Lisa Napolione of Global Research &amp: Inside the Quest to Pioneer Breakthrough Innovations and Elevate Women in STEM

As a part of our series about “Five Things You Need To Know To Succeed In The Modern Beauty Industry”, I had the pleasure of interviewing Lisa Napolione.

Lisa Napolione is Senior Vice President of Global Research & Development, The Estée Lauder Companies (ELC), responsible for overseeing formulation, product design, clinical & consumer research, and scientific communications for all brands. Lisa is an experienced, highly regarded innovation leader with global leadership expertise across all Research & Development disciplines who has been noted as a natural connecter of people and ideas that lead to results. Her experience consists of managing large innovation portfolios while integrating technology and a holistic design approach to delight target consumers.

Thank you so much for doing this with us! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit more about you. Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?

I was so fortunate that very early on, I had a mentor who helped to shape my career path from the start. My amazing high school chemistry teacher was one of the first chemical & ceramic engineers in the United States. She became one of my first and most influential mentors. She provided me with the opportunity to work as her lab assistant on her own research program for three years and facilitated the space and experience for me to find my passion. I am truly fortunate that she was there to ignite that spark which then led to me studying both chemical engineering and then combining that with biology. My lifelong dedication to applying my engineering & science background to skin began from discovering my interest in skin care research at university.

Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?

Several years ago, before my time at The Estée Lauder Companies (ELC), I was brought in to lead a new technical organization. When I arrived for the first time in a broad multifunctional venue, I noticed that the place cards for the participants each contained the person’s first initial and last name. Upon my entrance, some others assumed that I had come in to serve the coffee. Not one person in the room — all men — realized that L. Napolione could possibly be a woman. I did serve the coffee that day, purposefully, and then took my seat at the head of the long conference table. Many of the attendees were visibly shocked. I don’t doubt that many women who spend their careers in male-dominated spaces will resonate with this and will recognize the anecdote in their own experiences. In the end, we developed highly effective working relationships and some great friendships. Breaking down barriers for women in STEM has always been important to me and seeing positive evolution in this space is rewarding.

Are you able to identify a “tipping point” in your career when you started to see success? Did you start doing anything different? Are there takeaways or lessons that others can learn from that?

Yes, I can! My tipping point came when I realized that, after holding roles and experiences in multiple functions across the entire research and development organization, I loved every aspect of R&D. That enabled me to understand that my career path was firmly in R&D but across all the different and equally important aspects. Yes, I absolutely believe there are lessons others can learn. I benefitted from great managers and mentors who helped me understand why taking advantage of very different roles was opening doors for me rather than staying in the same area that I was in. I am a stronger R&D leader because of that.

None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person to whom you are grateful who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?

There are so many mentors in my life and career who I directly attribute to enabling my success. They have helped me get out of my comfort zone, to try new things, to take on challenges I never envisioned for myself, and were always there to have my back. Because of that I am very committed to mentoring and also helping people find the right mentoring matches.

Ok super. Let’s now shift to the main part of our discussion. The global beauty industry today has grown to more than a half a trillion dollar business. Can you tell us about the innovations that you are bringing to the industry? How do you think that will help people?

At ELC, we have over 75 years of formulation authority, and we’re dedicated to cutting-edge science. With multidisciplinary scientists, engineers, product developers and technical professionals in our innovation centers all around the world, we’re creating transformative products, packages, and experiences and setting new standards for quality, safety, integrity, performance, and sustainability in prestige beauty. These are a few of my favorite and some recent innovations:

• Aveda Botanical Repair was developed to help strengthen and repair damaged hair with the power of plants. Botanical Repair builds millions of new hair bonds that are broken as a result of four main causes: physical stress from brushing and styling, heat damage from blow drying and flat ironing, chemical treatments like coloring, and environmental factors such as pollution and sun exposure. The Aveda Botanical Repair collection uses plant-powered technology to repair damaged hair on three levels: penetrating to the cortex to build new bonds, smoothing the cuticle, and creating a new botanical protective layer (mimicking the lost F layer, an invisible water-resistant lipid layer that is made of a unique fatty acid that “seals” the surface of the hair cuticle). The Botanical Repair professional treatment, available in Aveda network salons, results in 5-times stronger hair with only one use and has been shown to perform better than a leading competitive brand in tress testing. Consistent with Aveda’s high performance and mission-driven product standards, all Botanical Repair products are highly naturally derived (93% and higher), vegan, cruelty free (Leaping Bunny approved) and manufactured using solar and wind power.
• M·A·Cximal Silky Matte Lipstick is an innovative silky matte lipstick that delivers 12 hours of full-coverage color and 8 hours of moisture. It is a remarkably comfortable formula, which conditions and nourishes lips, and remains non-caking, non-flaking, non-feathering, and non-bleeding for 12 hours — addressing the main pain points for matte lipstick wearers.
• Estée Lauder Re-Nutriv Ultimate Diamond Transformative Brilliance Soft Crème, which just launched last month, contains technology which helps strengthen skin’s network of proteins which helps reactivate skin renewal and restore visible youthfulness. Estée Lauder has been at the forefront of longevity skin science for more than 15 years, with Dr. Nadine Pernodet, SVP, Bioscience, Advanced Technology Pioneering, presenting at international scientific conferences and collaborating with world renowned researchers. The development of this product reflects our focus on and understanding of skin longevity science to deliver visible age reversal.
• Another exciting innovation is Clinique’s Smart Clinical Repair Wrinkle Correcting Serum, a breakthrough anti-aging serum with a powerful next generation retinoid that was investigated in the lab of ELC’s Dr. Tom Mammone’s, VP, Bioscience, Advanced Technology Pioneering. Based on the positive research results of the actives in the formula, our Clinical team and guiding dermatologist designed a new clinical protocol measuring the long-term performance of the serum when used daily over time, compared against the long-term benefits of one treatment of a micro-ablative laser. Through our innovative study protocol, the team was able to clinically show that the Clinique Smart Serum is as effective as one laser treatment on the visible improvement of lines and wrinkles after 16 weeks of use. Clinique has a long-standing history of partnering with dermatologists and has been committed to incorporating patients’ insights in its innovation. For over 55 years Clinique has been committed to delivering dermatologist guided solutions that are 100% fragrance free and allergy tested.

Can you share 3 things that most excite you about the modern beauty industry?

• First, I love how the beauty industry has fully embraced science, which has been my passion and belief from the start of my career. I have long said that if it is hot in science, then it will be hot in beauty and a big part of my role is ensuring we deliver the strongest and most current science.
• Next, I am also very excited about how the beauty industry is embracing all people coming into beauty from where they are. This is such an important part of the modernization of beauty — it is what we call beauty for all. Through a combination of scientific research, consumer research, the latest technologies, and partnering with our diverse scientists from all around the world — we’re tailoring our product portfolio to meet the diverse skin, makeup and hair needs of our consumers around the world.
• The third thing that I find really exciting is our advances in the area of sustainability. I have long worked in this area to bring purposeful choices into how beauty products are formulated. I am especially proud of the unique green chemistry quantitative tool ELC has developed and the publication of its methodology in Green Chemistry, a peer-reviewed scientific journal published by the Royal Society of Chemistry, so others across beauty and many other industries can learn about this tool and apply it in their respective product development processes. Every formulator in our R&D labs globally uses this tool to make more informed choices about the ingredients they are using during product formulation.

Can you share 3 things that most concern you about the industry? If you had the ability to implement 3 ways to improve the industry, what would you suggest?

• The use of scientific tools consistently as the basis for decisions that inform how products are designed would help the industry as a whole. We prioritize this approach and one of the ways we do that is through our green chemistry tool, which provides a quantifiable method for our formulators to benchmark and inform their formulation choices based on the principles of green chemistry, specifically through the lenses of human health, ecosystem health, and the environment. Existing and new in-house raw materials are assessed on an ongoing basis using this tool so that formulators are enabled to continuously improve the selection of and prioritize innovation for individual ingredients and raw material classes. Our brands also reference this program to help consumers understand our methodology.
• Secondly, I want to touch on the importance of bringing rigorous science into supporting the product claims that are made. The clinical and consumer testing ELC conducts to substantiate its claims is one of its real strengths. In fact, I think most consumers would be astounded at the scale and depth of clinical team’s expertise, led by Dr. Claude Saliou. Our teams conduct hundreds and hundreds of late-stage clinical trials to prove product efficacy across different benefits, skin tones, ethnicities and regions of the world, and this is across skin, hair and makeup. We also design innovative new clinical protocols to compare the performance of our skin care products to professional treatments.
• Thirdly, I want to highlight that enhanced understanding and creative thinking can be fostered by bringing in subject matter experts across many different scientific disciplines together to develop new technologies and methods. Scientific magic happens across the seams of different areas of science. People are often amazed at the depth, breadth, and variety of research we do, and this surprising variety allows STEM researchers to really ignite and build on their personal passions, whether that’s in the biological & chemistry sciences, medical sciences, materials, physics, engineering, green chemistry, and even behavioral sciences. We are constantly looking at skin from new angles and finding new solutions by doing this.

You are an expert about beauty. Can you share a few ideas that anyone can use “to feel beautiful”?

