Season 2

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 ...

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 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...

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...

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 ...

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, ...

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...

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...

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 ...

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...

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...