1. Plant-based Multifunctional

Speaker : Ricarda Kraeling – Manager, Functional Efficacy & Application, R&D.
Ricarda holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Chemistry from Hochschule Niederrhein. She began her career at Henkel as a chemistry laboratory trainee before joining Symrise in 2016. Since 2020, she has been leading research projects within the Functional Efficacy & Application team, focusing on the development and performance evaluation of innovative cosmetic actives.

Topic : Introducing Mindera®, a platform of plant-based multifunctional ingredients designed to be flexible, customizable, and sustainable combining safety, performance, and naturality at its core.

2. Ex-vivo Human Skin Model for the Evaluation of Rinse-off Products

Speaker : Camila Quezada - Scientist. Camila holds a degree in Biotechnology and a PhD in Biomedical Sciences, she joined the Cutech-Symrise Italy team a year ago, where she is responsible for the ex vivo screening for the Symrise compounds.

Topic : A novel ex-vivo skin model designed to overcome the limitations of traditional in vitro testing, providing a more physiologically relevant approach for evaluating skin barrier-supportive properties in rinse-off formulations.

3. Advancing Hair Care : Unlocking the Science of Hair Reconstruction and Adaptive Natural Solutions

Speaker : Rebeca Gasparin – Global Hair Care Center Coordinator. Rebeca is Symrise’s Hair Care Center Manager. She holds a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy and biochemistry from the Federal University of São Paulo Brazil, a master's degree in pharmaceutical sciences from the State University of Campinas in Brazil, and is currently pursuing a PhD in hair science at the State University of Campinas in Brazil.

Topic : A 360° approach to damaged hair with naturally derived, biodegradable solutions that restore and protect without compromising on styling performance or sustainability.

4. Empowering PO : Synergistic Mixture of Diols and Piroctone Olamine for Anti-dandruff Applications

Speaker : Dr. Steffen Nordzieke – Director Microbiology Research. Steffen studied in Münster and Bochum (Biology and Microbiology), joined Symrise in 2018 after three years of Postdoc Positions at the Universities of Seville in Spain and Göttingen.

Topic : An innovative, sustainable anti-dandruff approach combining piroctone olamine and decylene glycol for a synergistic antimicrobial effect, helping to rebalance the scalp microbiota and meet modern regulatory expectations.

5. MRGPRX2 – An Important Mast Cell Target to Address Itchy Skin

Speaker : Maria Reichenbach – Manager, Cell & Molecular Biology. Maria studied Biochemistry at Leibniz University Hannover and did a PhD at University of Hamburg in cooperation with Beiersdorf in skin biology. After her postdoctoral research at the Freie Universität Berlin she started the position as Manager Cell & Molecular Biology at Symrise.

Topic : Exploring how SymCalmin® Avena ia targets MRGPRX2, a key mediator of itch and redness, to provide relief for skin sensitivity and atopic conditions.