Honouring cosmetic science excellence 

Ranelle Anderson
Technical Director and Co-Founder, Ausmetix Pty Ltd

A graduate from Melbourne’s Monash University with a degree in Formulation Science with a placement in France, Ranelle has been formulating for the past 16 years. She began in the dermatology industry working for GSK before crossing over to the cosmetics industry. With a focus on innovative skincare formulation and development, Ranelle approaches work with sincerity and ethical consideration for both client and consumer at Ausmetix, a personal care manufacturing/consultancy company based in Australia.

Belinda Carli
Director/Cosmetic Chemist, The Institute of Personal Care Science

Belinda is the Director of the Institute of Personal Care Science, providing training in cosmetic formulation, brand management and regulatory affairs. Her work features on YouTube, in-cosmetics Connect, Cosmetics Design, COSSMA, Cosmetics Business, UL Prospector and Special Chem. She was Official Technical Advisor to the in-cosmetics Group for 5 years and has published books on organic and colour cosmetics as well as beginners and advanced cosmetic formulation. Belinda holds a Bachelor of Natural Therapies and a Cosmetic Science Diploma. 

Dr Awanthi De Silva, (PhD, CChem MRACI)
Innovation Manager, Vitex Pharmaceuticals 

Awanthi obtained her PhD from UOW, Wollongong (in collaboration with UNSW, Sydney). She has published in peer-reviewed material journals and serves as a reviewer for cosmetic journals. With over 18 years of experience in R&D, she has worked with manufacturers, research institutes, universities, and luxury brands. During her tenure, she led the development of more than 100 new formulation types for commercialization. These ranged from personal care, cosmetics, and fine fragrance delivery systems to aerosols and therapeutic hydrogels. Currently, she holds the position of Innovation Manager at Vitex Pharmaceuticals and works as an independent R&D consultant.

Stacey Fraser (DipFormChem)
Personal Care Product Design Consultant, Stacey Fraser.co

With more than 20 years’ experience in the beauty and cosmetics industry, Stacey understands the importance of ingredient selection, packaging, branding, consumer expectations and sustainability. Stacey is a Design Practice Teaching Fellow for the School of Product Design at University of Canterbury and a board member at Cosmetics New Zealand and is highly connected in the ingredients and formulations industries. She is passionate about following curiosity, anticipating trends and acknowledging sustainability. 

Hendriko
Product Development Head For Personal Care, Hair Care, Home Care, Godrej Consumer Products Limited 

Throughout his journey as a researcher in the dynamic fields of consumer good industry  like Godrej Consumer Products , PZ Cussons,Makarizo and others, Hendriko has not only honed his technical skills but also discovered his resilience, adaptability, and commitment to innovation. He has been immersed in a vibrant atmosphere that epitomizes innovation and sustainability. With a vast portfolio ranging from personal care to home care products, from personal hygiene to beauty products, he has gained insight into the unique positioning of brands in a competitive landscape. The research process involved a thorough understanding of diverse categories, involved a blend of product development, where he was tasked with researching new product feasibility, competitive analysis. One of his primary roles involved conducting market research to understand consumer preferences and emerging trends. These experiences have helped him appreciate the nuances of cultural differences and consumer responsiveness across different markets.

Dr Oliver Hofmann
in-cosmetics Asia Official Technical Advisor and Technical Director, Shieling Laboratories 

Oliver heads the technical department of Shieling Laboratories, a contract manufacturer, developing and manufacturing for over 250 different cosmetic brands. Oliver studied chemistry in Frankfurt, Germany  to a Master’s Degree and then moved to New Zealand to complete his PhD in Biochemistry. Oliver joined the personal care space 22 years ago where he designs and formulates new products, manages the up-scaling process, and supports the engineering team with the design of specialised equipment.

Yvette Ishac
Head of R&D, IconsIRauxel

Yvette is the Head of Research and Development at ICONSIRauxel, bringing over 20 years of experience in the cosmetics industry. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Pharmaceutical Science and a Diploma in Cosmetics Brand Management. With expertise in skincare, suncare, haircare and colour cosmetics formulation, as well as manufacturing, quality compliance, worldwide regulatory affairs and various organic certifications—Ms Ishac is an asset in driving innovation and maintaining industry standards.

Fumiaki Nishimura
Raw Materials Innovation Manager for Color and Optical Effect Materials, L'Oréal

Fumiaki is in charge of raw materials innovation with external suppliers and partners especially for color and optical effects. Mr Nishimura has 7 years’ experience at L'Oréal Japan and has been based at L'Oréal France for the past three years. With a further 4 years’ experience in his previous role at Reckitt where he was responsible for open innovation of ingredients and packaging for FMCG industry, Fumiaki is passionate about external collaboration with partners to develop and launch disruptive beauty products.

Kwonreal Ryu
Leader (EMA R&I Institute Director), Amorepacific

Kwonreal has been at Amorepacific for over almost 15 years and is a research & innovation expert, specialising in open innovation/development and market tech / insight. He also focuses on regulatory affairs, customer research ands science communications. A skincare cosmetic formula researcher, he also excels in W/O emulsion as well as organic / natural cossmetics,itc

Merve Samur
Director, The INCI Lab

Based in Auckland, New Zealand, Merve is an accomplished chemical formulation designer with extensive experience in FMCG and contract manufacturing. As the Director of The INCI Lab Ltd, she has been leading the development of skincare, hair care, and natural home care products for over a decade. Her expertise in the industry is recognized by award winning formulations, making her a leading force in the field of formulation design.

Satyajit Sengupta
Senior Director, Haircare R&D, P&G

Satyajit is currently based in Singapore and leads the global innovation program for P&G’s Hair Transformation Platform, as well as upstream innovation projects for Pantene and H&S in Asia.  In his 30+ years with P&G he has led product innovation programs across multiple categories including Haircare, Skin Care, and Colour Cosmetics, for a diverse portfolio of brands including Pantene, H&S, SKII, Olay, Max Factor, Gucci and Dolce & Gabbana.

Mike Sohn
General Manager, REACH24H Consulting Group

Mike Sohn is the General Manager and Principal Consultant at REACH24H Consulting Group. Mike studied biotech and public health with 10+ years in regulatory affairs and market research. Being a Key Opinion Leader in global cosmetics industry, he has been invited as speaker 100+ times globally, including in-cosmetics series and many others. Currently, Mike Sohn is active in multiple authority advisory groups in Korea and co-authored the 2018 & 2019 Korean Wave whitepaper.

Dr Kilala Tilaar
CEO, Martha Tilaar Group

In addition to being its CEO, Dr Kilala Tilaar is also the Chairman of Corporate Creative and Innovative of the Martha Tilaar Group, one of the largest natural beauty companies in Indonesia.  He focuses the Group’s research activities on natural, organic, halal and sustainable products based on the richness of Indonesia’s biodiversity and marine resources.  He also actively published scientific journals on cosmetics ingredients and received more than 30 cosmetics ingredients patents.

Pearl Valenton
Technical Services Department Technical Director, Refinette Cosmetic Manufacturing Corporation

Pearl Valenton currently handles Refinette Cosmetic Manufacturing Corporation's product development for personal care, food and nutraceutical, household and pharmaceutical divisions. Her 35 years of experience in the personal care industry built her expertise in the formulary, manufacturing and compliance to regulations. She is also the Technical Director of Philippine Society for Cosmetic Science and is active in various activities of the society to provide scientific and technical advancement of practitioners and professionals engaged in the science of cosmetics.