A chemistry company is harnessing AI to develop new beauty products and stay on top of trend cycles
Albert Invent is a digital platform that uses AI-driven analysis to assist chemists with research.
The platform integrates data from electronic lab notebooks to speed up product development.
This article is part of " How AI Is Changing Everything: Supply Chain," a series on innovations in logistics.
Cosmetic chemistry, or the science of making beauty products, is a complex process that requires understanding how ingredients interact with each other and with the skin.
With so many variables to consider — safety, shelf lifespan, texture, and appearance — the process of blending ingredients for face creams, eye shadows, lipsticks, and other cosmetics can be time-consuming for chemists, who typically conduct independent research to figure out which compounds and minerals can work together to create a safe, effective, and sellable product.
Albert Invent, based in Oakland, California, seeks to simplify this process for chemists with its digital platform called Albert.
The company's CEO, Nick Talken, said Albert enables chemists to research and develop safe, high-performing products without the need to refer to the notebooks and spreadsheets where they typically store data. Since Albert integrates data that's already been stored in electronic lab notebooks and laboratory information management systems, chemists can come up with test-worthy formulations in less time.
How AI can help chemists develop safe and effective cosmetics
Albert is trained on more than 15 million molecular structures, Talken said. When chemists — from companies like the adhesive and cleaning supplies manufacturer Henkel, the Teflon-maker Chemours, and the chemical manufacturing company Nouryon — use the platform, they can look up which permutations of molecules will work best to achieve a specific goal.
The platform was designed to capture the kind of information that chemists typically track in notebooks or on spreadsheets, such as the materials and substances they might use, their compositions, and processing steps.
When a chemist asks Albert for input on which other substances work well with a particular ingredient, the system offers feedback on possible substance combinations and predicts the physical, toxicological, and visual properties of new compounds before they are synthesized in a lab. This AI-driven analysis gives formulators the opportunity to determine whether a concoction is safe and effective to produce, or whether they should scrap the idea, in minutes.
Albert Invent partnered with Nouryon, which owns a collection of formulation strategies for the personal care industry (think cosmetics, hair care, and skincare products) that have been cleared as effective and safe. The result: a digital platform for developing new cosmetics formulations, called BeautyCreations.
Instead of employing the traditional product-development methods of trial and error and real-time experimentation — methods that can typically take anywhere from four to six weeks — Nouryon's chemists can use BeautyCreations to look through the company's existing formulations for hair and skincare products and filter for results that match their desired safety standards and marketing claims, all while adhering to stringent development timelines.
David Freidinger, the vice president of personal care and pharma at Nouryon, said this technology has enabled the company's chemists to develop new products from almost anywhere in the world. It's also improved the speed and quality of Nouryon's internal product development, as the company can look at BeautyCreations data to better understand market trends and prioritize development initiatives accordingly.
An AI tool for chemistry beyond cosmetics
Arthur Tisi, a former CTO and chief information officer who advises private equity and portfolio companies on digital technology strategies, said that the molecular AI technology behind Albert could be of use to other data-heavy industries in the future.
"The ability to 'digitalize' our technical expertise and make it available to customers 24/7 enables accelerated scaling and efficiency in customer support," Tisi wrote in a recent email to BI. He added that tools like Albert are powerful because they offer both product-formula data and consumer insights.
Tisi said that in the future, the value of molecular AI will go beyond its speed benefits. He said that this technology has the potential to uncover certain chemical formulations that scientists might miss.
Freidinger said industries that use reams of empirical data to create products or deliver services could benefit from AI tools like Albert to improve speed and quality.
"The same technology that speeds up skincare development can revolutionize personalized medicine, where rapidly identifying the perfect molecular combinations could mean delivering custom-targeted therapies for individual patients, potentially turning fatal diagnoses into manageable conditions," Freidinger said.
