Misinformation is one of the most pressing challenges industries face today, and beauty is no exception. The Truth in Beauty E-Summit will address this issue head-on, with a program that unpacks what misinformation is, how it spreads, the scale of its impact, and strategies to effectively address and prevent it. While the focus is on cosmetics, the insights will resonate far beyond the beauty sector, offering value to professionals in any industry, as well as academics and students. If you’re seeking a high-quality conference on misinformation, this is it! PS, it’s completely free to attend. All you have to do is sign up!

Included in your registration: Access to the live stream with live Q&A, a post-summit replay and an e-book summary to your inbox once their ready!

The Truth in Beauty E-Summit is part of my broader free e-conference initiative, aimed to democratize accurate information in the cosmetics sector. Our aim is to deliver the quality of the best industry conferences while remaining free, virtual, and accessible to all. We’re currently seeking conference partners to keep this work going. If your company would like to support as a sponsor, reach out to info@theecowell.com.

Agenda

An Overview of Misinfomation: What We Know, Presented by Danielle Shine

Finding Credible Information Sources, Presented by Michelle Wong, PhD and Jess Stokes-Parish, PhD

Putting Product Safety Into Context, Presented by Mo Kanadil, PharmD

Quality Control in Beauty, Presented by Geoff Waby

The Value and Challenges for Good Sci-Comm, Presented by Jen Novakovich

Microplastics: Headlines VS Reality, Presented by Oliver Jones, PhD

Endocrine Disruption: Headlines VS Reality, Presented by Chris Borgert PhD

Shopping Beauty Like a (Good) Cosmetic Scientist, Presented by Lanesa Mahon

Industry SciComm Leadership: Case Example with IBA, Presented by Akemi Ooka PhD and Meredith Petillo

Market misinformation feedback: A behavioural science POV, Presented by Michelle Niedziela, PhD

The Clean Beauty Conspiracy Pipeline, An Investigative Journalism Case Example, Presented by Janna Mandell

Health Outcomes of Misinformation Case Example: Sunscreen, Presented by Kenvue

About our Summit Speakers

Jess Stokes-Parish PhD is Associate Dean - Student Affairs & Service Quality in the Faculty of Health Sciences & Medicine at Bond University. Jess is a registered Nurse with a PhD in Medical Education. Her research explores impacts of workforce policy, health practitioner preparedness and development, and science communication. She loves storytelling and reimagining evidence in ways that are easy to understand and access, which she does through her social media @j_stokesparish. Jess is the creator of the CRABS framework, a tool to analyze the credibility of information sources.

Michelle Wong PhD is a science educator and cosmetic chemist with a PhD in Chemistry. In 2011 she started the website Lab Muffin Beauty Science, where she explains the science behind beauty products for a general audience, and has expanded to YouTube, Instagram and TikTok. Her book The Science of Beauty was released in June 2024, and she is the co-founder of BeautySciComm. Through her science communication work, Michelle has worked with many brands on campaigns, and delivered invited talks at international conferences. Her work has been featured in Wired, The New York Times, ABC News, and Chemistry & Engineering News.

Professor Oliver Jones Ph.D. is an Analytical, Biological, and Environmental Chemist. He was awarded his Ph.D. from Imperial College London in 2005. He also holds a Master’s from Imperial and a Bachelor’s degree from Queen Mary University of London. Following his PhD, Oliver worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Cambridge before taking up an academic position at Durham University in 2010. He moved to RMIT University in Melbourne in 2012. Oliver’s research focuses on tracking the fate and behaviour of pollutants in the environment and determining their possible effects on biological systems. He has authored nearly 150 peer-reviewed publications and is an active member of several scientific societies. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and the Royal Australian Chemical Institute and previously served on the Australian Academy of Science’s National Committee for Chemistry. Oliver is also very keen to communicate science to the public and debunk myths around chemicals in the environment. He has featured widely on TV, radio, podcasts and newspapers, discussing topics as diverse as drugs in water to plastic-eating enzymes, and everything in between. He can be found promoting science on X (formerly Twitter), BluseSky, Threads, Mastodon, Instagram, and TikTok as @dr_oli_jones.

Lanesa Mahon is a fourth-year Ph.D. candidate in Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Cincinnati. She originally earned her bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Vanderbilt University in 2020 then went on to pursue a Master of Business and Science in Cosmetic Science at Rutgers University, graduating in 2022.  During her master’s program, Lanesa volunteered with the New York Society of Cosmetic Chemists (NYSCC), where she created educational and promotional content and served on both their Social Media and Diversity and Inclusion committees.  Lanesa is passionate about bridging the gap between the lab bench and the beauty aisle. Her work is driven by a desire to make cosmetic science more inclusive and accessible, and empowering consumers to make informed decisions through evidence-based knowledge.

Danielle Shine is a degree-qualified Accredited Practising Dietitian and Nutritionist (The Australian equivalent to RD) and PhD Candidate studying nutrition misinformation on social media. After falling in the misinformation rabbit hole in her previous life, she is now passionate about understanding the problem, and strategies to best address it. Danielle is also a science communicator, and is active on social media @danielleshine.dietitian.

