The Society of Cosmetic Chemists (SCC) has announced the awards being presented during the in-person Society’s 75th Annual Scientific Meeting, December 13–15, 2021, at the Sheraton NY Times Square in New York City.

MAISON G. DE NAVARRE MEDAL AWARD: “For the first time in SCC history, we’re presenting our highest honor to a previous recipient (1997), R. Randall Wickett, PhD, as a testament to his industry expertise and commitment to advancing cosmetic science,” said Erica O’Grady, CAE, CEO of the Society. This award recognizes Dr. Wickett’s activity supporting the best interests of the cosmetic industry through technical contributions. Dr. Wickett holds a PhD in Biophysics from Oregon State University and is currently Emeritus Professor of Cosmetic Science in the James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy at the University of Cincinnati.  Previously, he worked for Procter and Gamble and the SC Johnson Company performing research on skin and hair care products. Dr. Wickett has authored more than 120 scientific articles, holds several patents, and has given more than 100 invited presentations in his 40+ years in the industry.

ROBERT A. KRAMER LIFETIME SERVICE AWARD: “Stanley R. Milstein, PhD, has served the society with distinction during his 40+ years of continuous membership in various capacities including National Board President (1992), local Chapter Board positions, and Chair of the Committee on Scientific Affairs,” said Erica O’Grady, CAE, CEO of the Society. “During his time at the FDA, Dr. Milstein was a true ally in building a relationship between our organizations. He is a well-respected academic, government practitioner, and industry veteran, holding several senior scientific and regulatory affairs positions.”

MERIT AWARD: “Perry Romanowski (Element 44, Inc.) has been an outstanding advocate for the benefits of SCC membership”, said Erica O’Grady, CAE, CEO of the Society. “We are thrilled to honor him with the 2021 Merit Award. During Perry’s 29+ years of membership, he has served the Society as a course instructor, IFSCC Liaison, Chapter President, and National Board President (2018). A tireless champion of the SCC and its mission to advance cosmetic science, he has had a significant impact on our growth and success.”

YOUNG SCIENTIST AWARD, sponsored by Surfatech: Recognizing the Best Paper by a young scientist under the age of 40 presented at the preceding Annual Scientific Meeting, this award will be presented to Allison Garlet, MSc (BASF Corp.) for her paper entitled, “DROPLET-BASED MICROFLUIDIC SCREENING METHOD TO SELECT INGREDIENTS TARGETING SKIN MICROBIAL COMMUNITIES.”

GREEN STAR™ AWARD sponsored by Colonial Chemical: Recognizing the formulator who has done outstanding work in green formulations during the previous 12-month period, this award will be presented to Peyton Munoz (Aveda) for her AVEDA NUTRIPLENISH CURL GELEE formulation.

SOCIETY OF COSMETIC CHEMISTS AWARD, sponsored by Hallstar: Recognizing the Best Paper presented at the preceding SCC Annual Scientific Meeting that made the greatest scientific contribution to knowledge in the field of protecting against or ameliorating damage to human skin caused by exposure to UV radiation, this award will be presented to Vincent Hubiche, MSc (Gattefossé) for his paper entitled, “IMPACT OF LAYERING ON UV PROTECTIVE FILM DURABILITY.”

HANS A. SCHAEFFER AWARD, sponsored by NAGASE Specialty Materials NA: Recognizing the most innovative paper presented at the preceding SCC Annual Scientific Meeting, this award will be presented to Philip Ludwig (BASF Corporation) for his paper entitled, “A NEW 3D-AUTOLOGOUS IPSC-DERIVED MODEL TO MIMIC HAIR BULB STRUCTURE AND MULTIPLE CROSSTALK.”

JOSEPH P. CIAUDELLI AWARD, sponsored by Croda: Recognizing the best article appearing in the Journal of Cosmetic Science on the subject of hair care technology, this award will be presented to authors Roger McMullen, PhD, and Guojin Zhang (Ashland) for their article entitled, “INVESTIGATION OF THE INTERNAL STRUCTURE OF HUMAN HAIR WITH ATOMIC FORCE MICROSCOPY,” published in JoCS 2020 | Volume 71 No. 3.

