Senior Customer Development Analyst

Olay and Kenvue unveil dermatology innovations at AAD 2026. Key takeaways. * AAD 2026 underscores growing demand for science-driven, dermatologist-aligned skincare. * Olay shifts skin aging science toward cell adhesion, not just collagen. * Kenvue highlights clinically backed innovations in hydration, acne, and UV protection. Kenvue and Olay are presenting research and derma-cosmetics innovations at the 2026 American Academy of Dermatology Annual Meeting (AAD 2026) in Denver, Colorado (March 27-31). Olay is focusing on the anti-aging role of cell adhesion in maintaining skin strength and resilience with its proprietary research revealed at the meeting. Meanwhile, Kenvue is showcasing findings and innovations from subsidiaries Neutrogena, Aveeno, and Rogaine in the healthy aging, skin hydration, UV protection, and acne segments. Olay turns the leaf on collagen. Olay is presenting its research focused on cellular connectivity and cell adhesion at AAD 2026. Stating that it has identified cell adhesion as a critical biological driver of skin aging, the anti-aging skin care giant claims to provide insights into why some skin ages more slowly than others. The company draws attention to the key role cell adhesion plays in maintaining skin strength and resilience, noting the shifting focus from collagen, which has been the focal point of traditional skin aging research. Olay says it has discovered that, with time, degradation of cell adhesion and junction proteins aggravate signs of aging, including wrinkles, sagging, texture, and brightness. Utilizing transcriptomic and proteomic analyses, the company's researchers found that individuals who are identified as "exceptional skin agers", or people who appear younger than their calendar age, demonstrated higher genetic expression connected to cell adhesion and barrier function. Conversely, skin that visibly ages through wrinkling and sagging, for example, shows a significant reduction in cell adhesion. The findings suggest that visual aging may have a genetic component associated with cellular connections. Olay has employed these findings to build peptide technologies such as its proprietary Triple Collagen Peptide in order to embolden cell adhesion pathways. Studies on the peptide suggest improved markers of skin barrier structure and cell adhesion. The company also found niacinamide to improve cell adhesion. "For decades, the conversation around skin aging has centered on collagen," says Dr. Rolanda Wilkerson, principal scientist at OLAY. "Our latest research shows that how skin cells connect - what we call cell adhesion - is just as critical. That insight is shaping how we innovate, including how we use technologies like our Triple Collagen Peptide to help support skin structure and improve visible signs of aging." Olay is integrating the findings into its product portfolio by incorporating the aforementioned Triple Collagen Peptide technology in existing formulations such as Olay Regenerist Micro-Sculpting Cream and Olay Regenerist Retinol24 Night Moisturizer. Furthermore, the company is also including cell-adhesion technology in its Regenerist Treatments collection, a portfolio of anti-aging products targeting visible aging without invasive procedures. The collection is powered by Olay's proprietary blend of Triple Collagen Peptide and Argireline Peptide- Hexa-Repair Peptide Complex. Kenvue focuses on skin health. The US consumer health company is presenting data and developments in UV absorption technologies, superior hydration maintenance, refined blemish support, and skin barrier reinforcement at AAD 2026. "We are contributing to an industry-wide reimagining of the beauty aisle by creating accessible, effective formulas that are backed by science and co-designed by dermatologists and trichologists," says Dr. Michelle Bateson, vice president and head of North America Research and Development at Kenvue. "Healthcare providers are the most trusted source for personal care advice, and our research demonstrates how blending clinical data with cultural relevance to address everyday skin health and beauty challenges is the key to forging trust and connection with healthcare providers and consumers." Kenvue reports that eight in 10 people use skin care to mitigate aging, indicating an increasing consumer demand for a sense of control in how their skin ages and how it changes over time. Neutrogena is presenting research for UV-induced damage that showed that its dual action 15% vitamin C serum, Neutrogena Collagen Bank Vitamin C Serum, supports skin barrier strength. In the moisturizer segment, Neutrogena and Aveeno focus on deep hydration for clinically sensitive skin. At AAD 2026, Neutrogena is presenting pre- and post-procedural clinical results of its Hydro Boost line on a panel, underlining its redness-reducing and texture-smoothing effects in