FORMU LATIONFOCUSCOSSMA: Can you describe your overall approach to your ingredient selection and how it informs the development of your formulations?Dr. Ronit Segev: My development process begins with clearly defined aesthetic needs. As a biologist and founder of a professional skincare company, I have continuous exposure to recurring skin concerns that require more precise or more effective solutions. Whether the issue is persistent hyperpigmentation, inflammatory acne, impaired barrier resilience, limited patient compliDr. Ronit SegevFounder and CEO, Biofor,www.biofor.co.il/enance with complex routines, or the specific characteristics of menopausal skin, the starting point is always the visible clinical objective. Only after the aesthetic problem is precisely defined do I investigate the biological mechanisms that generate it. I analyze which pathways are involved, where existing solutions may be insufficient, and whether there is an opportunity to improve outcomes, tolerability, practicality, or formulation elegance. Ingredient selection is therefore never trend-driven. It is strategy-driven. Whenever possible, I rely on actives supported by strong, independent scientific literature. IngrediThis interview examines professional skincare formulation, emphasizing the integration of proven actives with carefully evaluated manufacturer-documented ingredients. It highlights strategies for addressing complex skin concerns within a therapeutic framework, balancing efficacy and tolerability, and identifying opportunities for future innovation.FORMULATION IN FOCUS6 | COSSMA 5/2026Personalities & ProfilesINTERVIEW INTERVIEW
photos: Biofor; Anusorn Nakdee/Shutterstock.coments such as niacinamide, retinoids, azelaic acid, hydroxy acids and green tea have accumulated decades of objective research, and they remain foundational in many of my formulations.How do you evaluate and integrate manufacturer-documented cosmetic ingredients alongside well-established actives when developing your formulations?Cosmetic science has always evolved alongside another important layer of innovation: raw materials documented primarily by their manufacturers. This is not a recent phenomenon. For many years, thousands of functional ingredients have entered the market supported by technical dossiers generated within producing laboratories rather than academic institutions. I do not dismiss such materials. Instead, I evaluate them rigorously. I study the complete technical file, analyze the proposed mechanisms of action, assess concentration relevance, review stability data, examine pH dependency and compatibility within multi-active systems, and determine whether the biological rationale aligns with established skin physiology. Over time, many of these ingredients accumulate field-based validation through professional use, and dialogue within the industry provides additional insight into their realworld performance. In my formulations, well-established actives and carefully selected manufacturer-documented materials coexist. Each is integrated only when it serves a defined therapeutic objective within a coherent formulation strategy.How did you approach the development of a menopause-focused skincare line to address both hormonal changes and broader biological aging mechanisms?Many products in this category primarily concentrate on estrogen compensation and nutritive support. My approach was broader. Menopausal skin reflects not only hormonal decline, but also cumulative structural aging, increased inflammatory signaling, barrier fragility, and an age-associated rise in senescent cells and their pro-inflammatory secretory profile. Addressing this life stage required a multi-pathway strategy that integrates hormonal considerations within a wider biological framework. The development process extended over two years and involved careful selection of ingredients capable of influencing several of these mechanisms simultaneously. Each product is designed as part of a broader therapeutic architecture. Ingredients are selected for relevance, plausibility, and integration potential. The objective is always the same: visible improvement grounded in biological logic and long-term professional reliability.What ingredient classes are currently most exciting to you?I do not organize my thinking around ingredient classes. I organize it around therapeutic objectives. Within every classical category-hydroxy acids, retinoids, biomimetic peptides, botanical extracts there are representatives that may or may not be relevant depending on the problem we are addressing. My interest is not in whether an ingredient belongs to a fashionable group, but in whether it meaningfully contributes to the defined clinical goal. What has become increasingly important to me is how we define that goal.For example, “tyrosinase inhibition” is a narrow objective. “Hyperpigmentation control” is a broader one. Once the objective is defined more comprehensively, the range of possible intervention points expands significantly. Melanin production can be influenced not only through direct enzyme inhibition, but also through inflammatory modulation, reduction of oxidative stress, interference with melanosome transfer, and regulation of different stages within the melanogenesis cascade.The same principle applies to barrier care. Adding lipids is valuable, but the broader objective is restoration of barrier function. That may involve influencing keratinocyte differentiation, supporting lipid synthesis signaling, and improving adaptive recovery capacity-not merely supplementing structural components. When therapeutic goals are defined in this wider, more integrated manner, ingredient selection becomes more precise rather than more limited. For professional skincare, this broader definition of the objective helps ensure that the formulation reflects the biological complexity of the condition rather than a single mechanistic assumption.How do you balance scientific actives with skin-friendly components (such as soothing agents or moisturizers) to ensure both efficacy and tolerability?Active resurfacing and renewal ingredients-particularly certain retinoids