On March 18, 2026, we were proud to host Kelly Dobos as she presented the first seminar of the 2026 ACS-GHS season. Approximately 20 virtual attendees joined to hear about the history of cosmetic science, from the early pre-industrial development of natural plant and mineral formulations (including lead and mercury compounds!) through the industrial revolution, and the application of scientific principles enabling scale up and consistency of the new cosmetic materials.
Along the way, we learned how and why historical cosmetic development influenced the current regulations governing cosmetic additives and formulators, and the complexities of cosmetic manufacturing today.
Some other interesting tidbits from Kelly Dobos’ talk – Did you know?
- The average person uses at least 6 – 12 products considered cosmetics on a daily basis, including toothpastes, moisturizer/lotion, shampoo and other hair styling products…not just “make-up”!
- Cincinnati was once known as “Porkopolis” because of the many pork processing plants in the city. The abundance of tallow/lard available as a raw material meant that soap manufacturing grew up alongside the meat packing industry in the region.
- William Henry Perkin, who discovered mauvine (aka Perkin’s mauve), was an early proponent of technical salesmanship and would visit his customers to help them troubleshoot the use of his dye materials on industrial scale.
- The development of new cosmetic chemicals sold without proper safety testing had significant negative health impacts for many people, some of which were detailed in a travelling presentation and associated book titled “American Chamber of Horrors” by Ruth deForest Lamb (available to read on the Internet Archive).
If you weren’t able to attend the March seminar and want to see what you missed, Kelly’s slides can be downloaded at the link below. We are incredibly grateful to have hosted her and thank her for sharing her knowledge with us!
Seminar Slides - Cosmetic Science by Kelly Dobos
