OUR SPEAKERS – SYMPOSIUM 2025
COSMETIC SCIENCE
Shaping the future
La beauté évolue, portée par la science. À chaque avancée, nos repères changent : soins, normes, procédés, visions. Cette nouvelle édition de l’International Symposium SFC réunira des chercheurs et experts dont les travaux façonnent l’avenir de la cosmétique. Leurs interventions, données en anglais, ouvrent des perspectives inédites pour l’avenir du secteur sur les thèmes clés suivants : Biologie cutanée, Microbiotes, Sciences cognitives et neurosciences, Nouvelles ressources, Nouveaux outils.
Coralie EBERT
MeNow / Founder
Israël
From Molecule to Miracle:
The Transformative Role of AI
in Cosmetic Ingredient DiscoveryArtificial Intelligence (AI) is rapidly reshaping the landscape of cosmetic science—from trend forecasting to personalized skincare recommendations. But perhaps its most revolutionary impact lies beneath the surface : in the discovery and development of new bioactive ingredients.
This presentation explores the historical evolution of AI methodologies, from early rule-based expert systems to today’s deep learning and probabilistic models, and how these advances are accelerating ingredient innovation in the cosmetics industry.
We will delve into how modern AI approaches such as deep Bayesian networks, quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) models, and systems-level omics analysis enable the rapid identification of novel compounds with targeted biological activities. Using two case studies—the discovery of new SIRT1 activators with potential anti-aging benefits and heparanase inhibitors with applications in skin barrier protection and inflammation control—we will illustrate how AI not only enhances the speed of discovery but also increases safety, specificity, and sustainability.
This presentation aims to provide both a conceptual framework and practical insights into how AI is poised to become a cornerstone of next-generation cosmetic innovation—driving cleaner, smarter, and more effective ingredient pipelines.
BIOPIC
Coralie Ebert is the founder of MeNow, a deeptech startup using AI to unlock the hidden power of nature. With a Master’s in Bioinformatics and Biostatistics from École Polytechnique and a PhD in Computational Neuroscience from the Weizmann Institute, she bridges hard science and innovation to design the next generation of bioactive ingredients. Before launching MeNow, she worked in the pharmaceutical industry developing algorithms for early-stage drug discovery — with a special focus on dermatology. Today, her work combines massive molecular data, machine learning, and systems biology to discover novel actives from plants, fungi, and microbes. She recently filed a patent on natural SIRT1 activators derived from Sorghum bicolor, paving the way for new approaches to longevity and skin health.
Patrick VEIGA
INRAE / Scientific Director
France
Gut microbiome : Health from within
The human gut microbiome and its host have co-evolved in a symbiosis that is essential for health. When this equilibrium is disrupted—through loss of diversity or expansion of pro-inflammatory species—the consequences extend far beyond the gut, impacting multiple organs.
In this talk, we will explore the mechanisms that sustain this host–microbe partnership, the systemic consequences of its disruption, and its role in the development of chronic diseases, and on the emerging links to skin health.
BIOPIC
Patrick Veiga joined INRAE’s MICALIS and MetaGenoPolis units in April 2022 as a Research Director. He currently serves as the Scientific Director of MetaGenoPolis, one of the leading international centers dedicated to gut microbiome research, and of The French Gut project—a large-scale citizen science initiative aiming to analyze the gut microbiota of 100,000 French citizens, alongside detailed dietary and health information. His primary research focuses on deciphering the complex interactions between the gut microbiome, diet, and health, with the ultimate goal of identifying microbiome-based strategies for disease prevention and health promotion. Patrick began his scientific career at INRA in 2003, where he conducted both his Master’s and PhD research. In 2008, he joined Danone Nutricia Research, where he studied the impact of probiotics on the gut microbiota. In 2011, he was appointed visiting scientist at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, joining Dr. Wendy Garrett’s immunology lab to investigate the molecular effectors of probiotics in inflammatory gut contexts. Back at Danone in 2014, he co-led the company’s gut microbiome research program and managed a multidisciplinary research team. In 2018, he initiated an international citizen science project in collaboration with Professor Rob Knight (University of California San Diego), exploring diet–microbiome interactions across five countries. In 2019, he was promoted to Scientific Director at Danone Nutricia Research. He obtained his HDR (Habilitation à Diriger des Recherches) in 2021, a French academic distinction that qualifies him to supervise PhD students and lead independent research programs. Patrick Veiga is the author or co-author of 31 peer-reviewed scientific publications, including in high-impact journals such as Nature Microbiology, Nature Communications, and PNAS.