Meanwhile, Talken said that Albert has the potential to be used for inventing new polymers and batteries.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Insider
5 days ago
- Business Insider
A chemistry company is harnessing AI to develop new beauty products and stay on top of trend cycles
Albert Invent is a digital platform that uses AI-driven analysis to assist chemists with research. The platform integrates data from electronic lab notebooks to speed up product development. This article is part of " How AI Is Changing Everything: Supply Chain," a series on innovations in logistics. Cosmetic chemistry, or the science of making beauty products, is a complex process that requires understanding how ingredients interact with each other and with the skin. With so many variables to consider — safety, shelf lifespan, texture, and appearance — the process of blending ingredients for face creams, eye shadows, lipsticks, and other cosmetics can be time-consuming for chemists, who typically conduct independent research to figure out which compounds and minerals can work together to create a safe, effective, and sellable product. Albert Invent, based in Oakland, California, seeks to simplify this process for chemists with its digital platform called Albert. The company's CEO, Nick Talken, said Albert enables chemists to research and develop safe, high-performing products without the need to refer to the notebooks and spreadsheets where they typically store data. Since Albert integrates data that's already been stored in electronic lab notebooks and laboratory information management systems, chemists can come up with test-worthy formulations in less time. How AI can help chemists develop safe and effective cosmetics Albert is trained on more than 15 million molecular structures, Talken said. When chemists — from companies like the adhesive and cleaning supplies manufacturer Henkel, the Teflon-maker Chemours, and the chemical manufacturing company Nouryon — use the platform, they can look up which permutations of molecules will work best to achieve a specific goal. The platform was designed to capture the kind of information that chemists typically track in notebooks or on spreadsheets, such as the materials and substances they might use, their compositions, and processing steps. When a chemist asks Albert for input on which other substances work well with a particular ingredient, the system offers feedback on possible substance combinations and predicts the physical, toxicological, and visual properties of new compounds before they are synthesized in a lab. This AI-driven analysis gives formulators the opportunity to determine whether a concoction is safe and effective to produce, or whether they should scrap the idea, in minutes. Albert Invent partnered with Nouryon, which owns a collection of formulation strategies for the personal care industry (think cosmetics, hair care, and skincare products) that have been cleared as effective and safe. The result: a digital platform for developing new cosmetics formulations, called BeautyCreations. Instead of employing the traditional product-development methods of trial and error and real-time experimentation — methods that can typically take anywhere from four to six weeks — Nouryon's chemists can use BeautyCreations to look through the company's existing formulations for hair and skincare products and filter for results that match their desired safety standards and marketing claims, all while adhering to stringent development timelines. David Freidinger, the vice president of personal care and pharma at Nouryon, said this technology has enabled the company's chemists to develop new products from almost anywhere in the world. It's also improved the speed and quality of Nouryon's internal product development, as the company can look at BeautyCreations data to better understand market trends and prioritize development initiatives accordingly. An AI tool for chemistry beyond cosmetics Arthur Tisi, a former CTO and chief information officer who advises private equity and portfolio companies on digital technology strategies, said that the molecular AI technology behind Albert could be of use to other data-heavy industries in the future. "The ability to 'digitalize' our technical expertise and make it available to customers 24/7 enables accelerated scaling and efficiency in customer support," Tisi wrote in a recent email to BI. He added that tools like Albert are powerful because they offer both product-formula data and consumer insights. Tisi said that in the future, the value of molecular AI will go beyond its speed benefits. He said that this technology has the potential to uncover certain chemical formulations that scientists might miss. Freidinger said industries that use reams of empirical data to create products or deliver services could benefit from AI tools like Albert to improve speed and quality. "The same technology that speeds up skincare development can revolutionize personalized medicine, where rapidly identifying the perfect molecular combinations could mean delivering custom-targeted therapies for individual patients, potentially turning fatal diagnoses into manageable conditions," Freidinger said. Meanwhile, Talken said that Albert has the potential to be used for inventing new polymers and batteries.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Yahoo
Russian lawmakers push for right to ignore Western company buyback options
(Reuters) -Russian lawmakers are pushing for new rules to give domestic companies the right to ignore any buyback options they agreed with Western firms that left the country, to keep a grip on strategic sectors and promote domestic production. Hundreds of foreign companies have left Russia since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, by selling, handing the keys to existing managers, or abandoning assets. Many, including McDonald's, Henkel and Hyundai Motor, secured buyback deals in case they wanted to return. But Moscow is putting up barriers to re-entry, Reuters reported last month, and now, the State Duma's committee on property issues is seeking to enshrine those obstacles in law. "The bill sets out the specifics of the repurchase of assets by departing foreign investors," the committee said in a statement published on Thursday to accompany the bill's second reading in the lower house of parliament. "It allows Russian citizens and companies to refuse to return assets to foreign investors, subject to a number of conditions linked with their connection to unfriendly countries, dishonesty when selling assets and fulfilling obligations to employees and creditors." Essentially, buyback options can be rejected if the buyer is from a country that imposed sanctions against Russia, the deal was concluded after February 24, 2022 - the day Russia invaded Ukraine - and the purchasing price is below the asset's current market value. Furthermore, Russian authorities will be able to prohibit asset purchases by foreigners if there could be a significant impact on the Russian economy's development. