BEAUTIFUL MINDS
To be a cosmetic scientist is to be a master of all trades. “We have to understand toxicology, microbiology, dermatology, rheology, colour, smell, psychology, statistics… It’s easier to list the sciences we don’t cover than those we use every day,” says Dr Barbara Brockway, who is the chair of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists. “And we love to be early adopters and adapters of scientific breakthroughs. We are among the first to exploit new discoveries, from nanotechnology to augmented reality.” So why, given the breadth and buzz about the field, is beauty regarded by some as a ‘soft’ science?
It may be the manner in which some products