SHAW MUDGE AWARD: Recognizing the best paper presented at the preceding SCC Annual Scientific Meeting, this award will be presented to Paul Lawrence, PhD (Biocogent, LLC) for his paper entitled, “SMALL NON-CODING RNAS: AN EPIGENETIC TOGGLE SWITCH FOR GENE EXPRESSION.”

DES GODDARD AWARD, sponsored by Mary Kay: Recognizing the most innovative paper on the topic of polymer science related to cosmetics or personal care presented at the preceding Annual Scientific Meeting or published in the Journal of Cosmetic Science, this award will be presented to authors Aina Davies and Dr. Samiul Amin (Manhattan College) for their journal Article entitled, “RHEOLOGY OF COSMETIC PRODUCTS: SURFACTANT MESOPHASE, FOAMS AND EMULSIONS,” published in JoCS 2020 | Volume 71 No. 6.

ALLAN AND JEANETTE BLACK AWARD, sponsored by Presperse: Recognizing the best paper on make-up technology presented at the preceding SCC Annual Scientific Meeting or published in the Journal of Cosmetic Science, this award will be presented to Di Qu, PhD (Amway Corporation), for his Journal Article entitled, “OBJECTIVE METHODS FOR QUANTIFYING COLOR RETENTION AND BLEEDING POTENTIAL OF A LIPSTICK THROUGH LARGE SCALE PANEL PERCEPTION AND CONTROLLED USABILITY STUDIES,” published in JoCS 2020 | Volume 71 No. 6.

“SCC is proud to highlight the extraordinary work, cutting-edge research, and advancements that our members achieve in the cosmetic sciences,” said Liz Streland, 2021 SCC National Board President and Senior Account Manager, NAGASE Specialty Materials NA LLC. “These winners join a long and prestigious list of accomplished professionals who have been recognized by their peers for their outstanding contributions to SCC and our industry.”

Be there to see these winners accept their awards – register for the SCC Annual Meeting in-person or online at www.scconline.org/annualmeeting2021  

The Society of Cosmetic Chemists (SCC) has created the Madam C.J. Walker Scholarship program to support under-represented minority students pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree in chemical, physical, medical, pharmaceutical, biological or related sciences and technology. The two scholarships under the program are part of SCC’s new diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in the cosmetic and personal care industry. They are funded by Mary Kay Inc.

Madam C.J. Walker (born Sarah Breedlove; 1867-1919) was an American entrepreneur, philanthropist and political and social activist. She is regarded as the first female self-made millionaire in America. Walker made her fortune by developing and marketing a line of cosmetics and hair care products for Black women through the business she founded, Madam C.J. Walker Manufacturing Co.

The scholarships will award $5,000 to two under-represented minority individuals (Black/African American, Native/American Indian, and Latinx/Hispanic American) who are pursuing an undergraduate or post-graduate degree in chemical, physical, medical, pharmaceutical, biological or related sciences and technology.

The SCC will also provide each awardee a $250 travel voucher, one night’s accommodation, and a complimentary full access registration to attend the SCC 75th Annual Meeting & Showcase, Dec. 14-15, where he/she will be presented with the scholarship at the awards breakfast.

“Madam C. J. Walker is an icon who spent her entire career breaking through barriers to become one of the nation’s greatest entrepreneurs despite the many obstacles that stood in her path,” said Dr. Lucy Gildea, Chief Scientific Officer at Mary Kay. “It is important that we continue to honor her legacy by supporting young, minority scientists. By partnering with SCC and creating the Madam C.J. Walker scholarship, we hope to inspire and empower the next generation of student scientists who want to follow in Walker’s footsteps.”

“The SCC is committed to efforts to support diversity, equity and inclusion for all participants in the cosmetics and personal care industry,” added Erica O’Grady, CAE, CEO of SCC. “We are grateful for the generous support of our scholarship sponsor, Mary Kay Inc., in assisting us with these efforts to educate under-represented groups pursuing degrees related to cosmetic and personal care product development.”

The American Chemistry Council (ACC) reported that U.S. specialty chemicals market volumes regained momentum, increasing 0.4 percent in February after only a 0.1 percent gain in January. All changes in the data are reported on a three-month moving average (3MMA) basis. Of the twenty-eight specialty chemical segments we monitor, twenty-one expanded in February and seven experienced decline. During February, large market volume gains (1.0 percent and over) occurred in food additives, mining chemicals, oilfield chemicals, and textile specialties.

