3:00 PM - 5:00 PM | Session K: Formulation Excellence - Stability by Design

Smart Encapsulation: Beyond Delivery & Sustained Performance

Presented by Anne Young, PhD (Croda, Inc)

Anne Young, Ph.D., is the Technical Business Development Manager for Croda Beauty’s Beauty Actives business in North America. In this role, she identifies and drives strategic growth opportunities, leads customer engagement, and translates complex technical insights into impactful commercial strategies. With extensive experience across the beauty and personal care industry, Anne brings expertise in product development, technical sales, innovation management, and global business development.She earned her Ph.D. in Chemistry from New York University, where her research focused on peptide science and biomolecular technologies. Throughout her career, Anne has held leadership and strategic positions at BioCogent, BASF, Expanscience Laboratoires, L’Oréal, and Johnson & Johnson. In these roles, she has bridged science and business to accelerate innovation, build customer partnerships, and drive commercial growth across beauty and personal care markets. Her combination of technical expertise, market insight, and business acumen helps brands bring innovative, science-backed solutions to consumers while supporting long-term business success.

Resolving the Barrier–Delivery Trade-Off: Functional Roles of Hydrogenated and Unsaturated Phospholipids in Cosmetic Systems

Presented by Alexander Aydt (Lipoid Kosmetik AG)

Alex is a Director at Lipoid who has been with the company for 4 years. Prior to Lipoid, he completed his Ph.D. in Chemistry at Columbia University. Today, he is happy to work with Lipoid’s West Coast customers in both cosmetic and pharmaceutical applications as they solve complex formulation problems with phospholipids. He lives in San Mateo, CA with a terrier who craves bacon above all else.

A Computational Framework for Predictive Stability Assessment Across Multiphase Cosmetic Systems Using Molecular Descriptor and Formulation Architecture Mapping

Presented by Mrs Saranya Yamunan

Saranya Yamunan is a formulation scientist and graduate chemistry researcher with nearly a decade of experience developing products across skincare, hair care, sun care, cleansers, color cosmetics, and other personal care categories for multiple consumer brands. She is currently pursuing an M.S. in Chemistry at Texas Woman’s University, where her work focuses on computational chemistry, molecular modeling, and data-driven approaches to chemical research. Her scientific interests lie at the intersection of formulation science, molecular simulation, predictive modeling, and machine learning. Drawing from extensive hands-on formulation experience across diverse product categories, She is particularly interested in how molecular simulation and machine learning can complement traditional formulation development, reduce trial-and-error experimentation, and support more efficient and sustainable product innovation. Saranya’s long-term goal is to bridge practical formulation experience with emerging computational approaches to help advance the future of cosmetic science and product development.

The Hidden Power of Neutralizers: How Neutralizer Choice Shapes Performance Across Personal Care Formulations

Presented by Heather Dusek (Advancion)

Heather Dusek has over 15 years in the beauty and personal care world. She’s the North American Personal Care Account Manager at Advancion, based in Chicago. Heather started out as a formulator at Alberto Culver (now part of Unilever) and built deep expertise in hair styling products. She later focused on amino alcohols and botanicals, becoming a go-to for innovative solutions. Now, she combines her technical know-how with strong client relationships to deliver tailored results.

TBD - Presentation on Rheology Topic

Presented by Reinhold H. Dauskardt, Ph.D. (Stanford University)

Reinhold Dauskardt is the Ruth and William Bowes Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and the Department of Surgery at Stanford University, and a Visiting Professor at the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. He is a member of Stanford Bio-X, the Cardiovascular Institute, the Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance, and the Wu Tsai Neurosciences Institute, and an affiliate of the Precourt Institute for Energy and the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment. His research on human skin has concentrated on understanding and controling the effects of cosmetic treatments and environmental exposures on the barrier function and biomechanics of human skin for which he was awarded the 2011 Henry Maso Award for fundamental contributions to the advancement of cosmetic and skin science. A particular current focus involves linking treatments and disrupted barrier function to the divergent neurological processes of the perception of skin comfort or tightness.