Gather five twentysomethings in a room for three hours and you’ll get more than a few mentions of a “sweet treat”; a comprehensive analysis of the most recent season of “Love Island USA,” and a mutual affinity for kitten heels.

But also: a shared vision for a beauty industry that is more personal, more meaningful and more innovative than it has ever been. Having entered the workforce at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, these young professionals have had to master adaptability from Day One, and as a result, they approach their work differently than most, which has proven to be a strength.

As Maham Ayaz, a 25-year-old senior makeup chemist at L’Oréal, put it: “It’s an advantage to be able to see something without the boundaries of what it’s supposed to look like.”

For the 2025 Wo

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