You Can Learn About Sustainable Beauty at Rockefeller University

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10 - 2016

Claudia is a West Coast Agent of Chic, who is a Flight Attendant for a major airline. A few faves on her radar include Louboutins, gourmet chocolate, and staying fit.

Iconic brands are on a mission to preserve beauty

When I accepted the mission to attend a symposium on sustainability in beauty, I was intrigued. Leaders in the industry such as LVMH, Coty, and Estee Lauder were on hand at Rockefeller University for “Beyond Beauty: From Promise to Substance, the New Frontiers of Science in Beauty.” Over cocktails, their was a discussion—lead by The National Beauty Science Institute—about sustainability in the beauty industry and and an announcement about new courses to educate consumers. With a rising generation of consumers wanting quality products, cleaner ingredients, and concerned about environmental impact, this is a topic we knew Agents of Chic would want intel.

Beauty is all around us, from the sky to the ocean. These elements of nature are uncontrollable by us. However, there is one element of beauty we can control—the way we look. Cosmetics is a billion-dollar industry that consistently introduces us to new products from the beauty brands we love.

“We are not going to put out something that doesn’t make them feel beautiful. You want them to feel beautiful,” said Theresa Yi, the Senior Regulatory Affairs Specialist for Research and Development at Chanel. She is absolutely right. But what is this old industry doing for new consumers?

Sustainability, transparency and traceability are the three major challenges brand manufacturers are faced with in today’s world. They know that there are savvy consumers who want to know what is in their products, how they are made, and their carbon footprint. Consumers are becoming more aware and beauty companies are catching on.

“Consumers, and in particular, a new generation of millennials want to better understand not just a promise of beauty but the substance supporting it,” said Judith Price, President of The National Beauty Science Institute. With all this growing interest, there is a need to educate others in the science and sustainability of beauty and move toward products that have a minimal impact on the environment.

With no other educational programs in this field being offered elsewhere, Rockefeller University has partnered with The National Beauty Science Institute—an international advisory board of eight prominent doctors and scientists from distinguished hospitals and companies—to create a curriculum of courses that addresses how science and technology play into sustainability and development in the beauty field.

Moving from a traditional focus of vocational training to scientific understanding and composition, this master class will be offered in 2017 and available to take either on campus or online.

For more information or to reserve a spot in this course series, contact Meri Horn at [email protected].

CORRECTION/CLARIFICATION: Rockefeller is not collaborating with with the National Beauty Science Institute on any courses, or enrolling any students to take these courses. The National Beauty Science Institute simply rented space from the university to host a reception announcing this initiative.

Claudia Paolinelli

Claudia is a West Coast Agent of Chic, who is a Flight Attendant for a major airline. A few faves on her radar include Louboutins, gourmet chocolate, and staying fit.