This Is Not a Beauty Podcast

A new podcast hosted by Isabella Rossellini explores the hidden role beauty plays in sports, technology, politics, business and more. From top soccer players’ favorite barber to a 107-year-old tattoo artist, each conversation reveals how beauty shapes the human experience.

Beauty and politics are inseparable — from how politicians style their hair and makeup before addressing the nation to how tattoos became tools for resistance. In this comprehensive episode, we’ll explore politics from Elizabethan England to modern-day D.C., where we’ll interview Michelle Obama’s makeup artist, Carl Ray. We’ll then travel all the way to the Filipino village of Buscalan, to hear from a 107-year-old tattoo artist, Apo Whang-od, and tattoo anthropologist Lars Krutak.

How did lipstick become a key economic indicator? Why is Paris the beauty capital of the world? And what can we learn from South Korea’s booming male cosmetics market? In this episode, we’ll interview economist Daniel MacDonald and textured hair expert and entrepreneur Dr. Aude Livoreil-Djampou. We'll take to the streets of Paris, asking people what "French beauty" really means. And finally, we’ll fly to Seoul and speak to Shawn Issure, a content creator and K-beauty expert, who is joined by a translator and talks about the rise in male beauty consumption.

Technology is quickly shaping the beauty industry — but how is beauty shaping technology?In this episode, Nicola Mendelsohn, Head of Global Business Group at Meta, and Louise Yems, Strategy Director of creative agency The Digital Fairy, discuss how online beauty communities and companies are influencing and shaping today’s biggest tech platforms. Next, we travel to Salt Lake City, Utah to speak to Briel Adams Wheatley, an influencer and makeup artist who was born without limbs, about how she built her online career. And finally, we hear from decorated Paralympian Veronica Yoko and L'Oréal Groupe’s Head of Corporate Affairs about how hardware is making the world more accessible and inclusive.

Skin is the biggest, heaviest organ in the body – but what actually is it? And what potential does artificial skin technology have for revolutionizing not only the beauty industry, but medicine and beyond? In this episode, we'll speak to Paul Dalton, Associate Professor at the University of Oregon, who has invented a 3D printer for artificial skin, and Valerie Michault, Research and Development Director of Human and Environmental Predictive Technologies at L'Oréal Groupe. We’ll also hear from several scientists – neuroscientist Afnan Azizi, chemist Catherine Ngila and astrophysicist Becky Smethurst – about how they find beauty in their field of research. And finally, we’ll trace the journey of the molecule Melasyl from lab to product, with the help of L'Oréal Groupe’s Janet Wangari Olivero, VP for Research and Innovation, and Anne Colonna, Head of Advanced Research.

Why does Olympic sprinter Noah Lyles constantly change up his look? How can a fresh haircut improve athletic performance? And what can a 93-year-old cheerleader teach us about growing older? For many, the worlds of sport and beauty seem miles apart. But in reality, they’re deeply connected. In this episode, we’ll travel to Clapham, South London to speak to Sheldon Edwards, the man responsible for the hairstyles of some of the world’s best-known sports stars. We’ll interview Fumie Takino, the 93-year-old founder of the senior cheerleading squad Japan Pom Pom. And finally, speak to the fastest man on the planet, Noah Lyles, to better understand the role beauty plays in the world of elite sports.

Beauty and health may seem in opposition – but in many ways, they are two sides of the same coin. In this episode we’ll hear from Dutch photographer and kickboxer Ilse Twigt on how her relationship with her body changed after fighting cancer. We’ll also hear from Dr. Nina Jablonski, an American anthropologist who has done extensive research into human skin and its evolution. And finally, we fly to Australia to hear from Arjay, a carer in an aged care facility, to hear about how he uses beauty to connect with residents with dementia.

The Oscar-nominated actress is back with a special episode of “This Is Not a Beauty Podcast,” which explores the hidden role beauty plays in sports, technology, health and more. In this episode, Isabella Rossellini reflects on her late-career renaissance, “Conclave” and some of her favorite moments from Season 1. You’ll also hear never-before-shared excerpts from past interviews, such those with the Olympic sprinter Noah Lyles, the barber-to-soccer-stars Sheldon Edwards and the 108-year-old tattoo artist Apo Whang-od.