Beyond his scientific work, Patrick is also committed to science outreach. He is the author of the novel Mission: Microbiome – Metchnikoff’s Legacy (Mission : Microbiome – Les héritiers de Metchnikoff), a work of fiction aimed at raising public awareness of microbiome science through storytelling.
Philippe PAPADIMITRIOU
Cosystems / Open Innovator
Suisse
Engineering Intelligent Pathways: Closing the Distance
Tomorrow’s breakthroughs in skincare science will surely be driven by new technologies involving the deliberate choreography of complex biological systems mostly unbeknownst to the cosmetic industry today, far beyond the usual physiological pathways addressed.
Borrowing from biotech’s highly sophisticated emerging techniques and diving into central elusive cellular phenomena, this keynote will take you on a journey into such a probable near future where precision, proximity and adaptive control redefine what efficacy truly means. Expect an ascension toward concepts that challenge conventional boundaries of skin biology and therapeutic design, and a guided exploration of frontier strategies that blur the lines between molecular engineering and cellular self-determination. Prepare to encounter a vision in which intelligent pathways can be steered with unprecedented spatial and temporal accuracy, bringing possibilities once confined to speculative fiction into the realm of applied science, closing the distance between today’s topical activations and tomorrow’s programmable beauty.
BIOPIC
Innovation, curiosity, and science are the three cornerstones of Philippe Papadimitriou’s approach to cosmetics and health. Guided by this ethos, he has led multidisciplinary teams to develop breakthrough formulations, drive market growth, and translate cutting-edge research into consumer-ready solutions. Drawing on extensive academic training in molecular biology, pharmacology, biochemistry, and neurosciences (University of Geneva), as well as a deep expertise in every stage of product development, including designing novel preclinical and clinical studies, Philippe consistently transforms complex challenges into tangible opportunities. With more than 20 years in cosmetology, he today serves as honorary Scientific Director at Hormeta and acts as Open Innovator at Cosystems, the freelance entity he founded in 2019.
Pauline ELIE
Hôpital Lariboisière / Health data protection Advisor
France
Digital twins of human beings for cosmetology: limits and framing
Originating in object modeling, digital twins have been applied for the last decade to human beings: in cosmetology and dermatology, for instance, the digital twin of the skin enables personalized care or early detection of pathologies.
This virtual representation of the body generated by AI systems processing personal as environmental data is currently limited to organs or metabolic functions. But digital twins of people, first promoted by transhumanists in the United States, are now institutionalized through healthcare in Europe, to simulate the whole body and be integrated into Earth digital twin. Hence, these anthropomorphic simulations pose significant risks to freedom, privacy, data protection or human identity: how can they be developed safely to guarantee users’ trust? In light of the principle of data minimisation, we question the very concept of the digital twin
BIOPIC
Pauline Elie is a lawyer, author and ethics advisor. She works on health data protection for a predictive medicine device at Lariboisière Hospital (AP-HP), and regularly contributes to Philo Editions media, notably Philonomist. Her academic publications focus on ‘artificial intelligence’ ethics, social credit systems and the digital twin of a human being. Her thesis in Law, Political Studies and Philosophy at EHESS (UMR 8131) explores the notion of human identity in the digital age. Former student of 42 school of computer science, Pauline Elie holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree, in political science and public affairs from SciencesPo Paris, as well as in philosophy from Nanterre University and Sorbonne University (Paris IV), and a master’s degree in digital private law from Panthéon-Sorbonne University (Paris I).
