Driving the Future of Hair Care: Product Development Powered by Innovation

AGENDA:

• 3:00-4:00 PM – Registration / Networking Hour
• 4:10-4:20 PM – Introduction
• 4:25-4:55 PM – Roselin Rosario-Meléndez, Ph.D (Consultant)
• 5:00-5:30 PM – MOE WITWIT (KDC)
• 5:35-5:45 PM – Break
• 5:45-6:15 PM – Dionicia Torres (Unilever)
• 6:20-6:50 PM – Renuka Rathi (Olaplex)
• 6:50-7:00 – Wrap-up/Thank You
• 7:00-8:00 PM – Dinner / Raffle

Roselin Rosario-Meléndez, Ph.D., is a chemist and scientific consultant specializing in polymer science, delivery systems, and applied materials for cosmetic and personal care applications. She earned her B.S. in Chemistry from the University of Puerto Rico and her Ph.D. in Polymer Chemistry from Rutgers University, where her doctoral research focused on polymers for controlled drug delivery.

She brings over 13 years of industry experience spanning ingredients development, cosmetic product invention, and medical device improvement.

Dr. Rosario-Mélendez is a named inventor on more than 50 patents, reflecting extensive expertise in translating advanced materials research into commercially viable technologies.

She is the founder and principal consultant of RRM Inventive Solutions Hub, LLC, where she leads work in cosmetic formulation science, polymer-enabled performance, and responsible product development. She advises brands and organizations on innovation strategy, ingredient functionality, and product efficacy, with a strong emphasis on scalable, market-ready cosmetic technologies. Through her work, Dr.

Rosario-Meléndez helps multidisciplinary teams bridge scientific innovation with performance, safety, and responsible implementation.

Dionicia Torres is a Senior R&D Scientist in Unilever’s North America Hair & Skincare team, where she leads and accelerates innovation programs, driving cutting‑edge science forward and transforming breakthrough technologies into meaningful product advancements for the future of hair care. Her work deepens the scientific understanding of textured hair—advancing fiber biomechanics, new analytical methods, and next‑generation technology development—while translating emerging research into scalable innovations that strengthen future pipelines.

With expertise spanning early formulation design, component qualification, scale‑up, and deployment, Dionicia serves as both inventor and integrator—bringing new analytical methods, advanced testing capabilities, and breakthrough technologies directly into product development. Her scientific contributions, including patents in hair science, help shape innovation strategies that unlock new consumer benefits and elevate category performance.

A dynamic scientific communicator, Dionicia is known for translating complex data, methodologies, and mechanisms into clear, compelling insights for industry audiences—fueling broader understanding of how science accelerates product innovation.

Moe Witwit is the Vice President – Global Technical Solutions and Key Innovation at KDC/One, (where he drives site-level research and development initiatives while ensuring alignment with both regional and global R&D strategies. As an R&D Site Leader, Moe is responsible for developing and implementing site-specific strategies that align with corporate roadmaps, overseeing NPD innovation, tech transfer, and product development activities.

With over 35 years of hands-on experience formulating personal care products, OTC, and cosmeceuticals, Moe brings deep technical expertise in formulation chemistry, regulatory compliance, and manufacturing processes. His strategic vision translates global and regional R&D strategies into actionable site-level plans, ensuring efficient execution of projects while maintaining quality, budget, and timeline requirements. In addition, overseeing 3 major innovation pillars (Hair, Skin, and Body) for Center of Excellence (COE) working with Chemists throughout all the KDC sites

Career Achievements and Background
Moe’s career began at the bench where he spent over 35 years formulating personal care products, earning executive-level positions at industry-leading organizations including Global and Indie and Emerging brands.

Moe holds a B.A. in Chemistry from California State Northridge College (1992) and is the inventor on multiple patents related to novel spiral compositions, swirl design in cosmetic containers, and skin lightening compositions, demonstrating his continued commitment to innovation and technological advancement in the beauty industry.

Renuka Rathi is a Senior Scientist at Olaplex, where she leads formulation innovation and accelerates the development of next-generation hair science technologies. With over 11 years of experience across prestige brands and contract manufacturing, Renuka brings a unique dual perspective to the bench—bridging the gap between complex chemical research and scalable, market-ready product excellence.

Specializing in molecular hair repair and preventative protection, Renuka’s work is centered on enhancing hair fiber architecture and structural integrity. She is known for her relentless curiosity, consistently deep diving into emerging hair technologies and researching the synergistic functionalities of raw materials to unlock transformative consumer benefits. Her technical expertise is reflected in her patented research regarding synergistic material benefits—a contribution that helps shape future innovation pipelines and elevates hair bond category performance.

From researching ingredient efficacy to developing high-performance prototypes that challenge competitive benchmarks, Renuka is dedicated to transforming breakthrough science into meaningful product advancements. She holds both a Master’s and a Bachelor’s degree in Cosmetic Science from India, fueling her passion for formulating and solving complex formulation challenges and substantiating claims that stand out in a global market.

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