What does a barber shop have to do with mental health? How have coming-of-age rituals, like the quinceañera, evolved online? How does Deepak Chopra define happiness? And what does tennis superstar Naomi Osaka do to unwind? Hosted by the legendary actress Isabella Rossellini, the award-winning “This Is Not a Beauty Podcast” series from L’Oréal Groupe is back with a new season that continues the exploration of the essential role beauty plays in the human experience. Across six episodes, hear about the often hidden effect of beauty on science, health, relationships, technology, business and sports, through interviews with individuals from around the world.

What does a wildlife biologist do to prepare for a day tagging jaguars in the Pantanal? What is the neuroscience behind our attraction to red lipstick? And what does ethologist and actress Isabella Rossellini find beautiful about turkeys? In the first episode of Season 2, we’re exploring the hidden role beauty plays in scientific research. First, we’ll hear from wildlife biologist and presenter Lizzie Daly about her job tagging jaguars in the wetlands of South America, the importance of scientific communication in environmental research as well as how she protects her skin in extreme environments from the Amazon to the Arctic.Next, we hear from producer and neuroscientist Eva about how our brains process color, as well as how color evokes certain emotions within us. Why, for example, do we associate blue with sadness? And what does the color red stir in us?Lastly, we head to Brazil to hear from Juliana Farias, L'Oréal Groupe’s Head of Research and Innovation in Latin America, about how the country’s history and climate has turned it into an open-sky laboratory for scientists and researchers studying hair.Links below:Lizzie Daly’s website: https://www.lizziedaly.com/“Do we feel colours?” A review of 128 years of psychological research linking colours and emotions, by Dr. Christine Mohr https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39806242/“Does colour really affect our mind and body? A professor of colour science explains” https://theconversation.com/does-colour-really-affect-our-mind-and-body-a-professor-of-colour-science-explains-84382“The surprising evolution of red lipstick and its ancient origins,” National geographic https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/history-of-red-lipstick#:~:text=The%20ancient%20origins%20of%20red,symbolize%20her%20status%20in%20powerListen to our S1 interview with Carl Ray in episode “Leaving a Mark” here:https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/this-is-not-a-beauty-podcast/id1768813164?i=1000671236123 https://open.spotify.com/episode/46SBnKU9LcBAj02bQChpTS?si=a8920dacf7cb466cLearn more about our upcoming episodes here: https://www.nytimes.com/paidpost/loreal-groupe/this-is-not-a-beauty-podcast-season-2.html

What is the connection between beauty, joy and wellbeing? To answer this question, we discover three stories that each unpack the connection between beauty and health from a different angle.And host Isabella Rossellini has some thoughts: ”I grew up in Italy,” she says. “My mother was a Swedish actress, Ingrid Bergman, and my father was Roman, an Italian filmmaker called Roberto Rossellini… I'm embarrassed to say they didn't do much about health… father just ate pasta. In fact, he traveled with spaghetti in his bag to make sure he had the brand he liked the most.”This leads us to our first story, in Sicily, where we speak to Fiorella and her aunt Tiziana about the different ways different generations approach, and define, wellness.Then, we hear from Guive Balooch, who runs augmented beauty and open innovation for L'Oréal Groupe, about a fascinating new technology — Cell Bioprint — that predicts how your skin will age, as well as what ingredients and skincare it needs, with just one touch.Isabella Rossellini shares her relationship with meditation, and the role it played in her relationship with the late director David Lynch, who was a prolific transcendental meditator.And, finally, the holistic health guru Deepak Chopra discusses the connections between wellness, happiness and beauty. Links below:-“Why Youth Mental Health Is On the Decline” https://www.nytimes.com/2024/08/13/well/mind/mental-health-young-adults-trends.html-Learn more about L'Oréal Groupe’s Cell Bioprint here: https://www.loreal.com/en/articles/science-and-technology/cell-bioprint/-Director David Lynch’s obituary in The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/16/movies/david-lynch-dead.html-Learn more about our upcoming episodes here: https://www.nytimes.com/paidpost/loreal-groupe/this-is-not-a-beauty-podcast-season-2.html

