The Business of Beauty: How Science-Driven Innovation Drives Growth and Success

Fact: Any beauty lover (including myself) or brand founder would love to spend 30 minutes in a room full of experts, picking their brains about the industry. Which ingredients are the most impactful? What does the future of beauty look like? Do I need to completely overhaul my skincare routine? For those who attended Marie Claire's 2025 Power Play summit, presented by Clinique and held at the beautiful St. Regis Atlanta, that dream became a reality. One of the panels at the event, "The Business of Beauty: How Science-Driven Innovation Drives Growth and Success," covered the current state of the beauty industry.

Leyte Winfield, Ph.D.

Moderated by Marie Claire editor in chief Nikki Ogunnaike, experts Leyte Winfield, Ph.D., Uchenna Okereke, M.D., and Heather Woolery-Lloyd, M.D., dished about the empowered beauty consumer, how AI is making its mark on the industry, and Clinique's impactful history. But first, the group tackled the elephant in the room: With the current oversaturation of brands in the beauty space, how can brands continue to stand out and be innovative?

"What I think brands are doing to keep up is really utilizing AI to make sure we provide patients, or rather consumers, with products that are tailored to their skincare needs," said Dr. Okereke. "It's not a one-size-fits-all anymore." As such, new technology like AI, paired with a science-first approach to products, has helped brands give newly educated consumers the information they expect.

"The younger generations are not hooked on catch phrases. They want very clear claims. They want very clear directions for use. They want [a] very clear understanding [of] if things are going to be compatible," added Dr. Winfield.

"Science is having her main character moment, and I'm here for it," Dr. Winfield continued. She added that her patients are more educated than before, even asking her about certain ingredients and how they'd react to their skin types. "I think that's one of the key factors that can keep brands, you know, ahead of the game, is really focusing on the science and investing in research."

The topic of research-backed skincare was a constant throughout the conversation, as was Clinique's longstanding role as a pioneer. "Clinique has been quietly doing their thing since 1968," said Dr. Winfield. "I think that many of us think, 'Oh, it's just skincare.' But you don't realize that, particularly with Clinique, which is a brand that's very committed to science, there are people who spend their whole career [as] Ph.D. scientists developing those products that we use," added Dr. Woolery-Lloyd.

Heather Woolery-Lloyd, M.D.

Dr. Woolery-Lloyd, who primarily works with patients dealing with complicated pigmentary disorders, noted how essential Clinique's innovative formulas were at a time when there weren't many skin-specific products on the market.

"It was very challenging for me 20 years ago when I used to see patients, and they [had] a rare or complicated pigmentary disorder," she said. "20 years ago, I had two or three things that were available for me to treat or manage these conditions. And I distinctly remember when the Even Better Dark Spot Corrector—now it's called the [Even Better Clinical™] Dark Spot Clearing Serum—came out because it was the first innovation that was mainstream, that was available to address hyperpigmentation. As someone who specializes in hyperpigmentation, it was really groundbreaking."

Brands like Clinique have been able to maintain longevity by "doing events like this and…speaking to the science of their products," noted Dr. Okereke. "What sets science-driven beauty innovation apart is the rigorous testing across diverse skin types. This ensures products like Clinique's new foundation deliver both aesthetic benefits and skin health improvements for everyone.

However, newer brands are up against the attention economy on social media, and it's more challenging than ever to prove that new products are useful to the consumer. Dr. Winfield, the director of the cosmetic science program at Spelman College in Atlanta, teaches her students to be skeptical about the constant flow of new brands and products. "We are glad that there are these new products that are coming out," she says, "But what's happening with the old products? Are we creating more waste? How are we being renewable in this space? What have we not explored as it relates to innovation and converting waste even into new chemical products?"

Uchenna Okereke, M.D.

One of the biggest innovations in skincare isn't an up-and-coming formula or ingredient: It's social media itself, and the concept of "skincare education online," according to Dr. Woolery-Lloyd. "I think that it makes skincare companies more accountable. I think 1015 years ago, you could throw out a product and make almost any claim you want without really having any data to back it up."

Of course, Ogunnaike saved the best for last, asking the panelists to share the ingredients or products that will actually benefit our skin. Beauty lovers wouldn't be surprised to hear that the lineup included SPF, peptides, and vitamins C and E. While these products were once relegated to the skincare category, you should look out for them in your makeup, too.

"There's a skinification of makeup, where makeup products have added benefits, so things like niacinamide, or different vitamins like vitamin C. The easiest example is SPF," shared Dr. Woolery-Lloyd. "I love products like that, because you can have a little bit of double duty, especially for people who are more simplistic. I don't like very complicated skincare routines."

Dr. Winfield closed the panel to a mountain of applause after speaking on how the next generation of cosmetic chemists will alter the industry. "I think the biggest trend that we want to see is a push past Eurocentric standards of beauty and narrowly defined lenses of beauty. There's a depth of work that needs to be done to really push the limits of where that needs to go. So I think what we want our students to go into the lab understanding is that there is still space that they can navigate and establish and innovate, intersecting not only race and gender, but also culture, and then, of course, science."