We talked with Dr. Amber O. Evans, chair of NYSCC 2024
EURO COSMETICS: What are your key priorities as NYSCC Chair for 2024?
Amber O. Evans: Two key priorities are growing our portfolio of resources and initiatives, and curating an engaging experience for NYSCC members through education, events, and promotion.
These priorities are aligned with the goal of creating greater impact for current and future NYSCC members and cosmetic industry professionals. We will accomplish them by evaluating the opportunities that current portfolio gaps and expressed needs present, and working towards the development of offerings that close those gaps.
Progress in these key areas and others will drive significant advancement of the Chapter, cosmetic science and careers.
EURO COSMETICS: The Society of Cosmetic Chemists plays an important role in your career. Can you give us some insight into this?
Amber O. Evans: As I reflect on almost twenty years of membership, I appreciate the SCC as a highly valuable resource in my career. I have benefited from its educational resources such as the courses of the Continuing Education Program (CEP) and the annual scientific meetings, and opportunities to network with a wide array of cosmetic professionals that continue to inspire me.
Now as a leader within the SCC, I have the privilege of working with a dedicated team of people that share similar passion and drive for advancing cosmetic science and empowering others. Serving as the Chair of the New York Chapter allows me to shape the trajectory of the Chapter’s future and actively employ and strengthen the skills of leadership, strategy, and communication for a personally fulfilling and impactful purpose.
EURO COSMETICS: This year the New York Chapter is celebrating its 70th anniversary. What changes or innovations have there been since then?
Amber O. Evans: The NYSCC has had a remarkable and inspiring journey. Through the visionary thinking and hard work of past executive boards and volunteers, the Chapter has evolved from a local resource to a key player of service and influence in the cosmetic industry.
Suppliers’ Day, our annual flagship event and the premier event for cosmetic ingredient and formulation science, has grown to achieve recognition as one of Trade Show Executive’s Top 100 Trade Shows of 2021 and Fastest 50 of 2023. Over its 45-year history, Suppliers’ Day has consistently reached new levels of attendance, global representation, educational programming and features. Establishing partnerships with other industry trade associations and media partners has helped to further expand our reach.
Additionally, the Chapter has progressively created more resources for students, professionals, and even educational institutions. Examples include numerous scholarships and grant awards, hands-on formulation experience through the Future Chemists Workshop and mentorship support through the Mentorship Program. The frequency of educational programs and the types of platforms have progressed over time as well.
EURO COSMETICS: The NYSCC theme for 2024 is: “Inspire. Innovate. Celebrate.” How do you specifically implement these topics?
Amber O. Evans: Our 2024 theme, a bold call to action and mindset, will be implemented through new initiatives that inspire and empower students and professionals, relevant and diverse educational programming, and an engaging membership experience with celebrations of our progress.
Specific examples of the new initiatives are the creation of a grant to help other SCC Chapters to deliver impact and a dedicated committee that will strengthen the Chapter’s student and community outreach efforts. We also aim to increase the number of the existing scholarships and grants awarded. These examples offer the opportunity to inspire and empower others, and other initiatives of significant impact are in planning for an upcoming launch.
The other aspect of “Inspire.” centers around drawing inspiration from all sciences, adjacent industries, and diverse perspectives within cosmetic science to help encourage solutions that lead to advancement and innovation in the cosmetics industry. This will continue to be reflected in our program topics and speakers.
The Chapter’s legacy of growth and impact is certainly worthy of major celebration, and we can inspire each other simply by amplifying and celebrating our members’ accomplishments. The Chapter will host its 70th Anniversary Gala & Education Night on November 16th. The monthly Cosmetiscope newsletter features “NYSCC History Project”, a column that highlights the Chapter’s past, and this year we have introduced “NYSCC Celebrates!”, a new section that features the personal and professional accomplishments of NYSCC members.
EURO COSMETICS: What sources of inspiration do you use and how do you incorporate them into the educational program?
Amber O. Evans: The 100+ hours of educational programming for Suppliers’ Day are inspired by multiple sources. Examples include advancements in other areas of science and adjacent industries, consumer interests and trends reported by industry players, and brainstorming around what the future of cosmetics could hold.
NYSCC also has an active Scientific Advisory Committee that spearheads technical educational programs at Suppliers’ Day that address timely and relevant areas of cosmetic science. This advisory committee also reviews our Call for Presentations so that the most representative and current information is presented at the event.
EURO COSMETICS: NYSCC Suppliers’ Day serves as one of the most important events in North America. You work closely with partners to ensure a wide range of stimulating programs. What common mission do you share?
