The Demystifying Cosmetics Podcast

paper on the Yanomami skin microbiome reveals—and what it challenges about "healthy skin." Using the Yanomami as an evolutionary reference point, Larry explains how industrialized life has dramatically reduced microbial diversity and function, why the missing piece may be a protective environmental biofilm, and why simple "microbiome-friendly" claims can outpace the science. Together, they explore what health should mean (resilience, not just "not sick"), why our tools still have major limitations, and what a more honest, evidence-driven path forward could look like—one driven by humility, validation, and consumer demand for real outcomes over "science-iness."Takeaways:• We've Lost 80% of Skin Taxonomy and a Critical Protective Biofilm: Compared to the Yanomami, industrialized humans have lost roughly 80% of taxonomic diversity on skin and 25% of metabolic pathways. What was lost wasn't just bacteria washed away—it was a healthy environmental biofilm that harmonized us with nature, providing oxidation protection and producing secondary metabolites including retinoids that we need but don't make ourselves.• The Yanomami Provide an Evolutionary Reference Point for Health: Hunter-gatherers living traditional lifestyles have zero inflammatory skin diseases—no acne, eczema, rosacea, or psoriasis. They don't sunburn or get skin cancer, their coronary artery scores in their 70s-80s beat ours in our teens, and their modal age of death matches ours despite needing zero pharmaceuticals. This shows us what health looked like when everything was working.• "Correlation Doesn't Imply Causation" Creates a Logical Bottleneck: This phrase only works for highly coupled linear processes, but biology operates as complex adaptive systems. When you find causation everywhere (like with nitric oxide), the logical bottleneck prevents seeing systemic relationships. We need new frameworks beyond linear thinking to understand microbiome complexity.• Current Microbiome Methods Are Precisely Inaccurate: Sequencing methods have biases built in, and while we're now reasonably reproducible (precision), we're still not accurate. Feeding this imperfect data into AI won't fix the problem—it will train algorithms on flawed data and create precisely inaccurate predictions at scale.• Restoring Health Means Rebuilding Resilience, Not Just Treating Disease: Health isn't "not being sick"—that's non-sick. Health is resilience in response to stress. The Yanomami bend, we break. Rather than fixing broken mechanisms with novel patentable substances that create more problems, we now have the opportunity to restore what was lost through sustainable plant ferments from diverse ecologies.

In this special episode of Demystifying Cosmetics, host Jennifer Cookson steps away from formulation talk to address what many are asking right now: what are we supposed to do? With recent events in Minneapolis and the broader climate around immigration and civil rights, people are feeling overwhelmed and looking at one lever they still control—where they spend their money. Jennifer explores corporate stances, boycotts versus buycotts, and what actually makes a difference. She makes the case that beauty has always been political, provides a framework for evaluating companies beyond viral infographics, and reminds listeners that "I can't do everything" is not the same as "I can't do anything." This episode is a call for clarity over chaos, compassion over extremism, and action—even if small.Takeaways:• Beauty Has Always Been Political, Not Just Escapism: While beauty is often marketed as self-care and escapism, the truth is that beauty companies employ thousands of people, shape cultural norms, spend millions on advertising, and influence legislation through lobbying. They are not separate from society—they're part of it. When crisis happens, consumers rightfully ask brands where they stand and what they're funding.• Boycotts Work Best When Specific and Evidence-Based: Boycotts are a legitimate form of consumer protest with historical roots in civil rights and labor movements, but they work best when they are specific, evidence-based, tied to clear demands, and paired with alternative action. Not just "this brand is bad," but "this brand funds X policy and I want them to stop." That's where pressure creates change.• Evaluate Companies Through Action, Not Just Statements: Statements are easy; policies are harder. Look beyond what companies post on social media and ask: What do they actually do? Where does their money go politically? How do they treat their workers? Do they show up consistently, or only when it's safe? Real advocacy costs something, and patterns reveal values more than one-time PR moments.• Separate Constructive Civic Pressure from Destructive Extremism: If we're going to talk about being on the right side of history, we need to distinguish between legitimate consumer activism and destructive behavior. Burning things down is not consumer activism. Terrorizing communities is not justice. Responsible engagement requires clarity about tactics and outcomes.• "I Can't Do Everything" Isn't "I Can't Do Anything": Feeling emotionally tapped and overwhelmed is real, but exhaustion is not the same as helplessness. Small, real actions include supporting local immigrant advocacy groups, donating to legal defense funds, calling representatives, asking your employer what they're doing, pushing internally for corporate responsibility, spending intentionally, and listening to those directly affected.Note: This special episode reflects the host's perspective on corporate responsibility and consumer activism during a moment of national crisis. Sponsorship by Tagra does not influence the content or perspective shared in this discussion.

