An Ode to Beauty

The Met Gala 'Sleeping Beauties' has just come and gone. The glamorous, the primed, the tweaked and tucked (and by tucked - did you see Kim Kardashian's waist - how does the woman breathe or function - hats off Kim!). This brings to mind the vast and ever evolving impression of 'Beauty' and vivid interpretations. Whether you are a fashion designer, milliner or fine jewellery house, our aesthetic visual imaginations take us via a historical lens whilst weaving a truly modern vision.

Our ongoing concern for beauty is not an affectation of the new social dawn, it is part of the human gene; i.e. the more people you impress, the more you will be accepted and therefore be part of a community. This is the essence of our survival.

I am Susie and I created Romilly Wilde, a beauty & skincare brand nearly 10 years ago. It was partly about curiosity from a social anthropological perspective, studying the historical behaviour of society and culture and how beauty has been perceived and interpreted. It was also a personal ambition to expand my scientific knowledge and appreciate our own biology, understanding the modern archetypes and psychology and the ultimate wave of our evolution.

I also had a strong drive to create something desirable in a category that had been inspired by female founders, Estée Lauder, Gabrielle Chanel, Helena Rubinstein and Elizabeth Arden who worked with biochemists in 1910! This pursuance of discovery has culminated in a beauty industry with a functional cosmetics market predicted to reach USD $6.8b by 2032, growing at a CAGR of 5.9% during the forecasted period from 2023 to 2032.

The market is witnessing a significant upswing due to advancements in product formulation. Biotechnology in particular is playing a pivotal role with novel technologies enabling brands to infuse products with active ingredients that target specific skin issues. This has led to a new generation of cosmetics that offer enhanced performance and targeted benefits. Also, the continued demand for 'Clean Beauty' (which in our language is the use of clean technologies) the emphasis is no longer on non-toxic, environmentally friendly, and cruelty-free products, evidence based, data driven, clinically studied and biomimetic functions.