The overall specialty chemicals volume index was up 5.1 percent on a year-over-year (Y/Y) 3MMA basis. The index stood at 113.1 percent of its average 2012 levels. This is equivalent to 7.79 billion pounds (3.54 million metric tons). On a Y/Y basis, there were gains among twenty-three market and functional specialty chemical segments. Compared to last year, volumes were down in only five segments.

Specialty chemicals are materials manufactured on the basis of the unique performance or function and provide a wide variety of effects on which many other sectors and end-use products rely. They can be individual molecules or mixtures of molecules, known as formulations. The physical and chemical characteristics of the single molecule or mixtures along with the composition of the mixtures influence the performance end product. Individual market sectors that rely on such products include automobile, aerospace, agriculture, cosmetics and food, among others.

Specialty chemicals differ from commodity chemicals. They may only have one or two uses, while commodities may have multiple or different applications for each chemical. Commodity chemicals make up most of the production volume in the global marketplace, while specialty chemicals make up most of the diversity in commerce at any given time, and are relatively high value with greater market growth rates.

This data is the only timely source of market trends for twenty-eight market and functional specialty chemical segments. Chemistry directly touches over ninety-six percent of all manufactured goods, and trends in these specialty chemical segments provide a detailed view of trends in manufacturing. The data also sheds light on how various consumer end-use markets are performing compared to others in the marketplace.

U.S. Specialty Chemical Market Volume, Percentage Change

(Seasonally adjusted, 3-month moving average – Except YTD)

Note that there are revisions to several segments as well as revisions to the underlying end-use data.

The Fragrance Foundation has named Linda Levy as President, replacing Elizabeth Musmanno. Levy currently serves as a member of the Board of Directors. She previously served as the Omni Group VP, Divisional Merchandise Manager for Fragrances at Macy’s Inc. Before that, Levy held positions at L’Oréal’s Lancôme USA, The Estée Lauder Cos. and Wella/Procter & Gamble. Additionally, she has consulted for Shiseido and Coty.

Bayer, the maker of Coppertone, announced in April that it has commissioned an independent “assurance assessment,” available to the public and designed to provide consumers with greater confidence when choosing sunscreen.

“Consumers are receiving information about sun protection from a variety of often contradictory sources, which is causing confusion,” said Michael Tune, VP, Personal Care Development Center.

“They want assurance that product performance claims are based on legitimate scientific testing.”

Bayer gave the external assurance provider access to the facilities, records and people necessary to conduct its assessment, including:

• Processes, systems, controls, performance data, principles and internal guidelines
• Testing and performance guidelines developed and enforced in accordance with U.S. regulations
• Quality assurance processes and systems developed and enforced for packaging and labeling
• Bayer’s processes, controls and performance guidelines used to manage their suppliers
• 10 different products, including lotions, sprays, sticks and its new “Whipped” sunscreens

The independent assurance assessment concluded that the Bayer’s products comply with internal and all applicable external guidelines to ensure the labeling accuracy of Coppertone products, accurately test and implement quality assurance procedures, and are found to comply with quality, safety and efficacy requirements. To read the full report, visit: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/493300/Bayer_Coppertone_Independent_Assurance_Report.pdf

Procter & Gamble confirmed on July 26 that the Cincinnati-based company had sold its TAG body spray line to a New Jersey firm, which plans to revive what had once been a major brand.

P&G announced in 2010 that it planned to eliminate production of Tag sprays to focus on its Gillette, Old Spice and Secret antiperspirant and deodorant brands.

However, the TAG brand is still sold in a few retail outlets, according to a spokesman for Secaucus, N.J.-based My Imports USA. The company, which is seeking to acquire and license well-known brands, already manufactures, distributes and markets products under the brand names Amoray, Bio Power and Ultra Max.

“We are excited to have TAG as a part of our family of brands and our go-forward strategy to own and market well-known brands,” said Fahim Ibrahimi, CEO of My Imports USA.

Financial terms of the deal weren’t disclosed by My Imports USA or P&G.

“The divestiture of TAG continues our ongoing efforts to streamline our product portfolio and drive greater focus on our core brands and categories,” P&G spokesman Tressie Rose said. “We have not manufactured TAG for several years.”

The TAG sale wasn’t part of the deal to sell more than 40 beauty and fragrance brands that P&G reached with Coty Inc., which is expected to close later this year.

