In advance of the Society of Cosmetic Chemists (SCC) Annual Meeting, to be held Dec. 11-13, 2024, at the JW Marriott LA Live in Los Angeles, the SCC announced the recipients of six prestigious awards:
- Maison G. deNavarre Medal Award,
- SCC Education Award (new this year!),
- Florence Wall Women in Cosmetic Chemistry Award,
- Merit Award,
- Robert A. Kramer Lifetime Service Award and
- Green Star Award.
See last year's coverage of the SCC Annual Meeting.
Irwin Palefsky: Maison G. deNavarre Medal Award
“This year, the society is presenting its highest honor to Irwin Palefsky, in recognition of his industry expertise and contributions to advancing cosmetic science,” said Erica O’Grady, chief executive officer of the society. “We are thrilled to recognize all that he has accomplished during his exceptional career and his 55 years of membership in SCC.”
The award recognizes Palefsky's activities supporting the industry, including through technical contributions, e.g., authoring 10 patents and various publications and compilations; most recently in Cosmeceuticals: Procedures in Cosmetic Dermatology Series. He also taught at the Center for Professional Advancement (a division of Cobblestone), Fairleigh Dickenson University (1980-1990) and the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) on Sunscreens from 2019-2023.
Nationally, he was instrumental in starting the Education Advisory Committee in 1986 and served as its chair from 2002-2005. He was an active Continuing Education Program (CEP) instructor through the early 90s. He has spoken at various chapter meetings, served on the Nominations Committee and Conduct & Disciplinary Task Force, and was Area I Director on the national Board (2003-2005).
As a member of the New York Chapter, Palefsky helped to start NY Suppliers' Day, now one of the largest industry events in North America. He went on to co-chair the NYSCC Spring Seminar in 1999 and was chair of the New York Chapter in 2002. Furthermore, he has trained and mentored generations of chemists at his company, Cosmetech Laboratories. Palefsky is currently an Emeritus member and Technical Fellow (2022) of the SCC, a juror for the Cosmetics & Toiletries (C&T) Allē Awards, and a regular contributor to C&T.
Paul Lawrence, Ph.D.: SCC Education Award
New this year, the SCC Education Award, sponsored by Barnet Products, will be presented to Paul Lawrence, Ph.D.
“It’s our sincere pleasure to award Dr. Paul Lawrence the inaugural SCC Education Award,” commented O’Grady. “Our newest award recognizes an individual making outstanding contributions to the field of cosmetic science education and mentorship, and we thank Paul for his tireless dedication and service to SCC.”
Lawrence has been an active member of the SCC since 2017 and served as a member and chair of the Education Advisory Committee (2020-2023). He currently serves as the vice chair of the Committee on Scientific Affairs (COSA) and as an associate technical editor for the SCC flagship publication, the Journal of Cosmetic Science.
Lawrence has also been an instructor for several courses in SCC’s CEP program since 2022, has authored more than 35 scientific manuscripts, multiple online digests and a textbook chapter on the world’s most contagious animal virus. He is frequently invited to be a scientific speaker at conferences around the world. He received SCC’s Shaw Mudge Award for Best Paper presented at SCC74, the SCC’s Hans Schaeffer Award for Most Innovative Paper presented at SCC76, and the best technical poster at IFSCC London Congress.
Lawrence is an adjunct life sciences professor at Suffolk County Community College, frequently teaching pre-medical and pre-nursing students, and recently became a visiting scholar at the University of Toledo, developing a graduate level skin microbiome course.
Krupa Koestline: Florence Wall Women in Cosmetic Chemistry Award
Sponsored by the SCC New York Chapter, the Florence Wall Women in Cosmetic Chemistry Award will be presented to Krupa Koestline.
“We are elated to present the society’s award honoring a woman’s scientific and leadership contributions in the cosmetics and personal care industry to Krupa Koestline,” stated O’Grady. “Krupa is a well-respected formulation chemist, inspirational leader and mentor, and a distinguished contributor to the field of cosmetic science.”
The SCC noted, "Koestline embodies the spirit of innovation by consistently asking hard questions and exploring new technologies. Her relentless pursuit of excellence is matched by her dedication and hard work, always going above and beyond for peers, clients and colleagues. She is deeply committed to ensuring that young chemists have the tools and knowledge they need to succeed through her mentorship and leadership in cosmetic science."
In addition, Koestline has served the SCC Florida Chapter as secretary (2020-2022), chair elect (2024-2025) and will serve as chair in 2026-2027. Nationally, she served as a member of the Achievement Awards Task Force (2021), and currently serves as a member of COSA (2023-2024) and as vice chair of the Diversity and Inclusion Insights Committee (2024).
Cathy Anglin: Merit Award
“Cathy Anglin has been an outstanding advocate for [the] SCC during the course of her nearly 40 year membership in SCC,” O’Grady expressed. “On behalf of the national organization and the Southeast Chapter, we thank Cathy for her unwavering passion and service.”
During her membership, Anglin has served on the SCC Constitution and Bylaws Committee, Committee on Chapter Affairs, the Nominations and Elections Committee and as an Area IV Director. An engaged and active member since day one, she has also served the Southeast Chapter in its elected roles from secretary to chair various times throughout the years and currently serves as the newsletter editor. Anglin retired in early 2022 from her position as research director at J. Strickland & Co. and still consults for the company on quality and regulatory issues.
R. Randall Wickett, Ph.D.: Robert A. Kramer Lifetime Service Award
“Dr. R. Randall Wickett continues to be an outstanding advocate for SCC and an active volunteer locally and nationally," O’Grady remarked. “For his contributions throughout his 40 years of membership, we recognize Randy with this award with our thanks for his dedication and service to SCC.”
Wickett has been an active member of the Society since 1984. He served on the National Board of Directors, culminating in his presidency of the SCC in 2011. He led the Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Chemists as editor-in-chief for seven years (1990-1997), participated in more than 10 national committees and continues to serve as a highly sought CEP instructor.
His dedicated service also extends to the Ohio Valley Chapter of SCC and to his students at the University of Cincinnati where he continues to teach and mentor. Wickett is a past recipient of the SCC’s Maison G. deNavarre Award (1997 and 2021), Merit Award (2007), Shaw Mudge Award (1983), Joseph P. Ciaudelli Award (1997), Howard Isermann Award (1992-1997) and was also conferred the SCC Technical Fellow designation in 2009.
Tyler Jensen: Green Star Award
Finally, the SCC announced the winner of the 2024 Green Star Award, sponsored by Colonial Chemical. The award recognizes a formulator who has done outstanding work in green formulation during the previous 12-month period. This year’s award will be presented to Tyler Jensen for the formulation Invati Ultra Advanced Fortifying Leave-In Treatment by Aveda.
“The SCC is proud to recognize the efforts of formulators who design green, natural products while maintaining safety and efficacy with sustainability in mind,” O’Grady shared.
As the SCC explained, the selection committee consisted of formulation and ingredient experts, which made the determination based on the Green Star rating — a classification system developed by industry professionals to allow the formulation chemist to maximize the natural components in products. Also considered were novelty, level of innovation in formulation, creativity in fulfillment of marketing claims, efficacy using “green” ingredients and packaging sustainability.
Honorable mentions for this year's award included:
- Cassandra Maddocks, for the formulation Twinflower Cleansing Balm by Imogen Farm to Face; and
- Kseniya Popova for the formulation Strengthen Concentrated Shampoo by The Rootist.