In what ways does beauty show up in our friendships? How do barbershops act as spaces for emotional support for men? And what does line dancing and kitsch have to do with self-love and community?In this episode of This Is Not a Beauty Podcast, Isabella Rossellini presents three stories that show the ways in which beauty shows up in our relationships, around the world.First, we travel to Hamburg, New York — yes, legend names it the home of the original hamburger — where one barbershop has become much more about trimming beards. “The tide has turned and people are not socializing the way that they used to,” says Jay, barber and founder of Jay’s Barber Shop. “And in an old -timey barbershop, it was the culture where you would go in, you'd read a newspaper, you'd catch up with the boys, you know, there'd be some, you know, good banter going on. I like the idea of having a space where people get to know each other.”Next, we hop over the pond to Finsbury Park in North London, where one Marie Josee opened a braiding salon 36 years ago after fleeing the Democratic Republic of Congo as a refugee. The salon has since become a support center for those newly arrived in London, and Marie Josee herself has become widely known; popular Congolese songs mention her salon by name, and she has been tapped by Hollywood to create wigs for blockbuster films such as Jurassic Park and Wicked, for which she had to create Elphaba’s wig for Cynthia Erivo in just three days.Finally, we learn about the explosion of line dancing — a folk dance originating in the southern United States — and one Australian group in particular that has adopted it to create a space for playful identity experimentation. “There's a running joke about Melbournians only wearing black,” says Kitty, Disco Rodeo Boot Scooting’s co-founder. “And for me personally, I always felt like I was fighting that urge and always sort of trying to wrangle myself in that respect and that kind of kitschness and that fun and that color. So it's just been really nice to be able to live it, really.”Links below:Jays Barber Shop Facebook https://www.facebook.com/people/Jays-Barbershop/61565204863317/“Weaving a Wicked Community — refugees find safe haven in London braiding salon” https://www.unhcr.org/uk/news/stories/weaving-wicked-community-refugees-find-safe-haven-london-braiding-salon“Wicked: Meet the London Braider Behind Elphaba’s Wig” https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/c2ld25d1ek1o“Line Dancing Toward Euphoria” https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/29/style/stud-country-line-dancing-two-step-class.htmlPeppe Barra’s “Tarantella Maliziosa” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Faji0GKCq7AThe Italian Tarantella [Youtube] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9POXYWLcvYIDisco Rodeo Boot Scooting’s Instagram https://www.instagram.com/disco_rodeo_/Learn more about our upcoming episodes here: https://www.nytimes.com/paidpost/loreal-groupe/this-is-not-a-beauty-podcast-season-2.html

For this episode, host Isabella Rossellini presents three stories exploring the role beauty plays in internet culture — from Get Ready With Me videos to how social media is shaping a centuries-old coming-of-age tradition in Latin America.For our first story, we speak to Habiba Katsha, a tech reporter, with whom we discuss the Get Ready With Me (#GRWM) video trend, and how it’s gaining popularity amongst men.For our next story, we travel to Mexico and hear from journalist Nuria Marquez Martinez who tells us all about the Latin American coming-of-age celebration, the quinceañera, and how today’s teens are transforming it for the internet age. We also hear from Hanna Rojas, who celebrated her quince last October. Finally, we explore comedy; not only the ways in which the internet has shaped how stand-up comedians approach their jobs, but also identity is a key subject for comics writing material.Links below:Tiktok’s ‘Get Ready With Me’ Videos Are a Comforting Phenomenon from Vogue https://www.vogue.com/article/tiktok-get-ready-with-me-videos“The Quinceañera, Redefined” from The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/12/style/quinceaera-genz-millennial.htmlMeet the Latino Boys Decked Out for Their Version of the Quinceañera” from The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/11/us/quinceanera-boys-quinceanero.htmlGetting Ready for Quinceañera with Me on TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/discover/getting-ready-for-quinceanera-with-meLearn more about our upcoming episodes here: https://www.nytimes.com/paidpost/loreal-groupe/this-is-not-a-beauty-podcast-season-2.html