and hydroxy acid families-can stimulate the skin intensely. They may transiently disrupt barrier integrity, increase inflammatory signaling, and create sensations of stinging or irritation. While these mechanisms are often part of their therapeutic effect, unmanaged stimulation can lead to barrier impairment, post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, reduced adherence, and undesirable side effects.My approach is not to avoid potency. It is to contextualize it. Every formulation containing stimulating actives is designed with integrated barrier-supporting and soothing components. These include ingredients that reinforce epidermal resilience, modulate inflammatory responses, and support recovery processes during active treatment. However, I do not believe that every powerful product must feel mild from the first application. In certain clinical scenarios – particularly in resistant hyperpigmentation, acne, or photoaged skin – meaningful change requires intensity. Professional products are prescribed and monitored by trained practitioners. They are not isolated consumer items; they are part of a structured protocol. Through education and close collaboration with thousands of therapists, we teach how to introduce active formulations gradually, how to adjust frequency, www.cossma.com | 7
photo: liuhuaxuan/Shutterstock.comhow to layer supportive products, and how to prepare and rehabilitate the skin before and during intensive phases. Over time, the skin adapts, and tolerability improves while results accelerate.What role do anti-inflammatory and antioxidant ingredients play within that framework?For me, a product is never a standalone solution. It exists within a therapeutic framework. An intensive formula may be paired with preparatory, restorative, or calming products to ensure safety and optimize outcomes. I think in terms of systems, not single jars. It is also important to note that “soothing” ingredients are not merely corrective tools to offset irritation from retinoids or acids. Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compounds are integral therapeutic agents in their own right. They play a central role in managing acne, inflammation-driven pigmentation, stressed skin, and compromised barrier states-even in the absence of strong resurfacing actives. Balancing efficacy and tolerability, therefore, is not about weakening the formula. It is about designing powerful treatments within a professional structure that allows both safety and decisive clinical results.How do you decide when to innovate with entirely new actives versus optimizing established ingredients?Established ingredients with strong clinical documentation form the backbone of many of my formulations. Their reliability and predictability are invaluable in professional skincare. At the same time, I continuously evaluate new raw materials entering the market and adopt them only when they address a biological pathway not sufficiently covered within our existing portfolio or meaningfully improve performance, tolerability, or format. Innovation, for me, is not about replacing what already works. It is about expanding therapeutic architecture when there is a justified clinical need.Sometimes, optimizing delivery, stability, concentration balance, or pairing strategy of a known active can produce more meaningful clinical progress than introducing a new molecule.When selecting raw material suppliers, what technical criteria are non-negotiable for you and how do these parameters influence your final formulation architecture?Supplier selection is as critical as ingredient selection. I carefully review the full technical dossier of every raw material, including stability data under stress conditions, impurity profiling, residual solvent levels, heavy metal limits, and batch-to-batch consistency. I am less interested in impressive in vitro claims and more interested in whether the material behaves predictably inside a complex, multi-active formulation. Beyond documentation, I evaluate biological plausibility: whether the proposed mechanism aligns with established skin physiology and whether the effective concentration is realistic within a finished cosmetic product. Compatibility within multi-active systems, pH behavior, oxidative stability, and long-term formulation integrity are essential considerations.Equally important is the quality of scientific partnership. I work with suppliers whose technical teams are accessible, knowledgeable, and transparent. In professional skincare, reliable expertise and consistent support are not secondary factors; they are part of the formulation’s long-term credibility.Looking ahead, are there any ingredient categories you believe are under-explored in professional skincare but ripe for integration into future formulations?I believe professional skincare is only beginning to address age-associated biological changes beyond collagen stimulation. Modulating cellular senescence and its pro-inflammatory signaling environment is an area that deserves deeper exploration. Chronic low-grade inflammatory activity increasingly shapes skin behavior with advancing age, and it requires more precise, mechanism-based strategies.I am also interested in formulations that enhance adaptive resilience rather than focusing solely on visible aging markers. Supporting the skin’s capacity to recover from cumulative environmental and metabolic stress may prove more meaningful than isolated anti-wrinkle approaches. Another under-explored area is late-life skin, particularly in 70-plus populations. Skin in this stage presents structural and functional characteristics that differ significantly from those seen in the 50 – 60 age group, yet dedicated solutions remain limited. As life expectancy increases, aesthetic care should evolve accordingly. I often refer to this as extending the “beauty span” - not merely life span, but the period during which skin function and appearance can be supported in a biologically meaningful way.Professional skincare is only beginning to address age-associated biological changes beyond collagen stimulation.Personalities & Profiles8 | COSSMA 5/2026