RIFM Board Names New President

News provided by

Research Institute for Fragrance Materials, Inc.

Apr 24, 2012, 11:49 ET

WOODCLIFF LAKE, N.J., April 24, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Chair of RIFM's Board of Directors, Dr. Sean G. Traynor, announced, "Dr. David K. Wilcox is the new president of the Research Institute for Fragrance Materials, Inc. (RIFM)."

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Dr. Wilcox comes to RIFM from the Colgate-Palmolive Company in Piscataway, N. J. where he served as V.P., Product Safety, Regulatory and Quality. He succeeds Dr. Ladd W. Smith who retires at the end of May.

Dr. Wilcox represented Colgate, on a global scale, to scientific experts from governments, academia, NGOs, and to legislative representatives, shareholders, media and various consumer groups. Previously, he was with The Procter & Gamble Company as a toxicologist in Regulatory and Human and Environmental Safety. Dr. Wilcox also served as Associate Director of the Ophthalmic Research Center at The Eye and Ear Institute of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Penn.; Assistant Professor of Microbiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Pittsburgh, School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Penn.; and Instructor of Ophthalmology at the Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass.

Dr. Wilcox received his B. S. in Biology from Clarion State College in Clarion, Penn and his Ph.D. in Biological Sciences from University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Penn.

"Dr Wilcox's experience has required him to communicate complex scientific and regulatory information to business partners in a clear manner, gaining alignment with both internal and external stakeholders, enabling the development of science-based strategic plans to address safety/regulatory issues," said Dr. Traynor, "These qualities will aid him in building on the legacy of his predecessor, Dr. Smith. We are grateful to Dr. Smith for his 14 years of service to the industry. RIFM has experienced significant evolution during his tenure."

RIFM is the international scientific authority for the safe use of fragrance materials. RIFM generates, evaluates and distributes scientific data on the safety assessment of fragrance raw materials found in personal and household care products. Through extensive research, testing and constant monitoring of all scientific literature available, RIFM maintains its Database as the most comprehensive source worldwide of physical-chemical, toxicological and eco-toxicological data associated with known fragrance and flavor materials. All of RIFM's scientific findings are evaluated by an independent Expert Panel—an international group of dermatologists, pathologists, toxicologists, reproduction, respiratory and environmental scientists. The Expert Panel evaluates the safety of fragrance ingredients under conditions of intended use and publishes their results in peer-reviewed scientific journals. The decisions of the Expert Panel regarding restrictions of use are also published in the IFRA Standards. For more information about RIFM and its activities, visit www.rifm.org or e-mail [email protected].

Contact: Marie Gartshore, Communications Manager
e-mail: [email protected]
tel: 201.689.8089, ext. 111

SOURCE Research Institute for Fragrance Materials, Inc.