Transparency, AI, and our values.

Trust comes from being clear about how we work. At Cosmetic Affairs, people write our articles and take responsibility for what we publish. We sometimes use artificial intelligence to assist with editing, and some of our editorial images are AI generated. Here is what that means for you as a reader.

Human writing, with AI assistance

Our articles are written by humans. We sometimes use AI tools to help with spelling, grammar, structure, or clearer phrasing. A human editor makes the final decisions about the text, its meaning, and whether it is ready to publish. Using a tool does not transfer that responsibility.

AI can produce convincing errors, lose context, or make uncertain statements sound settled. We treat its suggestions as material to evaluate. An AI response is not a scientific source, a fact check, or an expert review. Claims need supporting evidence from sources readers can examine.

Routine language editing is covered by this policy. If AI has a more substantial role in a particular article, our standard is to explain that role alongside the piece so readers can judge it in context.

AI-generated images

We sometimes use AI-generated illustrations to introduce a topic or give an article a visual setting. We label them in the image caption, including when an image looks photographic. These illustrations are not photographs of actual laboratories, people, products, or events.

A generated image is not evidence. It cannot demonstrate product performance, ingredient safety, experimental results, or a compliant manufacturing process. Equipment, materials, and working practices shown in an illustration may be simplified or inaccurate; they should not be treated as instructions.

Our standard is to identify AI-generated or substantially AI-altered imagery where it appears. Diagrams and conceptual illustrations should also make their purpose clear, rather than suggest they are measured results.

Guest articles and submissions

We welcome original guest articles that help readers understand cosmetic science, ingredients, formulation, and manufacturing. We value authentic voices, useful experience, and a willingness to explain the evidence behind an idea.

Send a short pitch or a completed article to info@cosmeticaffairs.com. Include your sources, a brief introduction, any relevant affiliations or commercial interests, and your preference for public attribution. Submitting an article does not guarantee publication; contributions are reviewed for relevance, accuracy, originality, and fit with our editorial standards.

Education, without promotion

Guest articles may not promote companies, brands, products, services, or the contributor’s own business. We do not accept sales pitches, press releases disguised as articles, affiliate promotions, or submissions written primarily to obtain backlinks. References needed to explain a subject must be factual and relevant, with any interests disclosed.

Guest contributions are subject to the same source and correction standards as the rest of the journal. Paid placements are handled separately and clearly labeled, as explained in our editorial policy.

Your choice of public credit

If you choose a public byline, you will have your own contributor page with an agreed biography and a list of your published articles. You can also choose to contribute without your name being published. In that case, the article carries the Cosmetic Affairs Editorial publication credit, and we do not create a public author profile for you or attribute the post to you by name.

Tell us which option you prefer when you submit. We agree public attribution with you before publication. A publication credit identifies the journal’s editorial responsibility; it does not imply that a particular named person wrote the article.

Authentic human work

Entirely AI-generated articles are not welcome. We want your own thinking, writing, and perspective. AI assistance with language or editing is acceptable under the standards above, but it must not replace the human contribution. Please explain any AI assistance when you submit so we can assess it fairly and disclose a substantial role where relevant.

Submit work you wrote and have permission to share. Do not pass off someone else’s writing, an AI rewrite, invented research, or experiences you did not have as your own. Authenticity matters more to us than a polished voice or an impressive job title.

The values behind the work

Evidence before certainty

We link to original research, official documents, and other relevant source material wherever possible. We keep the limits of that evidence visible. A finding about an ingredient does not establish what every finished product containing it will do.

Clarity without exaggeration

We aim to explain technical subjects in language readers can follow, while preserving the qualifications that matter. We distinguish a reported fact from an interpretation, an example from a tested procedure, and a proposed rule from a binding requirement.

Curiosity and intellectual honesty

Good questions matter more than confident language. We acknowledge uncertainty, avoid filling gaps with invented details, and change our conclusions when better evidence warrants it. We do not fabricate quotations, references, credentials, or first-hand experience, whether with AI or without it.

Visible commercial relationships

Readers should be able to recognize when someone has paid for a placement. Sponsored stories and sponsored resources identify the paying partner. Relevant affiliations and commercial interests should be disclosed where they matter to the story. Payment or a product mention is not evidence for a scientific claim.

Human accountability

An author or publication credit identifies responsibility for an article. A named reviewer credit means that person has actually reviewed the piece; it is not added simply because a source was consulted or a tool was used. We do not present AI assistance as professional expertise.

Corrections and questions

We can make mistakes. When a factual error needs correcting, our policy is to explain what changed and date the correction. Substantive revisions carry an updated date; fixing a typo does not imply a fresh scientific or regulatory review.

If something appears inaccurate, an image label is missing, or our use of AI is unclear, email info@cosmeticaffairs.com. Include the page link, the passage or image in question, and any relevant source. You do not need to have a replacement source to raise a concern.

Our editorial policy explains source handling, contributor and reviewer credits, regulatory context, sponsorship labels, and corrections in more detail. You can also read about the journal and our editorial publication credit.

Last updated: 17 October 2026.