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Thursday said Russia would be interested in the return of companies that left "carefully", but decried the "rude" companies that abandoned staff and sectors. "A special regime will naturally be applied during their attempts to return," Peskov said. The committee chair, Sergei Gavrilov, said the bill would protect the rights and interests of Russian businesses, but lawyers Reuters spoke to said cancelling these buyback options could lead to international arbitration. "The unilateral cancellation by the state of contractual obligations stipulated in investment agreements or even within the framework of ordinary civil legislation can be regarded as a violation of investment protection obligations," said Yekaterina Drozdova of law firm FTL Advisers. (Writing by Alexander Marrow; Editing by Elaine Hardcastle)
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Yahoo
Wilkes-Barre hotel project moved from former Hotel Sterling site to old Martz Trailways building on Public Square
May 15—WILKES-BARRE — A long-awaited hotel and convention center originally planned for the former Sterling Hotel site will now be located in a vacant office building on Public Square, project officials announced Thursday. During a press conference at Wilkes-Barre City Hall, Mayor George Brown, along with developer Hysni 'Sam' Syla and project engineer George Albert, unveiled plans to use the old Martz Trailways building at 46 Public Square as the location for the $20 million project. "The hotel will be a milestone for Wilkes-Barre. The project will attract tourists, business travelers and large events, while creating good jobs for our residents. It's the perfect fit for our city's vibrant downtown and strategic location, making Wilkes-Barre a go-to destination for Northeastern Pennsylvania," Brown said. Renovations are expected to begin in the fall of this year, with a grand opening slated for mid-fall 2026. According to project officials, the hotel will feature 110 rooms and a 10,000-square-foot banquet hall capable of hosting 500 guests. Amenities are to include a fitness center, restaurants and a business lounge. According to Albert, the building has over 100 surface parking spaces located in the rear. Additionally, more parking is available at a public parking garage on North Main Street. Albert also said the hotel will be under a national brand, but it was too early in the process to release information on the name. Plans for the Sterling site are now once again up in the air, but Syla told the Times Leader Thursday that he is developing new plans for the site that should be announced soon. H&N Investments LLC originally purchased the property from the city in 2018 and later announced plans to construct a Gateway Hyatt Place Hotel and Conference Center there. Over the years since then, updates on the project came in fits and starts, with the last one in December 2024, when the developers were approved for several variances by the Wilkes-Barre Zoning Hearing Board to build a parking garage and lot on the proposed site. Stephen Barrouk, a commercial real estate broker, who Albert said is now no longer involved with the project, told the Downtown Residents Association back in March that he expected to break ground on the project in a few months. However, Albert explained at the press conference that the COVID-19 pandemic dramatically changed the dynamic of the hospitality business, causing supply chain issues and labor shortages that are still affecting the industry today. "The hotels essentially shut down, ultimately making it almost impossible or very challenging to obtain financing for the project and ultimately resulting in cost increases of almost a hundred percent for construction," Albert explained. The engineer said what was once a $20 million project ballooned to over $40 million this year. "Ultimately, over time, the project scope there got chiseled away," Albert said. "We had a big rooftop bar, we had multiple restaurants, we had a huge banquet facility. And as the dollars rose and the cost increased, we continued to squeeze out the scope of that project to only being a hotel with a small internal restaurant." There also wasn't adequate parking at the Sterling site and Albert said construction of a parking garage on the property would have compromised half of it. However, with the recent acquisition of the building on Public Square, project officials are planning to return to their original, grander plans for the project. In closing, Albert thanked Brown, city council and the community at large for helping move the project forward for the last roughly 6 years. "We want to see the city succeed and this is our goal," Albert said. Syla also expressed his gratitude to the mayor and the city, as well as to Sen. Marty Flynn Rep. Eddie Day Pashinski for their continued support. "Today I am very happy. Not just for me, for myself, which I do something. But six years ago, I promised here to everybody, to people, we're gonna do hotel," he said. Additionally, Flynn expressed his commitment to securing state resources to ultimately finish the project. He said the hotel will fill a demand that has yet to be fulfilled in the city. He continued, "You know, the downtown is really buzzing, but the investment in downtown has been historic year after year for the past 10 years. And we — this will be a wonderful addition to downtown Wilkes-Barre and we're interested in getting this to the finish line." Pashinski expressed similar sentiments. "The bottom line is, I think what's going to occur with this development is gonna be very, very important, very special to Wilkes-Barre and also to the surrounding areas," he said. According to previous reporting, 46 Public Square was previously scheduled for online auction beginning April 7. The building once housed the Martz bus terminal before it moved to the nearby James Conahan Intermodal Facility and also was home to Mimmo's Pizza, which closed last April after 42 years.
