Today’s episode, the last in the current season, is a special edition of Talking Points. This is where I speak to people moving the needle on the beauty conversation. My guest today is Sharon Chuter, the incredible LA based founder of UOMA beauty. She’s also the brains behind the grassroots campaign Pull Up For Change which was launched following the death of George Floyd a year ago calling on beauty companies to be accountable and transparent around their black employees at executive level. We discuss her journey as a beauty founder, her work as an activist and just how much has changed post George Floyd.

In this week's show, I am joined by Chloe Hall, Beauty Director of US Elle. We discuss the culture of celebrity beauty brands, the beauty industry's complicity in racism against the Asian community, Ashley Graham’s Instagram post on hair removal and honouring Ma'Khia Bryant, the 16 year old girl who was murdered by police on the day George Floyd's killer was found guilty, through her love of hair and beauty,

In this week’s show, I am joined by Kristina Rodulfo, the beauty director of US Women’s Health magazine. We examine the racial disparities in the field of dermatology, we ask why beauty’s strive for inclusivity rarely includes disabilities, we consider the future of skincare and discuss the news of Zara’s imminent makeup launch.

In this week’s show, I am joined by Shannon Peter, the beauty director of Stylist Magazine. We discuss the problem with problem solving beauty, question the post pandemic beauty boom, delve into the bias around the naming and numbering system for foundations and we debate the merits of a great sink. In Praise Of … is Emma Hardie's Midas Touch Super Serum.

In this week’s show, I am joined by Darian Symone Harvin, Founder of Beauty IRL, a newsletter publication that covers beauty at the intersection of politics and pop culture. We discuss the evolution of the selfie, what Meghan Markle’s experience tells us about the One Drop Rule and hair discrimination in America. In Praise Of … is StriVectin Intensive Eye Concentrate Plus and this week’s Talking Points guests are Ayana Byrd and Lori Tharps, the authors of Hair Story - Untangling the Roots of Black Hair In America, a book that traces American history through the vehicle, politics and culture of black hair. 2021 marks its 20th anniversary.

In this week’s show, I am joined by the Beauty Editor of Glamour UK, Lottie Winter. We discuss Unilever’s decision to remove the word ‘Normal’ from the front of their beauty and personal care products. We also look at the rising trend of stool gazing , and consider post lockdown scents. In Praise Of … is StriVectin Super C Retinol Brighten and Correct Vitamin C Serum and this week’s Talking Points guests are Jane Cunningham and Philippa Roberts, the authors of Brandsplaining , Why Marketing Is Still Sexist & How To Fix It. They reveal how marketeers are still speaking to women through a male lens, why they are not listening women and what can be done to change this.

In this week’s show, I am joined by the Acting Beauty Director of Elle UK, George Driver. We discuss the disturbing findings about fillers and why influencers are having them removed, the US brand hoping to change the tattoo industry and the ongoing cross generational ‘side or middle parting’ debate. In Praise Of … is StriVectin Lactic Acid Nightly Retexturizing Serum and this week’s Talking Points guest is the model, author and podcaster, Naomi Shimada. She joins me to talk about beauty standards, the impact of social media on mental health and her BBC Sounds podcast, Beauty Fix.

In this week’s show, I am joined by Buro’s Assistant Editor Phoebe McDowell.  We discuss why accentuating dark circles has become 'cool', whether Gwyneth Paltrow's misguided advice for dealing with COVID-19 boils down to white privilege and the news that Kris Jenner is the latest in a long line of celebrities launching skin care. In Praise Of … is StriVectin’’s Wrinkle Recode Moisture Barrier Cream and on Talking Points,  Christina Funke Tegbe, joins me to discuss why she is using her Oprah endorsed  beauty brand, 54 Thrones, to dispel negative narratives about Africa. 

In this week’s show, I am joined by British Vogue’s Digital Beauty Editor, Hannah Coates. We discuss the rebranding of diet culture, whether instagram is no longer the place for frivolity and ask if every make up brand needs to launch skin care. In Praise Of … is Kate Somerville’s Peptide K8 Power Cream and on Talking Points,  Dr Rolanda Wilkerson, the principal scientist behind Pantene’s Gold Series Range for Afro hair joins me to discuss the brand’s campaign to end hair discrimination. 

In this week’s show, I am joined by Beauty Director  and founder of Beauty for Breakfast Dana Oliver.  We discuss the news that medical tourism is booming - more so in the pandemic, the Refinery 29 article on Kamala Harris, colorism and what it says about America's investment in whiteness and we question whether the investment in Thirteen Lune, black beauty platform, by the likes of  Gwyneth Paltrow and Naomi Watts marks a sea change for black beauty founders. In Praise Of … is Murad’s Clarifying Oil Free Water Gel and on Talking Points,  Freddie Harrel, shares how she went from  social media influencer to CEO and founder of Radswan, the afro hair wig brand that raised $2million dollars pre launch.

In this week’s show, I am joined by Glamour’s Beauty Director at Large Anita Bhagwandas.  We discuss the whitewashing of wellness, the pros and cons of slow beauty and we question whether celebrity beauty brands still have a place on today’s beauty landscape. In Praise Of … is Sunday Riley’s Good Genes and on Talking Points,  the author and psychologist Dr Renee Engeln talks about why our obsession with appearance is a cultural sickness.  

