Chapter News
Each year the St. Louis SCC schedule really starts to heat up as the temperature outside begins to drop! We just enjoyed another very successful scientific seminar last month, and my sincere thanks go out to everyone who made it happen. Instead of having all of the presentations revolve around one central theme, we chose to focus on a couple of the hot topics in the cosmetics industry. Spencer Schwarz (STERIS Corporation) started the day with a discussion on the current regulatory status of animal testing with regard to both personal care and EPA-registered HI&I products. He also touched on some alternatives to animal testing which provided a nice segue into the presentation that Dr. John Mitchell and Kyle McGovern (BioScience Labs) gave. Their talk, entitled “In Vitro Alternatives to Animal Testing”, provided an excellent overview of proven methods for assessment of skin irritation and toxicity in vitro. Using the MatTek kits and procedures that BioScience has worked to develop, several viable alternatives now exist for accurately testing product without the use of animals.

On a separate note (pun-intended), Ed Matson (Carrubba) shared with us the newest trends in aromatics and fragrances. Specifically, he spoke on an interesting facet of the fragrance industry- natural and organic claims for aromatics. Using extracts and/or essential oils, a formulator now has the ability to provide the consumer with sophisticated “scents” in a finished product while keeping true to claims of all natural and organic. He also discussed INCI nomenclature of fragrances and aromatic extracts. Dr. Mindy Goldstein (Estee Lauder) continued with a more in-depth look at INCI nomenclature and the process by which a new material is assigned an INCI name. A sincere thank you goes out to the SCC national office since they funded Dr. Goldstein’s presentation.

Finally, we could not overlook the “green” movement within the industry. Cindy Bambini (3Degrees) presented a compelling argument for green, renewable energy sources as a solution to some of our power supply needs. Clean, renewable power is now gaining momentum, and it makes sense. After learning some surprising facts about our society’s power consumption and how our city’s power grid “works,” I think we all gained a real understanding of how we can initiate change as individuals. Finally, Kevin Tibbs(BETTER LIFE products) shed some light on how both government and private groups are working to regulate and validate “green” claims in the cosmetic and personal care industry.

I would like to thank the speakers for their insightful, educational, and very interesting presentations. You made this event a huge success. I also would like to thank the St. Louis SCC Board Members. All of the board members give of their time on a volunteer basis to make the SCC such a great resource for all of us in the industry. Please take a moment and flip to the front of the newsletter to see who is responsible for making these events happen. Then make a point to give them a pat on the back for a job well done next time you see them at a meeting! Speaking of upcoming meetings, I look forward to seeing you at the Granite City Brewery on November 17 for an education on all things BEER and the installation of officers for 2009.

Kevin Tibbs
Chapter Chairperson