Privately held My Imports USA intends to expand the TAG brand to include new and innovative deodorants, antiperspirants, body sprays, body washes, hair washes, and other men’s grooming products. My Imports USA anticipates shipping the new TAG items early next year.

Launched in 2005 by the TAG Fragrance division of the Gillette Co., the brand became part of P&G through its $53 billion acquisition of Gillette the same year.

The TAG line competed with the AXE brand of P&G rival Unilever, which is marketed to teenage boys and young men. 

SC Johnson recognized Ball Corporation as a top supplier at its 2nd Annual Top Supplier Award ceremony on June 30, 2016, in Chicago. The event celebrated critical organizations, like Ball, that contributed to SC Johnson’s growth and underscored its commitment to quality and innovation.

Ball received the 2016 Quality Excellence Award for its “consistently high levels of experience and knowledge from a technical and business perspective.” SC Johnson also recognized Ball for significantly increasing can production to meet the growing demand for OFF insect repellent and helping to combat the mosquito-borne illness epidemic in South America.

Jim Peterson, Ball Food & Aerosol Packaging chief operating officer, and Luis Galardi, Argentina tinplate general manager, attended the event to accept the award.

“At Ball, our commitment to quality and to our customers’ success is unwavering and a big part of our culture,” Peterson said. “Thanks to the dedication of our team in Argentina and a strong customer partnership, we are able to meet the needs of SC Johnson and are honored to be one of their top suppliers.”

The New Jersey Packaging Executives Club (NJPEC) held its annual Hall of Fame & Scholarship Dinner on  May 19th at the Manor in West Orange, NJ. Since 2003, the dinner celebrates the achievement and contributions of top executives who have made a significant impact on the packaging industry.

The 2016 NJPEC Hall of Fame Honorees represent all facets of packaging achievements and their companies are leaders in brand manufacturing, contract packaging, custom plastics, and stock packaging and more. The NJPEC Hall of Fame inductees for 2016 are:

• Donna Estok, Senior Packaging Manager, L’Oreal USA 

• Doug Fitzsimmons, Founder, Fitzpak, Inc. 

• Sami Hemsey, President, Fenton Consulting 

• Leo Marchese, Founder, ABA Packaging (In Memoriam)

A special NJPEC Lifetime Achievement Award will be given to:

Charles Chang, founder of Topline Products, a leading manufacturer of innovative beauty packaging and turnkey solutions.

The NJPEC dinner also bestowed scholarships to up-and-coming packaging students as well as a NJPEC member’s son or daughter who has demonstrated high academic achievement. Scholarships include:

–NJPEC Scholarship: awarded to promising undergraduates or graduate students who are enrolled in a packaging science or packaging engineering curriculum.

–Dr. Frederick Rimmele Memorial Scholarship: awarded to the son or daughter of an NJPEC member in good standing   The recipient will be a full-time undergraduate student at a fully accredited college or university who has completed 2 semesters with a GPA of 3.0 or higher.

– The Vincent T. Brady Memorial Scholarship: awarded to an exemplary full-time, undergraduate or graduate applicant in each calendar year.

“The Hall of Fame & Scholarship Dinner is an inspirational night as we honor five individuals who have made an impact in packaging, engineering, purchasing and design as well as shared their wisdom and generosity to educate and mentor others,” said Bruce Konecky, President of NJPEC, and Account Manager of Allstate Paper Box. “It is also exciting to award scholarships to high-achieving students who represent the workforce of the future and the next generation of packaging executives.”

Fear of the mosquito-borne Zika virus has Brazilians rushing to buy repellant, creating a shortage of some brands on pharmacy shelves and boosting sales for the industry – a trend some producers are preparing for elsewhere as the outbreak spreads.

Following the detection of Zika in April, sales of repellant in Brazil rose by one-third last year, according to consumer research firm Nielsen, doubling revenue for the sector to $55.7 million. Buying was also spurred by an increase in cases of dengue, another virus spread by the Aedes aegypti mosquito.

Sales have risen even more sharply since Brazilian authorities in November flagged a potential link between Zika and suspected cases of microcephaly, a condition marked by abnormally small head size in newborns that can result in developmental problems.

Raia Drogasil, Brazil’s largest chain of pharmacies, said repellant sales in December jumped seven-fold from a year earlier.