In this week’s show, I am joined by Ava Welsing-Kitcher, beauty journalist formerly of Sunday Times Style and Stylist Magazine . We discuss the complicity of the beauty industry in upholding patriarchal, capitalist and white supremacist values, (https://coveteur.com/2020/12/29/jessica-defino-essay-2020/)   Vitamin D and the  £500m+ supplements industry (https://www.mintel.com/press-centre/beauty-and-personal-care/the-vitamin-d-factor-brits-spend-almost-500-million-on-vitamins-and-supplements) , pandemic induced hair loss in young women (https://www.myimperfectlife.com/features/stress-hair-loss-female)  and Pat McGrath’s Damehood. In Praise Of … is Paula’s Choice 0.3% Retinol + 2% Bakuchiol Treatment (https://www.paulaschoice.co.uk/clinical-retinol-bakuchiol-treatment-m8015.html) and on Talking Points, the Carolina Banales and Jasmin Kossman of the  beauty tech company Eyecue to discuss their  eye opening report on diversity in the beauty industry. 

In this week’s show, I am joined by George Driver, Digital Beauty Editor at Elle UK. We discuss Instagram’s latest beauty trend - Health Signalling, the black creatives fighting hair discrimination, controversy around a visible tampon string, Lizzo’s weight loss backlash and  Dolly Parton’s much anticipated fragrance line. In Praise Of … is Kate Somerville’s Exfolikate Intensive Treatment and on Talking Points, Brazilian writer Bianca Costa Sales joins me to talk about her to talk about her country’s obsession with body perfection.

In this week’s show, I am joined by Darian Symone Harvin, Founder of Beauty IRL, a newsletter covering beauty at the intersection of politics and pop culture. Her writing can also be found at New York Times, Refinery29, Teen Vogue, and The Cut. We discuss Emily Rata’s attempt to buy herself back, QAnon and the wellness industry, and ask why black beauty stores are rarely owned by black people. In Praise Of … is Murad’s Invisiscar Resurfacing Treatment and on  Talking Points,  Noelly Michoux , the co-founder of 4.5.6 Skin, the new groundbreaking  personalised skin care brand for darker skin tones. She discusses the necessity for such a brand and how the industry still continues to negate the needs of black people. 

In this week’s show, Sonia Haria, Beauty Director at The Telegraph newspaper joins ORB (https://orbpodcast.com) host, Funmi Fetto to discuss the digital cover of Allure featuring Ellie Goldstein - the 18 year old model with Down Syndrome. (https://www.allure.com/story/ellie-goldstein-model-cover-interview) We also ask whether come 2021 we’ll all be buying less products (https://cosmeticsbusiness.com/news/article_page/John_Lewis_expects_consumers_to_buy_fewer_beauty_products_in_2021/172621) and explore Stella Bugbee’s piece on The Cut (https://www.thecut.com/2020/12/instagram-could-not-handle-2020-either.html) in the context of Instagram as a platform to express ones self - literally and metaphorically speaking. In Praise Of … is Sunday Riley’s Luna Sleeping Night Oil (https://uk.sundayriley.com/products/luna-sleeping-night-oil) and photographer Alexandra Leese is here to talk about Me + Mine her new book which celebrates the power of the female nude. (https://www.antennebooks.com/product/me-mine/)

 In this week’s show, Jessica Schiffer, Contributing Editor at Vogue Business who also writes for The New York Times, Instyle and the Business of Fashion joins me to discuss the Acne Positivity Movement, why beauty’s commitment to diversity is short lived and the Aesthetic Trauma resulting from inherited beauty standards.  In Praise Of … is Paula’s Choice Defense Hydrating Gel to Cream Cleanser and Nina Davuluri, the Michelle Obama endorsed former Miss America  turned activist and filmmaker is with us to discuss her documentary COMPLEXion and her fight against colorism. 

In this week’s special edition show, I am joined by Gina Tonic and Chloe Sheppard, the founders of The Fat Zine, the zine created by ‘fat people for fat people and everyone that cares about them’. We discuss everything from society’s fatphobia to the use of the word FAT and why we all need to confront our biases around fat bodies. 

In this week’s show, Julee Wilson, the Beauty Director of US Cosmopolitan, joins me to discuss the commercialisation of the Black maternal mortality crisis, what everyone can learn about beauty from black women and Pharrell’s new skincare line Humanrace. In Praise Of … is Kate Somerville’s Goat Milk Cleanser and dermatologist Dr Anjali Mahto answers your most asked skincare questions - everything from pigmentation to dark under eyes to laser treatments and why hydroquinone is not such a bad thing. 

In this week’s show, Phoebe McDowell, Assistant Editor at the BURO 24/7 discusses Emma Corrin baring armpit hair on the cover of Glamour UK, the rise of Period Poverty and the meaning of Self Care. In Praise Of … is Murad’s Retinol Youth Renewal Eye Serum. (Sign up to our newsletter (https://onreflectionpodcast.squarespace.com/newsletter) for an exclusive 25% off Murad Skincare on murad.co.uk (http://murad.co.uk/) (T&C’s apply) and the Gen Z founders of Topicals, the hyped up brand rebranding the treatment of stigmatised skin conditions, share their experiences of raising money as young women of colour, systemic racism and launching a brand in a pandemic.

In this week’s show, Tamison O’Connor, Senior Associate Reporter at the Business of Fashion discusses Kamala Harris, politics and beauty, the sustainability problem and the death of the manicure. In Praise Of … is Sunday Riley’s Pink Drink Firming Resurfacing Essence and the award winning journalist and author Alice Hart Davis joins me to discuss her new book , The Tweakment Guide: Start With Skincare,  ageing, ageism and skincare basics