post-aesthetic treatments. Meanwhile, Aveeno is reporting findings from studies on two of its oat-based products. Skin Relief Healing Ointment is said to demonstrate superior moisturizing effects on skin when compared to a leading petrolatum ointment. The second product, Calm & Restore, is an oat flour and oat beta-glucan said to improve hyaluronic acid production in skin, mitigating UV-stress-induced skin deterioration. In another study presented at AAD 2026, Neutrogena showcases findings regarding Clear Pore Cleanser/Mask, which, through its 3.5% benzoyl peroxide formulation, is said to provide daily blemish control while maintaining skin barrier integrity. For sun care, Kenvue states that only 17% of consumers categorize sun care in their top three personal care steps despite recognizing its preventative benefits according to its New View of Care Report. The company is presenting various sets of data regarding products containing bis-ethylhexyloxyphenol methoxyphenyl triazine (BEMT). BEMT is a widely internationally used broad-spectrum UV filter that is being considered for approval by the US. Several other studies presented at AAD 2026 indicate gaps in sun damage prevention. Two of which study the damage caused by boundary region light (wavelengths 380-430 nm), which are not covered by most UV protection products, using Neutrogena Helioplex 360.

Enter the shark tank: how Kenvue innovates its operations. Monthly meetings give employees the chance to pitch their ideas and potentially have them deployed, said Meri Stevens, COO of the Tylenol and Neutrogena brand owner. Published March 11, 2026 To drive operational innovation, companies must field ideas from all corners of the organization and move fast on those with potential, Kenvue COO Meri Stevens said during a session at Manifest 2026 in Las Vegas last month. For Kenvue, owner of brands such as Tylenol, Band-Aid and Neutrogena, that means avoiding what Stevens called "pilot purgatory" and making sure employees are comfortable moving on from ideas that aren't up to snuff. "We have to be able to kill things off almost as fast as we test in order to be able to get there," said Stevens, a former Johnson & Johnson supply chain executive. "And so we're scanning, we're looking, we're testing, we're throwing things out, and then those things that win, we lean into, and then we scale globally." Kenvue's spinoff from Johnson & Johnson in 2023 gave Stevens - who took over as Kenvue COO the same year - the opportunity to help build a new culture that would address challenges by drawing on ideas from across the organization. At first, Stevens saw that Kenvue employees were tackling the same issues separately with "hundreds and hundreds" of ongoing projects. She wanted to ensure that ideas could be heard more easily and leveraged globally, an undertaking aided by what she called the "shark tank." Shark tank meetings happen monthly, during which the company looks for ideas that can drive benefits in 30 to 90 days, according to Stevens. Large-scale participation is key to ensuring everyone feels heard through the process, she added. "It lets us constantly disrupt ourselves because we want to be able to move with the speed of competition," Stevens said of the shark tank. "But it's also creating a mindset shift within our organization that great ideas come from everywhere." While the company doesn't invest in every idea, ideas that win consistently introduce touchless processes to Kenvue's operations - including steps within those processes they can turn into agents - which can free up employees "to do more interesting work," according to Stevens. "Resources are finite, and so by using agents, that creates an infinite source of capability that if I'm not leveraging it, it's not enough," Stevens said. "So those ideas are paramount." During the shark tank, the proposed innovations have to stand up to a "digital council," which determines how to disperse available funds among accepted shark tank ideas and deploy them globally, Stevens said. The innovations aren't limited to Kenvue's largest plants, she noted, as smaller factories can typically test and learn from the ideas more quickly. "We're able to fund quite a lot of them, and our yield now on the money we throw in those buckets... it's 10 times in-year savings for the money we're spending," Stevens said. Prioritizing innovation has led to several tangible benefits for Kenvue, according to Stevens. This includes using technology to help inform predictive maintenance for factory equipment, limiting downtime and enabling a better balance of spare parts inventory. "Imagine the cost that has come out of that system by being more predictable, not maintaining spare parts I don't need, and being able to have most efficient technicians who can manage and do that maintenance very quickly because they have the tools that they need," Stevens said.