry. As the CEO of Arcaea, she leverages the power of expressive biology to create a new wave of beauty products that provide consumers with innovative and sustainably sourced ingredients. Prior to launching Arcaea in 2021, she was an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Gingko Bioworks and the President of Mother Dirt, a skin microbiome brand that developed the first live probiotic and biome friendly products for the skin.
Presentation 6: A case against the non-gmo movement by Kevin Folta, Ph.D., professor, keynote speaker and host of the Talking Biotech Podcast
Kevin Folta, Ph.D. is a horticultural researcher, professor, and host of the Talking Biotech Podcast. He has studied biology and agricultural biotechnology for over thirty years, working exclusively in public academic institutions. His research program examines the role of light in controlling plant traits, especially those relevant to agriculture. His group is known for using innovative genomics approaches to identify genes associated with fruit quality, especially flavors and aromas.
Presentation 7: Current & Upcoming sustainability regulations in North America by Allyn Stern and Stacey Sublett Halliday of Beveridge & Diamond
Allyn Stern is a principal at Beveridge & Diamond, an environmental law firm based in the USA. She is a former EPA Regional Counsel with 30 years of agency experience, uses her expertise to help businesses develop proactive environmental compliance strategies, navigate governmental regulations, and negotiate with agencies to identify reasonable and implementable solutions to enforcement matters. Allyn co-chairs Beveridge & Diamond’s Textiles and Fashion group and the Water practice group. She also co-chairs the Women in Environment & Energy Law Affinity Group of the National Association of Women Lawyers and the Waste & Resource Recovery section of the American Bar Association in which she focuses on recycling and circular economy implementation and Green Marketing issues.
Stacey Sublett Halliday is also a principal at Beveridge & Diamond. Stacey draws on her diverse litigation and regulatory experience in government and private practice, to advise clients on corporate environmental due diligence, including environmental compliance programs, environmental audits, and environmental management systems; corporate social responsibility strategies and program development, including circular economy implementation, and environmental justice; mandatory environmental disclosures, voluntary non-financial reporting, and green marketing in accordance with domestic reporting requirements (e.g., FTC Green Guides) and global standards (e.g., GRI, SASB, CDP). Stacey holds leadership roles with the American Bar Association National Bar Association, and the Environmental Law Institute. Stacey also co-chairs Beveridge & Diamond’s Textile and Fashion practice group.
Presentation 8: Industry misconceptions about ethoxylated surfactants by Prof Ricardo Diez from Rutgers University MBS in Cosmetic Science program
Prof Ricardo Diez, Ph.D. has more than four decades of experience in Research and Development and Product Development in the industry in both consumer product companies while employed with Procter & Gamble, Dial Corp, and Chanel, and raw material manufacturers such as Miranol, Stepan, and Witco. In the area of raw materials, he has twenty years of direct, hands-on experience in the synthesis, manufacturing, and QA of materials used to make emulsions. In the field of emulsions, he has many years of hands-on experience in controlling emulsion properties and stability using the Lamellar Gel Network Model, including identification techniques. He has imparted seminars for the SCC and for IFSCC in many countries, focusing on raw materials and emulsion technologies. He is currently an Adjunct Professor at Rutgers University where he teaches applied cosmetic science in the Master of Business and Science.
Closing Panel, Sustainable Development During the Current Infodemic. Featuring Rene Van Acker, Ph.D., Akemi Ooka, Ph.D., and Iain Davies, Ph.D.
Dr. Rene Van Acker is Professor and Dean of the Ontario Agricultural College (OAC) at the University of Guelph. Prior to his appointment as Dean, Rene was Associate Dean External of OAC (2009-16) and previously chair of the department of Plant Agriculture (2006-09). Prior to his appointments at Guelph, Rene was a professor at the University of Manitoba (1996-2006). Rene is a co-founder of the Food Institute at the University of Guelph (now the Arrell Food Institute) and has played a key roles in fundraising for OAC since 2009. Rene's research interests include weed management and agronomy. He has published over 130 peer-reviewed works to-date and over 300 other non-peer-reviewed contributions. His research has led to work and collaborations in Denmark, Austria, Switzerland, France, Germany, Australia, and the US. Rene grew up on a farm in southern Ontario. He holds BSc and MSc degrees from the University of Guelph and a PhD from the University of Reading (UK).
Akemi Ooka, Ph.D. is the Head of Supply Chain and Sustainability Resources at the Independent Beauty Association. With over 20 years of CPG experience, from Fortune 500 companies to small startups, Akemi’s experience ranges from product development to sourcing and supply chain transformation. Akemi has worked at The Clorox Company, method, and was most recently VP of Product at J.R. Watkins, overseeing development, quality, regulatory compliance, claim support, and third-party manufacturing oversight for hand care, personal care, home care, and OTC remedies. She now heads up the Independent Beauty Association’s (IBA) global supply chain and sustainability programming, supporting small to medium-sized businesses in the beauty and personal care sector. Akemi holds a B.A. in Chemistry from Rutgers University and a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of California at Los Angeles
Iain Davies, Ph.D. serves as director, Environmental Science Programs at Personal Care Products Council (PCPC), managing the environmental safety program with a focus on assessing the environmental safety of cosmetic and personal ingredients. Founded in 1894 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., PCPC is the leading national trade association representing cosmetics and personal care products companies and serving as the voice on scientific, legal, regulatory, legislative and international issues. Prior to working at PCPC, Davies assessed the environmental risk of fragrance ingredients at the Research Institute for Fragrance Materials (RIFM). Davies also conducted research of the fate and effects of pharmaceuticals in the environment at AstraZeneca’s Brixham Environmental Laboratory in the UK and the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) in the Netherlands. Davies holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Dundee, UK, and a Ph.D. in environmental toxicology from the University of York, UK.
Sorry this presentation cut out right before the q&a, we had a tech issue on our end. Most of the conversation is here though!
Thank you to our gold sponsor, Deciem!