I think that beauty starts with confidence and that confidence is enabled by taking care of oneself and prioritizing wellness. I always recommend that people prioritize keeping their skin and hair healthy. And build their routines to specifically meet their individual needs so they feel and look their best.

Here is the main question for our discussion. Based on your experience and success, Can you please share “Five Things You Need To Know To Succeed In The Modern Beauty Industry”. Please share a story or an example, for each.

1. Start with science. ELC is setting the stage for using science to drive breakthroughs in skin care and even open up new areas. An incredible example of this is Dr. Nadine Pernodet’s research in Sirtuins and longevity with relation to skin. The science of longevity is a true macrotrend, but we’ve been exploring and collaborating in this space for many years. Sirtuins are longevity proteins associated with aging in the body- they are involved in the regulation of metabolism, inflammation, and stress response. We have worked with the pioneers of this field, Dr. Sinclair and Dr. Guarente, from Harvard and MIT, and now Dr. Danica Chen of UC Berkeley , and we have over 15 years of research from Dr. Pernodet in the field of Sirtuins and skin, including 20+ publications and conferences and 39 patents. Our understanding of the role of longevity proteins in skin, helps us as we develop products to help skin look younger and healthier for longer moving us from a concept of anti-aging to visible age reversal — a revolution in the industry.
2. Focus on inclusivity and what that means for meaningful inclusion. We believe that inclusion, diversity, and equity drive creativity and innovation, enabling our employees to lead from every chair. We value an inclusive, diverse, and equitable workforce that recognizes how empathy and caring for our consumers comes from understanding local relevancy and the changing needs of our global consumer. As one example of this focus, the ELC R&D team has devoted 10+ years to building a comprehensive understanding of human skin color by relating scientific measurements of nuanced skin hue. To better understand skin tones and undertones across ethnicities across the globe, we initiated research in 20 cities across Asia, Europe, South America, North America, and Africa. ELC’s R&D team collected skin color spectrophotometric measurements from more than 7,500 men and women ranging from ages 18 years to 65+ years. We used this data to understand the range of skin colors in “color space” and determined the color space ranges of each shade/formula to understand the limits of a natural shade match. Understanding the relationship between skin and products from both natural shade match and preference selection allows us to identify where opportunities are for new shades to be created and optimization of existing shades. This color science research, led by ELC’s R&D team, has yielded innovative and inclusive product launches across our brands that foster representation and highlight ELC as an industry pioneer in creating products that unveil beauty in all consumers. This data all supports our design and development of inclusive test methods.
3. Bring in other industries to provide cross pollination. This should include non-obvious industries. For example, I have a research colleague who leads candy development. By talking through the non-obvious scientific similarities of chocolate and lip products, we were able to establish very effective collaboration.
4. Foster and embrace collaboration. Recently, Clinique and Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai announced a philanthropic partnership to establish the Mount Sinai-Clinique Healthy Skin Dermatology Center. Research conducted at the Mount Sinai-Clinique Healthy Skin Dermatology Center aims to uncover scientific findings to accelerate the creation of new topical and systemic treatments that will help alleviate allergic skin conditions. The priority is to bridge basic science with practical application in the clinic to improve people’s lives through healthy skin. Rooted in a shared mission to conduct dermatological research that improves patients’ lives, the partnership will focus on applicable scientific discovery and leading-edge innovation to modernize allergy science in order to identify innovative solutions for these skin conditions.
5. Never underestimate the good that can come from expert communication. One of the most significant projects that we have initiated has been the development of the Nature Awards for Inspiring Women in Science, which we at ELC are in proud partnership with Springer Nature, who are the leading scientific publishers globally. We created two important awards in Scientific Achievement and Science Outreach. Through this impactful program, it has been noted we have raised the focus on gender equity in STEM and we are both very committed to propelling this forward. We celebrated our first round of awards in 2018, but the development of the program began several years before that. Now in its 7th year, this award has led to further collaboration amongst winners, as well as providing a forum for truly remarkable women scientists to engage in the exchange of ideas and valuable peer-to-peer mentoring.

You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. :-)

My movement would be focused on humanity. Being a real person and engaging on a highly personal level brings such a wealth of understanding, empathy, and compassion to any situation. When you allow people to see you as a full person, they feel more open to express themselves to you as well. I believe that if people acted with humanity at the front of mind, we would be able to bring a lot of goodness into the world.

Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?

Take the time to find out what makes people’s eyes shine. One of my very first mentors gave me that advice and it has allowed me to understand myself, but even more importantly, I apply this to all of the individuals who I work with and lead.

How can our readers follow you online?

Readers can follow me on LinkedIn.

Thank you so much for joining us. This was very inspirational.