New for SCC Annual Meeting: Optics, China Regulations and Hair Growth

By: Rachel L. Grabenhofer

Posted: December 18, 2012

NEW YORK—The SCC Annual Meeting, held Dec. 6 and 7, 2012, in Manhattan, went off without a hitch thanks to the efforts of SCC Executive Director Bill Cowen, among others, who moved and re-established the SCC headquarters after hurricane Sandy blasted the East Coast in late October. As of mid-December, the national office was still operating at less than 100%, although many attendees of the event reported feeling lucky they had experienced minimal effects from the storm.

Scientific Session Day I

Microflora: The event featured topics ranging from cosmetic dermatology and regulations in China, to formulations, sunscreens, and hair and scalp treatments. The first session on cosmetic dermatology, moderated by Martha Tate, PhD (Kimberly-Clark) explored various health and anti-aging aspects of skin care. Elizabeth Grice, PhD, of the University of Pennsylvania, opened the session with a survey of the microbiome of normal skin and its variations based on individuals’ cutaneous immune system and greater microbial community conditions. Grice noted that analyses of microbial communities can be useful to outline problematic microbe colonization and infection.

Repair/Anti-aging: Cristina Carreño, PhD (Lipotec) used a combinatorial chemistry approach to indentify hexapeptides that can stimulate DNA repair pathways. The efficacy of these peptides was validated by measuring their ability to restore function in previously damaged reporter genes. David Boudier (Silab) also focused on repair, specifically the decreased capacity of aged keratinocytes to synthesize the vitamin D receptor. He proposed a treatment based on chicory root extract, which was shown to induce a vitamin D-like effect, to restore homeostasis in skin.

Optics, lasers and more: Rox Anderson, MD, of Harvard Medical School, rounded out the morning session with the Frontiers of Science Award Lecture on the physics of looking better. Sponsored by Cosmetics & Toiletries, his presentation looked at physical factors affecting appearance, such as diffuse spectral reflectance, color texture and translucency, and considered how these attributes might be manipulated for desired effects. His thoughts led into futuristic concepts, such as fiber optics to impart transparency in color cosmetics.

Anderson also described dermatological conditions and fractional lasers developed in his labs to treat them, including those to physically damage skin, in turn inciting micro-repair. “You can get away with murder as long as it’s on a micro-scale,” he said. He emphasized the need for the personal care industry to focus on elastic recoil in relation to aging, presenting an astounding case of a 28-year-old with a rare condition causing the nearly total loss of elastic recoil in her skin. Attendees guessed her age to be in the 60+ range, and gasped in unison when they learned she was just 28. Finally, he briefly touched on radio frequency, ultrasound and cold as novel treatments to reduce cellulite; blue light to treat acne; and low level light therapy (LLLT), which affects gene expression. He conceded, “I used to think there’s no way LLLT could work but this is a very real and very exciting area.”

Anderson ended with a few key points: “This is a call to arms. We are all in the business of helping to make people look better. There is no real line between cosmetic and medical, and synergies can come from combining things that work very differently; like cosmetics and devices.” For more on this presentation, see the December issue of Cosmetics & Toiletries.

Awards Luncheon

The Theresa Cesario Awards Luncheon once again honored the innovation and dedication of several key individuals to the industry. Karl Lintner, PhD (KAL’Idées) received the prestigious Maison G. DeNavarre Medal Award for his distinguished career as a scientist, significant contributions to the society, numerous presentations across the globe, and status among his peers. “For once, I am speechless,” said Lintner, humbled, after receiving the award. He thanked the industry and society, and especially his wife for her support.

The Shaw Mudge Award, sponsored by BASF Corp., was presented to Jürgen Meyer, PhD (Evonik) and co-authors for their paper examining lamellar phases in emulsions. Bob Lochhead, PhD (University of Southern Mississippi) and co-authors were given the Allan B. Black Award, sponsored by Presperse Corp., for their paper on a cosmetic technology to protect wearers from thermal blast. The Hans A. Schaeffer Award, sponsored by Lonza Personal Care, was given to Jeffrey Seidling (Kimberly-Clark) and co-authors for their paper on incorporating phase-change materials into facial tissues. This work was also previously honored as a finalist in the Cosmetics & Toiletries 2012 R&D Awards.