In this episode, Jennifer sits down with Alec Batis, whose 30+ year career in beauty spans R&D, marketing, and brand ownership. Alec shares his journey from L'Oréal chemist to founder of Sweet Chemistry, a science-backed skincare brand developed with SUNY Downstate Medical Center. The conversation explores the intersection of chemistry and marketing, the reality of cost-of-goods in beauty formulation, and building a values-driven brand in a prestige-obsessed industry.
Key Takeaways:

Career pivots driven by curiosity and opportunity: Alec's path from chemistry degree to L'Oréal R&D happened through persistence (calling HR monthly for 8 months) and landing a role after an earthquake destroyed Redken's California facility. His transition to marketing came from being vocally opinionated about product positioning during lab visits, ultimately choosing marketing over R&D in France based on salary potential rather than passion alone.
Value analysis reveals the margin games in beauty: Working as a VA chemist evaluating Kiehl's acquisition, Alec learned how brands reformulate products to dramatically reduce cost-of-goods while maintaining identical texture and finish. This exposed the significant margin manipulation possible in prestige beauty, where pricing often reflects positioning strategy rather than ingredient costs or formulation complexity.
Marketing budgets and excess defined 90s beauty culture: The industry operated with unprecedented resources during Alec's L'Oréal marketing years, including Concorde flights to Paris, black town cars for meetings, and mandatory Manolo Blahnik heels for female marketers. This excess created a specific aesthetic and approach to brand building that contrasts sharply with today's leaner, digitally-focused beauty landscape.
Indie brands face impossible cost-of-goods pressures: Without scale, emerging brands must compete against established companies that can negotiate pennies-per-unit pricing through massive volume. Some founders resort to what Alec calls "survival not deception" by using marketing language that stretches truth, often because they lack scientific knowledge about their own formulations and suppliers.
Sweet Chemistry built on value-based pricing not prestige positioning: Rather than following prestige beauty's playbook of charging maximum margins on cleansers or positioning at $400+ based on proprietary technology, Sweet Chemistry prices products according to actual cost-of-goods. The brand manufactures major kind peptides in-house at SUNY Downstate and plans to reduce prices further through economies of scale, prioritizing accessibility over luxury perception.

