7 Connecticut Well, 2020 was a whirlwind year for the records, but the Connecticut Chapter stood together and was able to remain united in our mission to spread scientific knowledge. We started of the year strong with our unknowingly last in person meeting of the year in January. Susan Pungitore from Symrise shared with us insights into preservatives in the world of changing consumer expectations, market trends and updated regulation. We had an excellent discussion over good food with this well attended meeting and were looking forward to an exciting year. Unfortunately, in March we decided to cancel our remaining in person meetings. Instead, our membership quickly pivoted to a new way of working. Our Nutmeg Newsletter became the main source of community within the Connecticut SCC as we shared the new ways we were working, our accomplishments for the years, as well as interesting technical publications. Luciana Coutinho, Chief Product Officer at Luluble, was originally scheduled to speak at our April meeting. Instead, she graciously contributed an original technical article providing great insights into clean formulating which can be found in our November 2020 newsletter. Our 2020 board members all generously agreed to stay on and “repeat” the year, as our new board members for 2021. Our officer installation was conducted by Patricia Singh, Area I director and Liz Streland, incoming SCC president in a virtual installation in November. While we are all looking forward to the time where we can be together again, the CTSCC board will continue to provide educational and social benefits to our members – whether virtually or (fingers crossed) in person!

8 Michigan What a unique year 2020 has been! On Friday, March 13, many companies closed their doors and sent employees home due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Who would think that we’d be working from home for over 12 months, we’d learn how to conduct virtual meetings using various software platforms such as Zoom, Microsoft® Teams, Go To Meeting™, and Cisco WebEx, children would be receiving online classes in their PJs, curbside pickup would be the new way to shop, the Olympics would be cancelled, and Christmas photographs with Santa would be taken wearing a mask. In 2020, the Michigan Chapter of the Society of Cosmetic Chemists turned to the virtual world for chapter meetings. Due to travel restrictions for our first meeting on March 12, we had to pivot and act quickly to accommodate live participation at the Paddock Place restaurant, our speakers presenting virtually from different parts of the US, and chapter members joining online from home. The meeting was quite a success with only a couple technical challenges. Industry professionals, Anna Gripp and Nicole Paraszczuk from BASF presented “Sunscreen Regulation Changes and Trends in 2020.” While formulation expert, Susan Sperring, Senior Technical Manager from Symrise spoke about “Formulating Effective Sunscreens.” Her presentation won Susan the 2020 Best Speaker Award from the SCC Michigan Chapter. The Michigan Chapter wants to say thank you to Susan and congratulations! Michael Starch was presented the 2019 SCC MI Chapter Merit Award for his critical role as the author of our newsletter, News from the Mitten, and for serving as chair of the Publicity Committee, a position he’s held since the inception of the chapter in 2013. The Michigan Chapter members are truly appreciative of Mike’s tireless efforts to support communications for our chapter. Congratulations Mike! At our May meeting, we learned how to formulate dioxane-free Personal Care products. Robert Coots, Ph.D., Research Consultant at Colonial Chemical gave an interesting, technical presentation on the subject. This was our first completely virtual meeting using the Zoom software platform. Being somewhat early in the “new norm,” participants were hesitant to turn on their computer cameras. In September, Alison Griffin, Regional Head at Sudarshan North America Inc., presented “Decoding the Crystal Ball: Color Trends - Where they come from and how they translate for Cosmetics, Fashion, Home & Décor.” We learned about historical color influences, impact from celebrities and media, the Pantone color of the year, and various marketing companies that influence the colors in fashion each year. At our November chapter meeting, we learned about formulating new combinations of silicones with natural ingredients to enhance the feel of formulations. Dr. Pete LeBaron, Director of TS&D from CHT USA spoke about silicone sourcing and market trends, the fundamental differences between silicone and organic ingredients, new silicone-organic hybrid chemistry, sugar-modified silicones for hair care, and naturally derived carriers for silicone actives. We were very proud to continue our support of the National SCC in 2020 by sponsoring at the bronze level for the 74th SCC Annual Scientific Meeting & Symposium that was held “virtually” for the first time in New York City.