Christopher J. Borgert, PhD is President of APPLIED PHARMACOLOGY AND TOXICOLOGY, INC, a consulting firm that specializes in applied research in the areas of mechanistic pharmacology and toxicology, safety assessment, and study design. He received an Artium Baccalaurei from Kenyon College, Gambier, Ohio, a doctorate in Pharmacology and Therapeutics from the University of Florida College of Medicine and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in toxicology at the University of Florida Center for Environmental and Human Toxicology. He served on the U.S.EPA Endocrine Disruptor Screening and Testing Advisory Committee (EDSTAC) as the general representative for Small Business stakeholders, testified before Congress regarding the Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program, and served on numerous national and international expert and peer-review panels such as the Society of Toxicology Expert Panel on Chemical Mixtures and the OECD Peer-Review Panel for Validation of the Uterotrophic Assay. His publications address methods for evaluating chemical mixtures and cumulative risk assessments for human exposure to drugs, dietary supplements and chemicals; Weight of Evidence approaches and mechanistic methods for evaluating Endocrine Disruptors and carcinogens; use of kinetics in dose-setting and interpretation of toxicology studies; and development of the Human-Relevant Potency Threshold concept for the screening of potential endocrine disruptors, demonstration of its physiological and biochemical basis, and its application to chemicals under regulatory review.

Mo Kanadil PharmD is a toxicologist, cosmetics safety assessor and science communicator @moskinlab. Mo historically worked as a pharmacist and medical lab technician. After getting his masters in safety assessment and toxicology, he shifted his career path towards EU regulatory toxicology. Mo’s passion is skincare and science communication. On social media, he breaks down the science behind product safety, with a special focus on skincare.

Michelle Niedziela (PhD), founder of Nerdoscientist, is a behavioral neuroscientist working in the consumer and market research space, integrating applied consumer neuroscience tools with behavioral science and traditional methods used to measure consumer response. Experienced from academia (Monell Chemical Senses Center) and industry (Johnson & Johnson, Mars Chocolate, HCD Research), helping organizations successfully implement cognitive science tools and programs into their products and research. 

Janna Mandell is a New York Metropolitan Area-based editor and reporter covering the beauty and wellness industries, currently a Senior Editor at BeautyMatter. Before her position at BeautyMatter, Ms. Mandell was a freelance reporter, most recently for The New York Times and The Washington Post. Industry peers have called her a trend-spotter for her early coverage of trends like the Korean beauty craze and the natural beauty boom years before hitting the mainstream. In her reporting, she has interviewed everyone from CEOs, academics, and celebrities to toxicologists, dermatologists, and TikTok influencers.

Geoff Waby has more than 40 years of experience, firstly with P&G and secondly with Estée Lauder. He led the Quality Assurance organizations in both Europe and North America, manufacturing personal care products and OTC drugs. In this role, he was responsible for quality in suppliers, third party manufacturers and in-house R&D and manufacturing. He has also worked in a third-party testing facility doing both microbiological and analytical tests for the cosmetic, pharmaceutical and medical device Industries. Geoff has been an active member of Cosmetics Europe and now the Independent Beauty Association and Personal Care Products Council. He is the co-lead of a PCPC task force which has established a hygienic manufacturing graduate certificate course with the James L Winkle College of Pharmacy at the University of Cincinnati. He is currently an independent consultant and is board director of Obelis USA. Obelis provides support to domestic and international companies for compliance with the Modernization of Cosmetics Act, 2022. He is also a member of the NSF Joint Committee creating a new national standard for personal care products.

Akemi Ooka PhD has a Ph.D. in Chemistry and over 20 years in the CPG industry, from Fortune 500 companies to small startups. Akemi’s experience ranges from product development to sourcing and supply chain transformation at companies including J.R. Watkins, method, and The Clorox Company. Akemi now serves as CEO of the Independent Beauty Association (IBA), a non-profit trade association dedicated to fostering the success of independent cosmetics companies.

Meredith Petillo brings over 15 years of experience in cosmetic regulatory affairs, legal advertising claims, product testing and product development to support Independent Beauty Association’s (IBA) member companies with regulatory and technical solutions to grow and thrive. She holds a BS in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology and an MS in Regulatory Affairs for Drugs, Biologics & Medical Devices. Meredith leads IBA’s Technical and Regulatory programming, education, and advocacy.

Jen Novakovich is a cosmetic scientist, science communicator, founder of The Eco Well, and co-founder of BeautySciComm. Jen began her career working as a cosmetic formulator before she transitioned into science communication and working as a technical consultant. She has developed an expertise in sustainability substantiation, management, and regulations. Through her sci-comm work, she’s interviewed over 1,000 subject matter experts and hosts a regular cosmetic science focused podcast The Eco Well Podcast. She’s also launched several larger scale science conferences and is a regular moderator in industry panels. Jen currently serves on the Supply Chain and Sustainability Resource with the Independent Beauty Association. She completed two bachelor’s of science degrees, in Nutrition and Nutraceutical Sciences and Zoology, a diploma in formulation chemistry, a masters of science in environmental science, and a graduate certificate in environmental policy. She is currently completing a PhD at the University of Ottawa in their Environmental Sustainability department studying the impact of misinformation on environmental outcomes in the cosmetics and chemicals sector

Thank you to our e-summit sponsors for helping us keep this event free and accessible to anyone!

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