In an internet landscape populated by spin doctors and conspiracy theorists, the beauty industry is notoriously opaque about the truth. From anti-sunscreen advocates to “miracle” hair growth serums, it can be hard to know who and what to believe.
Dr Michelle Wong, a 36-year-old cosmetic chemist from Sydney, is somewhat of a lone ranger in the wild west of social media, where, through her popular blog Lab Muffin and social media channels, she uses science to tackle misconceptions about make-up and skincare. Wong doesn’t talk down to her followers, nor does she shout outsized claims at them, but if you want an engaging breakdown of a hard-to-pronounce ingredient (amodimethicone, anyone?) that doesn’t sound like it’s come straight out of a textbook, she’s your girl.
Dr Michelle Wong uses science to tackle misconceptions about make-up and skincare.Credit: Marija Ercegovac
This kind of frankness and depth of research are hard to find, which explains her large following and standing in the scientific community. Today, she has over half a million followers on Instagram, and is sought after locally and internationally for her expertise, having been interviewed for publications like The New York Times and The Washington Post.
So what exactly makes it so difficult for others to cut through the noise of beauty misinformation? Why is it so hard for cosmetic science to be taken seriously?
“People look down on it,” suggests Wong. “I think it’s partly just standard misogyny, the idea that because so many women are into it, it must be really frivolous and vain. I mean, there are a lot of ‘men’s’ topics that get taken so much more seriously that are equally as frivolous.”
There’s also very little funding for cosmetic research, most of which comes from large companies that Wong says have little incentive to release their findings publicly.
Government funding for cosmetic research is scarce because, as Wong puts it, “it’s really hard to justify, like making your skin look nice compared to research for cancer or climate change or something more pressing.”
“So there’s a lot of research that just never sees the light of day because there’s no benefit to the company in publishing it. Why should they help their competitors by making the research they’ve invested so heavily in public?”
On top of this, Wong explains, the few who graduate from cosmetic science courses typically get snapped up by big cosmetic companies, where they are often bound by non-disclosure agreements. And, she says, the sheer amount of research that goes into her work is simply not attractive to many creators.
Having had a strict upbringing where she wasn’t allowed to wear make-up, Wong’s interest in beauty only started to take shape when she got to university. As a science student, she applied her nose for hard facts and research to her beauty shopping.
Wong started her blog in 2011, when social media was still in its infancy, as a personal project to document her findings.
“There wasn’t much information online at that point. I wanted to record what I was finding by digging through scientific papers, partly because I have a terrible memory but also because I figured other people must have been wondering the same things.”
“I think it’s partly just standard misogyny, the idea that because so many women are into it, it must be really frivolous and vain.”
Over a decade later, science education has become a full-time job for Wong, something she has now extended to publishing. In her debut book, The Science of Beauty, Wong breaks down the myths behind the cosmetic industry, from why natural beauty isn’t necessarily better or safer to what “cruelty-free” actually means.
As an online content creator who debunks misinformation, Wong occupies an interesting middle ground between influencer and anti-influencer. She says she doesn’t mind being called an influencer since, like other influencers, she makes the bulk of her living through brand partnerships.
“It’s always a bit tricky because, obviously, it does introduce lots of questions of conflict of interest,” says Wong.
“I only really accept them if I feel like someone who can’t even buy the product will get something out of the information. So if it’s just completely sales-y, and it’s a completely unique product that doesn’t have some sort of element of scientific interest, then I don’t talk about it, but I also make sure it’s a product that I personally would use and enjoy because I think people do appreciate that aspect too.”
She says she’s generally given a lot of freedom in what she can say and won’t take a deal if she can’t. Does she feel like she’s missed out on opportunities because she’s more discerning than others might be?
“Oh, definitely,” says Wong. “There are deals I have turned down that were really lucrative,” she says.
In the 13 years since she started her blog, Wong says the beauty industry has changed massively.
“I think the knowledge of the average consumer has gone up a lot. And there is more of a sort of appetite for technical information as well.”
This growing appetite, she says, is demonstrated by the growing word count of her blog posts. “I remember in 2011, they were around 200 words. Now, they’re often 3000 words.”
Still, she has her gripes with the industry.
“There are a lot of trendy ingredients with very flimsy data to support them, but they get used in formulations and that messaging filters through to the marketing of the final products to consumers, which perpetuates a lot of misinformation.”
“It’s quite frustrating because we know they can do better.”
And she remains troubled by the industry’s contribution to toxic beauty standards by “capitalising off people’s insecurities or making up problems for things,” particularly among younger generations.
While she doesn’t see anything changing in terms of how research is funded, she says more budding scientists are seeing beauty as a viable career. Over the years, she’s had messages from followers who say she inspired them to pursue a career in cosmetic chemistry.
“My PhD supervisor actually messaged me the other day saying that someone in her class told her she started doing chemistry because of my channel, which was pretty cool.”
The Science of Beauty by Michelle Wong is out June 25 and is available now for pre-order.
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