010 - What I'm Reading: Week of September 10th
👋 Hello everyone.
🔗 Every link in this newsletter routes back to my blog where I provide a summary, my opinion, and access to the original content.
⭐️ = What excites me most this week.
💭 This week’s newsletter includes two posts on exciting areas of innovation, but where the story behind the tech is further along than the actually tech. One is about Altos Labs, the startup focused on reprogramming technologies - turning back time in cells. So far there has been a paper published on this technology in mice, but it still has a ways to go before being used in human therapies. The other, is a piece of research published in BJM showing how the accuracy of AI imaging for detecting breast cancer is still not as accurate as a trained radiologist. Although both technologies are sure to change the future as we know it, their stories are far beyond the current reality.
🗞 NEWS & PRODUCTS
China’s new ban on ‘sissy men’ & ‘abnormal esthetics’ on TV and other video platforms is worrying and will have a ripple effect across fashion, luxury, and beauty. The lack of definition around abnormal esthetics means faces of LGBTQ+, disabilities, and other non-traditional images (single mother)…may be regulated as well.
🧴 Skin:
FEWE, a full cycle personal care brand, offering targeted products for each stage of the female cycle.
Oquist Cosmetics designing waterless, sustainable, and multi-use personal care.
👩🦱 Hair:
Female hair loss can be trickier to treat than male pattern baldness. The future hair loss solutions space is innovating rapidly, developing solutions to better treat female hair loss.
Jennifer Aniston launches her haircare line LolaVie, the first product is a hair mist. The product leans on a plant-based naturals and sustainability story.
🦷 Oral Care:
Adent Health is a new app, that is certified as a medical device, using computer vision to detect 10 common oral conditions, provide solutions, and connect with dental professionals. The founders larger vision is to put quality oral care in the hands of any one on earth.
💊 Supplements:
NuStrips is offering dissolvable vitamin strips, think Listerine strips, as a sugar free single-dose supplement alternative.
♻️ Sustainable Design:
Washland Co, is a new plastic-free and waterless homecare startup focusing first on detergent sheets.
👴 Aging (Senolytics)
Altos Labs, a secretive startup focused on reprogramming (winding back time in cells), received large investments from Jeff Bezos and other well-known entrepreneurs. A look at the technology, who they have hired, and their future plans.
👩🔬 Femtech:
⭐️ Health in Her Hue is a first of its kind digital health platform to connect WOC to culturally competent providers, content, and community. The app has been developed to address the racial health disparities gap and improve health outcomes in the future.
🛍 Retail (e-Comm, Social Commerce, B2B Marketplaces):
The Amazon B2B Marketplace opportunity, its growth, and companies that are investing in this approach.
Dukaan, the Shopify of India, has grand ambitions to bring the 100M+ small business of India online.
🔬RESEARCH
⭐️ A study published in the The British Journal of Medicine shows serious shortcomings of AI imaging to detect breast cancer. This study, examining data sets collected over 12 studies, demonstrates higher accuracy in detection with pairs of radiologists than the algorithm alone, showing the idea of automation taking over radiology is not as close as one might think.
Results of a survey were published in the journal Menopause, a publication from the North America Menopause Society, showed that amongst women ages 35-55 many of the cognitive and mood related symptoms associated with menopause begin well before the average age of menopause 50 (when a woman’s period stops for an entire year). Researchers suggest practitioners and patients be educated on menopause starting at a much earlier age to better understand what to expect, an insight many menopausal consumer brands have been leveraging.
🧴 Skin Care
⭐️ A letter in JAAD highlights the lack of representation of skin of color (SOC) in training materials for the US Medical Licensing Exams, showing the absence of SOC in materials showing common skin conditions, further demonstrating a blind spot in the medical community.
A review in Nature on the formation of biofilms and the pathogens commonly present in biofilms which prevent burns form healing. Understanding biofilm formation is a key to preventing chronic infection, but also potential unlocks to healing technologies.
An antioxidant rich solution designed for men’s skin.
L’Oreal’s Vichy Labs reported findings from clinical studies (with NO control) on two populations who tested M89 (a mask with 89% Vichy volcanic mineralized water and hyaluronic acid) on consumers post laser treatment. Overall the results demonstrate M89 is effective at barrier repair and strengthening, but without a control it is hard to put into perspective what this study means.
🧐 REPORTS
⭐️ Forerunner Ventures published their first State of Service Report, highlighting consumer expectations around shopping, returns, service, and ease of purchase.
CB Insights maps out the BNPL (Buy Now Pay Later) landscape, the key players and what it mean. After last week’s announcement from Amazon about their partnership with U.S. based Affirm, for anyone who would like a refresher on the space, this is a comprehensive one.
💡Enjoy,
-Anne