Episodes

Skin barrier repair is one of the most used phrases in skincare — and one of the least understood. In this episode, cosmetic scientist and PhD researcher Ava Perkins uses the biology of premature infant skin to expose what th...

In this episode of Demystifying Cosmetics, Jennifer speaks with John Morgan, founder of Pelagic, about the invisible infrastructure behind beauty brands and why the supply chain may now be the biggest constraint on innovation...

In this episode of Demystifying Cosmetics, Jennifer speaks with Gloria Lu, cosmetic chemist and co-founder of Chemist Confessions, about how skincare ingredient trends actually move through the beauty industry, and why some i...

In this episode of Demystifying Cosmetics, Jennifer speaks with Kailey Brandt — chemical engineer and CEO of Sonsie — about what sustainability actually looks like when you move beyond marketing claims and into the real const...

In this episode of Demystifying Cosmetics, Jennifer speaks with Dr. Brent Ridge — physician, co-founder of Beekman 1802, and Chairman of Kindness.org — about building a clinically grounded skincare brand rooted in kindness.Wh...

In this episode, host Jennifer Cookson sits down with Dr. Brent Ridge—physician, public health graduate, MBA, co-founder of Beekman 1802, and chairman of kindness.org. The conversation explores how Beekman started not as a be...

paper on the Yanomami skin microbiome reveals—and what it challenges about "healthy skin." Using the Yanomami as an evolutionary reference point, Larry explains how industrialized life has dramatically reduced microbial diver...

In this special episode of Demystifying Cosmetics, host Jennifer Cookson steps away from formulation talk to address what many are asking right now: what are we supposed to do? With recent events in Minneapolis and the broade...

In this episode, Jennifer sits down with Alec Batis, whose 30+ year career in beauty spans R&D, marketing, and brand ownership. Alec shares his journey from L'Oréal chemist to founder of Sweet Chemistry, a science-backed skin...

Manufacturing is where beauty dreams are either built or broken. In this episode of Demystifying Cosmetics, we go past the mood boards and into the factory with Andrea Cid—founder of Miami Growth Machine and owner of Concept ...

What do your products look like to the world? Beyond INCI lists and claims, beauty brands are built—visually. In this episode of Demystifying Cosmetics, Jennifer Cookson is joined by Anderson, the creative mind behind A-Son A...

In this 30-minute conversation, Becki pulls back the curtain on what it really takes to write responsibly in beauty media. We talk about the pressures of maintaining editorial independence in a world of brand partnerships, an...

The beauty industry is buzzing with terms like “lab-grown,” “bioengineered,” and “nature-identical”—but what do these really mean, and how much of it is science versus storytelling? In this episode of Demystifying Cosmetics, ...

What makes a beauty brand truly memorable? In this 40-minute episode, verbal identity strategist Taylor de Diego shares how she helps brands uncover their whitespace and build a voice that’s unmistakably theirs.Taylor shares ...

Fragrance has the power to spark memories, define brands, and create lasting emotional connections—but how can it also do good? In this 30-minute conversation, Cassandra Browning, founder of Fragrances for Good, shares her vi...

In this candid 30-minute conversation, James Dillard shares what he wishes he had known before launching a new cosmetic ingredient—and what every formulator, brand founder, and raw material supplier should understand about th...

Today’s episode dives into the fragrant but often foggy world of fragrance in cosmetics. Joining us is Ashlee Posner, co-founder of Lucent Labs, a fragrance and formulation partner helping brands navigate the space between cr...

In this episode, we're exploring the rising trend of skinminimalism: the art and science of streamlining your skincare without sacrificing performance. To help break it down, we're joined by Mark Broussard, founder of Desert ...

From "low-impact formulas" to "carbon-neutral packaging," beauty brands love a sustainability claim—but what are those claims really based on? In this episode of Demystifying Cosmetics, we sit down with Evan Peters, founder o...

On this episode of Demystifying Cosmetics, we’re going deep with Victoria Fu—former L'Oréal chemist and one half of the dynamic duo behind Chemist Confessions. Known for blending scientific rigor with internet-savvy wit, Vict...

In this episode of Demystifying Cosmetics, host Jennifer Cookson speaks with retired chemistry professor and visionary educator Dr. Colleen Kelley, creator of Kids Chemical Solutions. Colleen shares how her comic books and pl...

In this episode of Demystifying Cosmetics, host Jennifer Cookson sits down with Mercedes Amans, Head of Product at ClearSTEM, to explore the evolving science and strategy behind formulating products that are both acne-safe an...

In this episode of Demystifying Cosmetics, host Jennifer Cookson sits down with beauty trend strategist Marta Ponzone, founder of Terra Innovation Studio. Marta unpacks the power of micro trends and how they differ from fleet...

n this episode of Demystifying Cosmetics, host Jennifer Cookson brings together a panel of experts in cosmetic science to explore the fine line between truth and fluff in beauty product claims. From “deep nourishment” to “gen...