Johann Wiechers was both an extremely well-regarded member of the cosmetic science community and a singular personality. He was known for his "calling it as he saw it" temperament, and the crux behind his tenure of study and research was the betterment of formulative science and the exposure of inconsistent, incomplete, or just plain wrong work in the industry.
Following his untimely death in late 2011, Wiechers’ treatise on the state of the global cosmetic industry was collected and is now available for the first time in print with a new preface by Rachel L. Grabenhofer, editor of Cosmetics & Toiletries magazine, and a new afterword on the importance of Wiechers’ opinions and vision by Howard I. Maibach.
By turns confrontational and acutely funny, Memories of a Cosmetically Disturbed Mind is both a timely manifesto on what our industry is meant to represent and a fitting curtain call for one of his generation’s best and most beloved practitioners.
Johann W. Wiechers earned his PhD in skin penetration enhancement from the University of Groningen, The Netherlands. Over his tenure in the cosmetics industry, he worked for Unilever Research and Uniqema, and further was a Visiting Professor at the University of London School of Pharmacy. Wiechers' other profession accomplishments included a role as Technical Advisor for Allured Business Media's magazine and books divisions and a stint as president of the IFSCC. In 2007, he opened a successful independent consultancy business in cosmetic science. Johann Wiechers passed away in 2011.
"Memories of a Cosmetically Disturbed Mind by Dr. Johann Wiechers is an enjoyable read. This book provides Dr. Wiechers' unique perspective on many topics that are important and relevant for our industry.... a timeless book in its most authentic form."
—Dr. Olga Dueva-Koganov
Sr. Principal Scientist, BioMaterials, Akzo Nobel Surface Chemistry LLC