Brazil’s biggest retailer, the Pao de Acucar Group , said supermarket sales of repellant were up 120 percent in the first weeks of 2016, compared to the same period a year earlier. The rise was sharpest in the Northeast region at the centre of the outbreak, where sales rose fourfold, and in the Brazil’s second city of Rio de Janeiro, where they tripled.

In Rio, protection against Zika is a top priority for the city’s 6.5 million inhabitants and hundreds of thousands of tourists as the country’s biggest Carnival celebration kicks off on Friday. Rio will also host the Olympic Games in August.

Even at small local pharmacies in Rio, waiting lists for the most sought-after repellant, Exposis, stretch to hundreds of names, with expectant mothers and their families rushing from store to store in search of the product.

Exposis, developed by France’s Osler, has received media attention in Brazil because it is the only brand on the market with the active ingredient Icaridin. Many Brazilians consider it the most effective repellant against the Aedes mosquito, though studies suggest its efficacy is similar to brands using DEET.

Osler has hiked production of Exposis at its Brazilian facilities 28-fold in the past two months, but it cannot keep up with demand, said Paulo Guerra Vieira, the company’s head in Brazil. He expects to be able to meet demand by end-February.

Instead of importing the active ingredient in Exposis from Germany by ship – as it did before the Zika scare – Osler now flies it in by plane.

Vieira said the company plans to enter nine other countries this month – including the United States, Colombia and Mexico – as concern over Zika spreads.

Since it was detected in Brazil in April, the virus has spread to 26 countries in the Americas. The World Health Organization declared Zika an international health emergency this week, citing a “strongly suspected” relationship between the virus in pregnancy and microcephaly.

Brazil’s government is investigating the potential link between Zika and more than 4,000 suspected cases of microcephaly. Researchers have identified evidence of Zika in 17 of those cases but have not confirmed the virus can cause the condition.

Brazil has said some form of repellant should be used to protect against Zika but has not endorsed any product.

Family-owned U.S. firm SC Johnson said in a statement that it was increasing its production of its OFF! repellent in Brazil and was working with the government to ensure adequate supplies.

Reckitt Benckiser said it was raising output of Repelex to meet demand, particularly in northeastern Brazil and in the most populous state, Sao Paulo.

In the United States, industry insiders are preparing for a rise in sales once the mosquito season starts in the south in March or April, then rolls northwards as temperatures rise.

“An increase in demand for services this summer would not surprise us as news of Zika virus escalates,” said Ron Harrison, entomologist at extermination company Orkin, owned by Rollins Inc.

Rollins shares have jumped 5 percent during this year’s stock market selloff because investors expect Zika fears to lead to increased revenues.

Eric Kenney, who leads the marketing for the Home & Garden business of Spectrum Brands, which includes the repellants Cutter and Repel, said the company had already seen a spike in demand in the United States, particularly in recent weeks.

“Given the rising concerns regarding the Zika virus, we do anticipate that demand will steadily increase in the coming weeks, and have prepared accordingly,” he said.

-REUTERS

Schoolscience, the website for school students and science teachers in the UK, has recently featured on the Association for Science Education website an article promoting its new interactive resource on the physics and engineering that go into making aerosols.

Nick Swift, author of the article and Editor for Schoolscience, wrote: “It turns out that aerosols make an excellent case study for the gas laws, heating effect of electric current, pressure units, vapour pressure, absolute temperature, volatility, ideal gases and the hard-to-grasp ideas of liquids that boil well below zero degrees Celsius”.

The resource was created by Nick Swift with what he describes as ‘invaluable assistance from the British Aerosol Manufacturers’ Association (BAMA). He said: “BAMA gave me access to this fast-moving industry to learn first-hand how aerosols are developed and manufactured. It is a high speed precision engineering business that requires massive capital investment. It is important that young people appreciate how they work, that they can be recycled and that they show physics and chemistry in action.”

Amy Falvey, Communications Manager for BAMA, said: “The aerosol sector in the UK is a significant and successful industry. We are keen both to share the resources we have in helping school students better understand the science behind aerosol technology but also to encourage potential scientists to consider our industry as a possible career path”.

A copy of the article ‘Aerosols and Bugs’ can be found at… http://www.ase.org.uk/journals/education-in-science/2014/11/258/