Spelman College Honored for ‘Investing in the Future of Beauty’ at the 2nd Annual Beauty Icon Awards

Bronner Bros. Recognized the Cosmetic Science Program for Cultivating Talent and Innovation

ATLANTA, Oct. 19, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Spelman College’s cosmetic science program received the ‘Investing in the Future of Beauty’ award at Bronner Bros. 2nd annual Beauty Icon Awards for its leadership in advancing inclusive beauty innovation and preparing the next generation of cosmetic science professionals. On October 10, Leyte Winfield, Ph.D., professor of chemistry at Spelman, accepted the award on behalf of the program.

Spelman’s cosmetic science program is the first undergraduate cosmetic science program at a Historically Black College and University and the second program of its kind in the U.S. The program aims to advance the future of inclusive beauty innovation by addressing longstanding gaps in beauty research and expanding representation for Black women in the beauty industry.

“We created this because we understood that we needed to empower black women to be the innovators and the experts in this beauty industry. We also wanted to make sure that we could direct them into these careers,” said Dr. Winfield, founder of Spelman’s cosmetic science program. “We’re in a moment where Black women in STEM are considered the invisible scientists, so we’re very intentional about raising visibility around the contributions that Black women have made to this industry and making sure they have our support as they design the products that we need.”

The Beauty Icon Awards honor the icons, innovators and trailblazers shaping Black beauty culture. The College was honored alongside industry leaders from Carol’s Daughter, Topicals, Design Essentials and more. Spelman’s recognition was presented by ECO Style and highlighted the cosmetic science program as an educational pipeline developing talent, expanding how young women see themselves within the industry and helping build the scientific and business leadership beauty will need for the future.

“Black women have been consumers of beauty products for eons, but we need to be able to contribute to creating our own,” said Spelman President Ayanna Howard in an interview that aired during the award ceremony. “You can’t just be consumers; you have to be developers. We have to imagine what it is to be active participants.”

Dr. Winfield was accompanied by colleagues from Spelman, including Miesha Williams, Ph.D., associate professor of economics; Michelle Gaines, Ph.D., associate professor of chemistry; Lakesha Stevenson, internal evaluation and program monitoring manager; Karen Hines, laboratory educator; and Micaha Brooks, program coordinator for the cosmetic science program. Spelman students Kychelle Barnes, C’2027, Camille Waterford, C’2028, and Jada Lewis, C’2028, were also in attendance.

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About Spelman College
Founded in 1881, Spelman College is a leading liberal arts college widely recognized as the global leader in the education of women of African descent. Located in Atlanta, the College’s picturesque campus is home to 2,700 students. Spelman is the country's leading producer of Black women who complete Ph.D.s in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). The College’s status is confirmed by the U.S. News & World Report, which ranked Spelman No. 34 among all liberal arts colleges, No. 34 for undergraduate teaching, No. 2 for social mobility among liberal arts colleges, and No. 1 for the 20th year among historically Black colleges and universities. Recent initiatives include a designation by the Department of Defense as a Center of Excellence for Minority Women in STEM, a Gender and Sexuality Studies Institute, the first endowed queer studies chair at an HBCU and a program to increase the number of Black women Ph.D.s in economics. New majors, minors and programs have been added, including documentary filmmaking and photography, refugee studies, gaming, and the first undergraduate cosmetic science program at an HBCU. Collaborations have been also established with MIT’s Media Lab, the Broad Institute and the Army Research Lab for artificial intelligence and machine learning, among others. 

Outstanding alumnae include Children’s Defense Fund founder Marian Wright Edelman, former Walgreens Boots Alliance CEO Rosalind Brewer, political leader Stacey Abrams, Federal Reserve Governor Lisa D. Cook, former Acting Surgeon General and Spelman’s first alumna president Audrey Forbes Manley, Harvard University professor and former Dean Evelynn Hammonds, actress and producer Latanya Richardson Jackson, global bioinformatics geneticist Janina Jeff and authors Pearl Cleage and Tayari Jones.

To learn more, please visit spelman.edu and @spelmancollege on social media.

About Spelman College's Cosmetic Science Program
Spelman College's Cosmetic Science Program is advancing the future of inclusive beauty innovation by expanding representation and intentionally positioning Black women as lead formulators, researchers, and product developers in a rapidly growing STEM sector. The cosmetic science curriculum was initially conceived as a certificate offering in the eSpelman online program and launched as an expansion of Spelman’s STEM programing in 2024. As the first undergraduate cosmetic science program at a Historically Black College and University, the program seeks to provide a unique perspective on the science of beauty at the intersection of race, gender, and culture. Through cutting-edge laboratory experiences, strategic industry partnerships, and experiential learning opportunities, students develop the expertise needed to create products that better serve the African American community while addressing longstanding gaps in beauty research and development.

Brijea Daniel
Spelman College
brijeadaniel@spelman.edu