The impact of artificial intelligence (AI), new test methods that are more ethical and efficient, strategies for skin longevity and growing emphasis on the link between cosmetics and psychological wellbeing – the topics that came under the microscope at the Society for Cosmetic Science (SCS) Annual Conference reflect how the cosmetics industry is evolving in 2026.
Opening the conference in Liverpool on 1 July was Astrid Bodard, Senior Technical Manager UK at Azelis, the newly appointed President of the UK SCS.
“We all know that our industry is evolving constantly,” Bodard told delegates, “and it feels really true lately where we have a massive shift in trends, when anti-aging is becoming longevity, and where we're starting to understand more and more the impacts of our largest organ, the skin, and where biotechnology and progress in testing are forging the path for our industry.”
The SCS has also announced some changes of its own in 2026.
Formerly known as the Society of Cosmetic Scientists, the organisation adopted a new name in May, the Society for Cosmetic Science, which Bodard told Cosmetics Business, is designed to ”modernise and be more inclusive of all the different disciplines in the society and in the industry.”
Astrid Bodard, President, SCS UK
The impact of AI on the cosmetics industry was a central theme, with Bodard noting that it is “really mindblowing in terms of how it is going to change the way we work and the way we think about developing and testing products, and new ingredients.”
Two presentations referenced how AI can accelerate or widen the scope of formulation development.
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