The Eco Well podcast

Is formaldehyde in cosmetics something everyday consumers actually have to be worried about? What does the science actually have to say about this? To help me unpack the topic, this week's episode features the POVs of toxicologist, Dr Joe Zagorski, and cosmetic chemist, Gabrielle Dwyer. The right expertises - which are often missed in popular reporting - to help do this topic justice. This convo will give you a run down of what you should know about formaldehyde in cosmetics. Spoiler: this topic has a ton of misinformation around it that's had pretty profound impacts on the cosmetics industry... Interested in supporting the podcast? Please share, subscribe and write a review if you haven't already! If it's accessible, you can also support my work on Patreon at www.patreon.com/theecowell. Big thank you to all of my patreon supporters for supporting my scicomm!

This podcast features another roundtable discussion, this time on Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR), which is becoming increasingly important to the beauty industry. If you are a beauty brand that hasn't heard of EPR yet, you need to change that ASAP, trust me! Some of the potential fines of not complying with the new rules that are cropping up are upwards of 50k USD PER DAY! This convo featured general EPR consultant Dr Michael Washburn, and the beauty industry specific view point of Dr Akemi Ooka, who is the CEO of the trade association independent beauty association, who's been doing a lot of work on the EPR front. My hope is that by the end of this discussion, you'll have a good 101 of what's been happening, and if you're a brand, a good diving board so you can take the right steps to keep up! Interested in supporting the podcast? Please share, subscribe and write a review if you haven't already! If it's accessible, you can also support my work on Patreon at www.patreon.com/theecowell. Big thank you to all of my patreon supporters for supporting my scicomm!

There is a lot to unpack when it comes to skin cancer and preventative measures against it. It's a huge and complicated topic that I think has sometimes been oversimplified to the point where the messages have become problematic... This podcast will give you a 101 on skin cancer, to hopefully help you cut through the noise. This is a roundtable convo, featuring skin cancer researchers David Whiteman PhD and Ade Adamson MD - both of whom are doing some big work in this research area and towards sound health policy to address skin cancer. Covered in this episode: what is skin cancer? how does it happen and how does that vary depending on the cancer and person? how do we prevent skincancer, and how may that vary? what should people know? why are public health guidelines different for this stuff? and lots more! Interested in supporting the podcast? Please share, subscribe and write a review if you haven't already! If it's accessible, you can also support my work on Patreon at www.patreon.com/theecowell. Big thank you to all of my patreon supporters for supporting my scicomm!

Chemist and science communicator Michelle Wong, toxicologist Joe Zagorski, and nutrition researcher Kevin Klatt unpack expert-led misinformation. They explore misleading credentials, algorithm-driven overconfidence, brand incentives, institutional failures, and why hazard is not the same as real-world risk. The roundtable also examines whether experts should correct one another, how self-correction builds trust, and a framework for spotting dodgy authorities.

This episode is a 2026 update on where things are at with animal testing in beauty. A roundtable discussion featuring the POV of regulatory expert from the brand side of things, Jonathan Reynolds & regulatory toxicologist from the ingredient supply side, Barae Jomaa PhD ERT. What has happened, is happening and is on the way, and why? Where are we at with non-animal safety testing methods, what is up with China, what does cruelty free even mean, what are common misconceptions about this topic? We covered all this and lots more! Interested in supporting the podcast? Please share, subscribe and write a review if you haven't already! If it's accessible, you can also support my work on Patreon at www.patreon.com/theecowell. Big thank you to all of my patreon supporters for supporting my scicomm!

A roundtable on women in science communication - and some of the often unspoken barriers in this space. Featuring Dr Jen Gunter, Dr Michelle Wong and Emily Graslie. There's a lot here, I think the points raised in the discussion are really important for everyone to be aware of. Interested in supporting the podcast? Please share, subscribe and write a review if you haven't already! If it's accessible, you can also support my work on Patreon at www.patreon.com/theecowell. Big thank you to all of my patreon supporters for supporting my scicomm!

This week's episode is all about influencer marketing, and what everyone needs to know. There are rules, and very real potential repercussions, for brands AND influencers for not getting them right. This podcast features a roundtable discussion with Jennifer Santos from BBB National Programs, now program director of the Center for Industry Self-Regulation, C-I-S-R, and Meredith Petillo, VP of technical regulatory affairs at Independent Beauty Association. Interested in supporting the podcast? Please share, subscribe and write a review if you haven't already! If it's accessible, you can also support my work on Patreon at www.patreon.com/theecowell. Big thank you to all of my patreon supporters for supporting my scicomm!

This week's episode covers skin aging and skin longevity as a trend in beauty. How much can cosmetic regulated products really do, how do skin longevity claims fit within what cosmetics are allowed to say, from testing to ingredients to formulas - what innovation is happening in this space and more. Coming at the topic from the product development perspective with Kailey Bradt, the clinical testing perspective with Rania Ibrahim PhD and dermatologist Omer Ibrahim MD for a roundtable conversation. Interested in supporting the podcast? Please share, subscribe and write a review if you haven't already! If it's accessible, you can also support my work on Patreon at www.patreon.com/theecowell. Big thank you to all of my patreon supporters for supporting my scicomm!

There has been A LOT happening with talc - from class action lawsuits, regulatory action, a testing proposed rule and its subsequent withdrawal, and so on. There's also been a huge amount of incorrect or misleading reporting on what's been happening, making everything extra confusing... This episode will serve as a 101 update on talc in beauty + a breakdown on WTF is happening. There's a lot! To help me do the topic justice, this weeks episode features toxicologist Lyle Burgoon PhD ATS. Interested in supporting the podcast? Please share, subscribe and write a review if you haven't already! If it's accessible, you can also support my work on Patreon at www.patreon.com/theecowell. Big thank you to all of my patreon supporters for supporting my scicomm!

Last year, in our deep dive into the research available, Lanesa Mahon (PhD candidate/cosmetic scientist) came to the conclusion that exosomes are quack science. In this episode, Ryan Kudla PhD will try to change our minds. We covered a lot of ground in this episode - from what exosomes are, the different types in beauty, how they're made, and the research to support them. Why is so much of that research behind corporate doors, and are we meant to just trust companies? I really enjoyed this podcast format, props to Ryan for agreeing to literally be grilled by Lanesa and I. Now the question to our audience - after you listen to the episode, let us know if Ryan changed your mind! Interested in supporting the podcast? Please share, subscribe and write a review if you haven't already! If it's accessible, you can also support my work on Patreon at www.patreon.com/theecowell. Big thank you to all of my patreon supporters for supporting my scicomm!