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0We’re almost at the end of Season 1, so I’m very happy to squeeze in an episode with a scientist before the end of the series. Sanford Browne has a background in microbiology and, at the time of recording, was the VP of Research and Innovation at L'Oréal China. He has since been promoted to the SVP position covering all of Asia Pacific and has also moved to Tokyo, so we were lucky to catch him while we could.
From a scientific perspective, our discussion ranges from the cuticle angles of hair to the affects of urbanisation on skin. But the most fasting parts of our chat are when Sanford links his knowledge of science to his knowledge of the Chinese consumer, and reveals how these two factors together are influencing the world of beauty research and innovation globally.
Sanford Browne’s object: This set of little wells of material. You’ll need to listen to the episode to discover what they are!
Sanford Browne’s favourite WeChat sticker: This stunned pug. （Add @oscar10877 on WeChat to join the Group and see the original sticker）
Sanford Browne: L’Oréal products for China used to be designed for Europeans and later localised. Nowadays they are formulated specifically for the Chinese consumer.
Sanford Browne: It is often said in the West that Chinese women have amazing flawless skin. But what do Chinese women see when they look into a mirror?
Sanford Browne: There’s a reason why Chinese people’s hair is the world’s most susceptible to damage. Listen to the podcast to find out more.
Sanford Browne: Historically, women in China would only wear makeup on special occasions such as their wedding or at Chinese New Year.
Sanford Browne: Urbanisation has compounded the stresses on our skin, especially because of the synergistically negative combination of pollution and UVA rays.
Sanford Browne: Smart materials are being developed that in future will be able to attack particular genes or skin cells.
Sanford Browne’s favourite word or phrase in Chinese: 千里之行，始於足下 （Qiānlǐ zhīxíng, shǐyú zúxià - A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step）.
Sanford Browne’s favourite place to visit in China （1）: 曲阜 （Qūfù）, the birthplace of Confucius.
Sanford Browne’s favourite place to visit in China （2）: Mount Everest, particularly when the mountain suddenly appeared through the clouds.
Sanford Browne’s favourite place to hang out （1）: Anywhere he can get to with his motorcycle and sidecar.
Sanford Browne’s favourite place to hang out （2）: Hiya at the Edition Hotel.
Sanford Browne’s favourite song to sing at KTV （karaoke）: 小苹果 （Xiǎo píngguǒ - Little Apple）.
One of Sanford Browne’s favourite China-related information sources: SHINE （Shanghai Daily）.
Sanford Browne’s selfie with Oscar.