Amber O. Evans: NYSCC Suppliers’ Day is designed by the industry for the industry. We work closely with leading trade associations that are committed to helping the beauty and personal care industry innovate and grow such as IBA (Independent Beauty Association) and PCPC (Personal Care Products Council). We also are continuing our partnership with CEW (Cosmetic Executive Women) on the Supplier’s Award for Ingredients and Formulation in their prestigious Beauty Awards program. New this year is our collaboration with BIW (Beauty Industry West) a non-profit trade organization focused on bringing together today’s innovators, entrepreneurs, experts and future industry leaders. All these association partnerships help us cast the widest net possible for promoting our message and mission.
Of course we work very closely with National SCC and our sister chapters across the country to promote Suppliers’ Day as well as recruit students for the Future Chemists Workshop. The SCC will also present two CEP courses on April 30th that cover: Beginning Cosmetic Chemistry, and Advanced Skin Science. SCC is also co-hosting the Career Fair on May 2nd.
The strong media partnerships that Suppliers’ Day cultivates are also essential in helping us amplify our message and promote the event.
EURO COSMETICS: Which topics will be the focus this year?
Amber O. Evans: Innovation and excitement in the beauty world is strong with science-backed products in demand, and NYSCC will be offering over 100+ hours of scientific and marketing conference sessions and curated educational programs to reflect this trend. The Scientific Advisory Committee presents three sessions on Hair: Inspiration & Innovation, Biotechnology in Beauty & Personal Care. and Inspiration & Innovation in NutriCosmetics.
Two lunch and learns will focus on The Future of the Cosmetic Industry: Challenges & Opportunities and Fragrance: The Invisible Art. NYSCC is also partnering with CACPA again for a technical program on the latest advancements in the Chinese beauty industry.
PCPC and IKW will present Cosmetic Regulation–Building Successful Compliance, and More. IBA is taking the helm for the comprehensive INDIE 360 conference.
Hallmarks of the NYSCC Suppliers’ Day educational program return including Digital Age of Beauty, Microbiome: Inside Out Beauty, Discover Sustainability, World of Chemistry as well as presentations in the Innovations Theater and from the Main Stage.
EURO COSMETICS: And what can we particularly look forward to this year at NYSCC Suppliers’ Day?
Amber O. Evans: I am excited to announce that we have sold-out the exhibit floor with 560+ global exhibitors showcasing novel ingredients, formulas, processing, advanced scientific testing equipment and more.
New this year is Inspiration Zone, featuring breakthrough innovations from worldwide ingredients and formulations suppliers curated by BEAUTYSTREAMS that will inspire product development teams to take their creativity and brand formulations to the next level. Plug-In To Inspiration Charging Station will feature a look in the rear view mirror to the decades of inspiration spearheaded by the NYSCC. The Head Shot Studio is available to attendees to enhance their LinkedIn profiles and career advancement, while providing an opportunity for them to share what inspired them on the show floor.
The INDIE 360 Pavilion spotlights fresh ideas and concepts from 16+ juried companies who are utilizing unique combinations of ingredients.
Sci-comm influencer, Jane Tsui (@janetheChemist) will be the featured speaker at the Future Chemists Workshop to allow a wide breadth of students, from across the country, to experience this unique real-world lab experience on the show floor.
The SCC Career Fair is back along with the NYSCC MENTORSHIP PROGRAM supporting students, young professionals and veterans looking to expand their horizons. The program concludes with a Membership Mixer, to showcase the vitality of being a SCC member.
Beauty’s biggest night out will be an unforgettable evening on May 1st to celebrate “The Future of Beauty” at Lavan Midtown and the unveiling of the finalists in the Supplier’s: Ingredients & Formulation Category of the coveted CEW Beauty Awards.
There is no better way to begin your Suppliers’ Day experience than at the ceremonial Ribbon Cutting with NYSCC leaders as well as innovative and inspiring industry executives from around the globe who have helped bring Suppliers’ Day to life!
EURO COSMETICS: Finally, what do you love most about your work?
Amber O. Evans: Leading the chapter is an honor and experience that I truly value. Creating and leading initiatives that will impact the career trajectory of the next generation of professionals in cosmetic science, as well as the NYSCC membership experience, is fulfilling both personally and professionally. As a cosmetic industry professional, outside of the Chapter, I love contributing to a positive consumer beauty care experience and self-expression through science, technology, creativity, and leadership.
I hope that I will be able to meet many members and peers this May at Suppliers’ Day for an inspiring week of innovation and celebration; you can register to attend at www.nyscc.org/suppliers-day
EURO COSMETICS: Amber, thank you for speaking with us.
