Feeding microbes for odor control – or even preferred scent production – was among the future-forward talks presented on Day One at the 76th SCC Annual meeting. Held Dec. 12-14, 2022, in Los Angeles, the event made its debut for the first time on the West Coast.

7 Keys to Successful Innovations

The opening keynote and session, the “Future of Beauty,” featured Clarisonic founder and founder/CEO of Opulus Beauty Lab Robb Akridge, Ph.D., who outlined seven keys to successful innovations.

1. They must be similar to existing consumer habits in order to be accepted (i.e., you would not present something to consumers that seems too far-fetched).
2. They should not have too many steps. Consumers will get bored if you expect them to apply products several times per day.
3. They should not provide too much information about the innovation. Consumers don’t want all the details, they want to know the outcome or “what’s in it for me.”
4. They should look high tech but also be simple to use.
5. They should be fun and “addictive” to use, so consumers want to use it multiple times.
6. They should provide better results that what consumers are getting now.
7. They should take into account where consumers get their information (e.g., do they believe their smartphone app or influencers over their dermatologist?).

“The biggest challenge is about consumer knowledge,” said Akridge. He explained consumers used to get information from print ads, dermatologists, beauty editors and department stores, but now they look to macro and micro influencers and bloggers. “Trends used to migrate from east to west or west to east,” he added, “but trends don’t migrate any more. They are always everywhere.”

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