Meet Holly Moore: Cosmetic Ingredient Expert and Business Consultant

We had the good fortune of connecting with Holly Moore and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Holly, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
I would say my strongest interests are people, cosmetic ingredients, and the interaction between the two. At university, my classmates nicknamed me ‘Dictionary’ for being somewhat of a walking encyclopedia when it came to cosmetic ingredients and any known health or sustainability concerns. I was very fortunate to be surrounded by some of Boston’s best libraries, labs and public health minds. Social visits with friends would inevitably conclude with a list of product recommendations and a trash bin full of vetoed or expired cosmetics from their bathroom. I was always looking for products that could add value to people’s skincare routine and, ultimately, was fascinated by the cultural forces that determined beauty. Your skin is your largest organ and making informed choices about the care for your skin is important – it matters that your cosmetic products support the health and function of your skin. In public health, a huge challenge is generating positive health outcomes as a result of behavioral change, but in the instance of cosmetics, the solution starts with getting better products into people’s hands. I took my leap into the beauty industry in 2012 armed with a Masters in Public Health (MPH) in health law, bioethics and environmental health and was determined that my career would serve as a catalyst for change – a chemical one. After several years of working in foundational roles for successful start-ups (such as Follain) in what has come to be known as ‘clean’ beauty, I started to notice a niche gap. ‘Clean’ beauty founders are often a one or two person team in need of more experienced support or advice to help navigate growth. I wanted to share the knowledge I had acquired; to help founders flourish, dispense their knowledge, and to avoid mistakes that could have dire consequences at a critical stage in development. Just as much as a consumer should be able to make educated decisions about their skincare products, I believe founders should be well-informed and supported to run a business that positively impacts their customers.

What should our readers know about your business?
My business, The Ingredientist, comes from combining ‘ingredient’ with ‘specialist’ and ’strategist.’ It is representative of my passion for cosmetic ingredients and crafting beauty brands around strong ethical and evidence-based standards. As a consulting firm, we work directly with founders that have values-based businesses as brands (manufacturers), retailers and editorial outlets. We explore a business match based on principles such as the brand’s dedication to research-based claims, a commitment to sustainability, and high-quality ingredient sourcing. While we tend to operate in what’s come to be known as ‘clean’ beauty – an unregulated term to describe one of the fastest growing sectors within the industry – we are also keen to advise and educate beauty businesses who are looking to innovate and understand what ‘clean’ could mean for them. We are always firm that ‘clean’ should never be used to fear monger. Instead, we advocate its use to celebrate innovation and transparency across areas such supply chain, formulation, packaging, technology and sustainability. I’m really proud that within our team we have previously worked for a diversity of successful beauty brands during critical stages of their development across retail, brand, and manufacturing. These collective experiences quickly allow us to understand the needs of our clients, create a roadmap, and more importantly, empathize with their journey. We are also fast learners, value science, and ‘speak’ ingredients, so that definitely helps. Equally, I’m proud of our clients and what we have been able to accomplish together. From launching new products and campaigns, designing new packaging, writing educational platforms and ethical standards, copywriting, to conducting research – we are thrilled to be behind some of the most outstanding brands in the industry, both established and upcoming. 2020 certainly hasn’t been without its challenge. To adapt to the changing needs of several clients, we introduced what we call “Advisory Calls,” where we function much like a business advisory board. Founders can schedule calls to strategize, troubleshoot and gain clarity regarding whatever faces them. These have been very successful as a space for founders to discuss issues outside of their day-to-day team.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
As I’m a British transplant, I’d head for an LA twist on fish and chips. Malibu seafood has the best fish and chips (with malt vinegar) that I’ve had stateside. Grab a picnic blanket (and sunscreen) to enjoy your food on the sandy beach opposite the restaurant whilst spotting dolphins playing in the waves. It’s the best of both worlds!Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I’d like to give a Shoutout to my mother, the original ‘Ingredientist,’ who taught me the basic concepts of environmental health at a very young age and passed on her insatiable appetite for knowledge. Secondly, this might be an odd one, but I’d like to tip my hat to the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act of 1938 and the Boston University Law Library. In 2011, pouring over this legislation late at night in the library searching for my thesis topic, I flipped to the cosmetic section of the Act and felt my heart quicken as I read through the paragraphs that, to this day, regulate a multi-billion dollar industry. Amongst several things, there is no pre-market safety approval for cosmetics, the FDA can’t mandate recalls for cosmetics and there is no regulation of terms like ‘natural.’ I could see the question marks popping up in front of my eyes and I knew that I’d found something I wanted to delve into. I have continued doing so for the last ten years…

Website: www.theingredientist.com

Instagram: the_ingredientist

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/holly-moore/