Looking to the academics

Perhaps contrary to its reputation, beauty – as a subject – is truly multifaceted. What I love most about my job as a journalist in this space is how the topic takes from the worlds of science, health, medicine, art and fashion. Writing about a lipstick is never just writing about a lipstick (as I know you know).

It’s why, ideally, our sources reach beyond the brands we work with, the tastemakers in the space, or the TikToks that happen to be trending. And I’ve been thinking about how this works for you, too.

One line of inspiration that’s often underutilised is academic sources, i.e., the research papers published in journals which question, prove or disprove something relevant to the beauty conversation.

Sometimes, the results of a published clinical trial or observational study pose excellent hooks for editorial content, as well as opportunities to independently validate a brand’s claims. Or for them to align with on communications.

Take these random examples:

• ‘A Qualitive Study Exploring Women’s Motivations for Lip Filler Resulting in Anatomical Distortion’ (Aesthetic Surgery Journal, August 2023); I’d love to know an injector’s perspective on this, or the stance of a cosmetic clinic.
  
  
• ‘Overnight Olfactory Enrichment Using an Odorant Diffuser Improves Memory’ (Front Neurosci, July 2023); a great segue to mention essential oils and aroma diffusers, no?
  
  
• ‘Insights Into Acne and the Skin Barrier: Optimising Treatment Regimens with Ceramide-Containing Skincare’ (Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology, August 2023); some of the 94 emails in my inbox referencing ‘ceramides’ could be amplified by this association.

Of course, like you, I have limited time to be mining these journals for nuggets of gold. But I find that often, when I do, it makes for minutes well spent.