Manufacturing is where beauty dreams are either built or broken. In this episode of Demystifying Cosmetics, we go past the mood boards and into the factory with Andrea Cid—founder of Miami Growth Machine and owner of Concept II Cosmetics. With a global background spanning Chile, the U.S., the U.K., and Asia (Harvard Economics; Wharton MBA), Andrea breaks down what “small batch” really means—volumes, costs, and flexibility—and why it’s mission-critical for emerging brands. We dig into the realities operators face today: labor dynamics in immigrant-powered teams, inflation and supply-chain pressures, and how savvy founders adjust sourcing and process to stay profitable. We also explore trade policy and tariffs, where risk can flip into opportunity for U.S. manufacturers. Andrea closes with straight-talk advice for first-time founders: how to choose a manufacturing partner, set MOQs and timelines you can actually hit, and where she sees the biggest opportunities over the next few years for beauty and wellness makers.Takeaways:• Iteration Should Be Baked Into Product Launches: Even established brands with major retail distribution shouldn't launch new products with 30,000-50,000 units. Testing products with real consumers at smaller volumes (500-1,500 units initially) reduces risk and allows for necessary adjustments before scaling, because no matter how experienced you are, product development will always surprise you.• Manufacturing Minimums Are About Machine Economics, Not Difficulty: Traditional manufacturers require large MOQs because turning on machines requires staff, time, and changeover costs that only make financial sense at volume. Miami Growth Machine solves this by owning their facility and using extra capacity on their own production lines, allowing them to offer no minimums and scale clients gradually from 25-unit lab batches to full production runs.• Supply Chain Expertise Clusters Geographically by Material: Rather than countries having wholesale advantages, expertise develops around specific materials—China excels in tubes, Brazil offers certain closures, the US is competitive in paper/labels at 5,000+ units. Smart manufacturing means understanding which global vendors specialize in what and comparing quotes across regions for each component rather than sourcing everything domestically or internationally.• Formulate for Supply Chain Flexibility at Launch: When starting out, avoid proprietary ingredient blends with single suppliers that have 510kg minimums and 3-4 month lead times. Instead, formulate with readily available ingredients from multiple vendors to maintain flexibility and reduce risk. Make the conscious decision to lock into specialized ingredients only when differentiation justifies the supply chain complexity and cost.• The Real US Manufacturing Challenge Is Skilled Labor, Not Automation: While automation and robotics get attention, the critical bottleneck is finding competent machinists and mechanics who can maintain and repair equipment. Miami's historically strong immigrant workforce provided this expertise, but current immigration restrictions have significantly shrunk the talent pool, making it harder to scale even when you have the capital to invest in better machines.

What do your products look like to the world? Beyond INCI lists and claims, beauty brands are built—visually. In this episode of Demystifying Cosmetics, Jennifer Cookson is joined by Anderson, the creative mind behind A-Son Agency and By-Anderson, whose photography brings brand philosophies to life. We explore how product photography, creative direction, and brand identity intersect to tell a cohesive visual story. Whether you’re a founder, marketer, or formulator, this episode will make you think differently about the images you use to represent your work.Takeaways:• Social-First Strategy Delivers More Value for Indie Brands: Rather than spending a million dollars on a campaign and tacking on behind-the-scenes content for social as an afterthought, emerging brands should build from social up. Most sales for small brands come from social media and world-building on platforms, so investing in volume of nimble, repurposable content often outperforms one expensive hero campaign.• Authentic Representation Requires Intentional Casting and Self-Awareness: Brands don't need to check every diversity box—they need to authentically know their consumer and represent them well. Hiring a casting director who understands your specific audience, studying brands doing representation well (like MAC's VivaGlam or Fenty's shade inclusivity), and ensuring consumers see themselves in your imagery creates genuine connection rather than performative gestures.• Visual Storytelling Translates Technical Into Emotional: Communicating formulation sophistication for products that all look like white cream requires strategic choices in lighting, color palette, context, and where assets live. An SPF might use warmer, sunnier lighting within the same setup as other skincare products, while the combination of imagery, copy, and display context tells the complete story.• Budget Constraints Demand Smart Collaboration and Relationships: Working with limited budgets (realistically $10,000+ for quality results) requires finding photographers whose vision aligns with your brand rather than chasing big names. The creative industry runs on personal relationships where artists often offer favorable rates for brands they believe in, knowing the work will benefit their portfolio and lead to future opportunities.• Test Brand Recognition by Removing Product from Imagery: A strong visual brand identity means you'd recognize a Crème de la Mer ad even with the product covered. This test helps brands evaluate whether their visual language—lighting, color, mood, casting—truly communicates their brand DNA consistently across all assets rather than just relying on the product itself.

Find Anderson's photography work and get in touch through:Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/byandersonx/Website: https://by-anderson.com/Agency website: https://www.a-son.agency/