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INTERVIEW Tim Probert – Editor, Personal Care Magazine
FACING THE FUTURE
Tim Probert (TP): Tell me about your background. How did you get to become an adjunct instructor at the University of Cincinnati? Kelly Dobos (KD): Well, I am a cosmetic chemist. Have been for about 25 years now. I have always been very interested in science, and that’s how I really ended up at Oberlin College in Ohio, where I got my undergraduate degree in chemistry. Before I went to grad school, I
worked as a lab technician and in formulation development, and I learned quite a bit about product development. Eventually, a position became open at a cosmetics company. I realized that I absolutely loved
making products that people use every day and decided I wanted to make my career in this field. I got my Master’s degree at the University of Cincinnati in cosmetic science, and that’s why I’m so passionate about the cosmetics programme at the University of Cincinnati today. I have returned to be an
instructor in the cosmetic science programme, and I also mentor capstone students. Master’s students need to do a research project at the end of their degree process, and I work with individual students to help them through their research and writing a capstone paper.
TP: I must ask…Dobos. Is that Spanish? KD: Dobos is Hungarian. Both sides of my family are of Eastern European descent, Hungarian and Ukrainian.
Kelly Dobos is a consultant cosmetic chemist and adjunct instructor of cosmetic science at the University of Cincinnati with around 25 years of industry experience. Here, in a forward- looking conversation with editor Tim Probert, Dobos shares her considerable insight on cosmetics innovation, education, AI, trends and regulation
TP: A fine mix. So, tell me about the course you teach at the University of Cincinnati. KD: I teach an on-site colour cosmetics laboratory course. The Master’s programme is an online, distance learning programme for students across the United States as well as globally. We have students all over the
world. As a matter of fact, in my laboratory class that I taught in the summer session, I had a student join us from Dubai. The programme is
multidisciplinary. Students can take core classes and choose what they’re interested in. There are courses covering microbiology, colour cosmetics, regulations, consumer research, fragrance. We have many adjunct
instructors like myself who bring their specific area of expertise and industry experience to the programme.
TP: How many enrol for the course? KD: For my course, I can have up to 12 students a semester. We are limited by the number we
can safely fit in the lab.
TP: How long does it take to complete? KD: The programme can be completed in as little as two to three years. It depends on how many courses are taken during a semester. It is aimed at working
professionals to give them the PERSONAL CARE MAGAZINE October 2026
opportunity to earn a Master’s degree while they work full time.
TP: What do you see from your students that is different in their beauty tastes and trends from older generations? KD: They have access to so much more information, from their smartphones and computers, and they’re much more educated about preventative skin care. Back when I was in high school,
many girls my age were using tanning salons. These days, more young folks are aware of the dangers of things like tanning. They’re a lot more educated and
more focused on protecting their skin. There are pros and cons to
having access to all the information students have today – there’s plenty of misinformation out there – but I would certainly say they’re trying to be more proactive about caring for their skin.
TP: Is there anything in terms of beauty product innovation trends that you’ve seen that you find particularly interesting or compelling right now? KD: I’m seeing a lot of innovation in
how ingredients are manufactured via biotechnology. Synthetic ingredients that are replacing resource-intensive ingredients, or from endangered plant species, and so on. They may not always change
the performance of the product, but it’s an innovation for us cosmetic chemists in terms of sustainability. We’re also seeing real innovation
in product formats such as waterless formats. If you look at laundry detergent
tiles and things of that nature, we can see how consumer behaviour is changing. In body care, bar soap was what
everyone used until around the early 1990s when body wash was launched. Body washes became the primary way for cleansing the body, at least here in the United States. You see aisles of body wash but not as many bars of soap in stores. The future could be an evolution
away from body wash to something like a tile; a solid little flake of body wash that is mixed with water like Olay Cleansing Melts. Another example is nail polish.
Nitrocellulose-based nail polish was the most popular, and then gel polishes came along.
www.personalcaremagazine.com
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