Allure: The Science of Beauty

About Allure: The Science of Beauty

Join Allure as we explore the inextricable link between science and beauty — and don't be surprised if you discover your next favorite serum, hair mask, or scalp treatment along the way. Jenny Bailly, executive beauty director, and Dianna Mazzone, senior beauty editor, are asking the tough questions and getting the straight answers from dermatologists, cosmetic chemists, and at least one expert on climate change (we said the questions were tough). So if you’ve always wondered what a wrinkle actually is (and how retinol can make it go away), or why your hair is curly (and which polymers will give it the most spring), come get nerdy with us!

Publisher

Allure & Condé Nast

Category

arts

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

8 Oct 2020

Latest episode

6 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

3 of 45 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   6 Oct 2026TRANSCRIPT

   From Wanting Implants to Proudly Going Flat With Stephanie Germino

   Host Jessica Cruel interviews Stephanie Germino about her journey from wanting breast implants to embracing an aesthetic flat closure and advocating for body positivity.

2. 

   29 Sept 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Raven-Symoné on the Surgery She Got Twice–and Regrets

   “I really wasn’t speaking a lot about my personal life in my younger years,” Raven-Symoné told Jessica Cruel, editor in chief of Allure and host of the Perspectives podcast. But that’s changing now. Raven details the different pressures she endured as a young woman in the entertainment industry, from close scrutiny of the food she ate to the explicit expectation that she’d conform to a hyper-feminine aesthetic. For her, breasts are intimately connected to body image and weight management; she talks about shopping for hours in a day, afraid to go in the men’s section where she thought she’d find more comfortable options, instead looking for hard-to-find women’s clothes that would fit her breasts and her hips. Raven had two breast reductions before she turned 20, which she now regrets because, she says, “It was hastily done,” adding, “I wish I was stronger to say no.” Now, Raven is done with constraints. Accepting her sexuality, wearing the clothes she feels comfortable in, and surrounding herself with people who keep her from “having to perform,” Raven is creating a life that prioritizes being grounded. When asked about how she thinks about her body currently, Raven celebrates throwing away her fajas for good, doing 100 squats a day, and eating healthy—but still making sure to eat. When she thinks about her younger self, and how she could have guided her through the hard times, she says, “It’s gonna get better later…. You’ll take the brunt of what it looks like to be a thicker person in the industry; other people will come and make it super popular, and you’ll have to just hold the trauma from that time for others…. And if you look at the silver lining in it, it’s the strength, it’s the courage, it’s wisdom for another time.” And, Raven concludes, “You were right: A toasted sesame bagel with cream cheese and tomato and a little bit of salt is delicious. You’ll be able to have it when you get older.” Perspectives is a new series exploring the topics that shape women's lives today with honest, nuanced, and deeply personal conversations. The first season examines the cultural significance of breasts through intimate accounts and expert interviews, hosted by Allure’s editor in chief Jessica Cruel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

3. 

   22 Sept 2026TRANSCRIPT

   GLP-1’s Are Making Breast Lifts More Popular Than Ever, According to Dr. Lisa Cassileth

   Dr. Lisa Cassileth is a breast surgeon in Beverly Hills, which, according to her, means encountering “so many bad boob jobs.” But repairing someone else’s questionable handiwork happens to be one of Dr. Cassileth’s specialties, along with innovative reconstructions and other thoughtful surgical developments that prioritize positive patient outcomes and well-being. Dr. Cassileth was the first female chief of plastic surgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and has started two practices of her own. “Women aren’t really getting breast reductions as much as they used to,” Dr. Cassileth tells Jessica Cruel, host of the Perspectives podcast and editor in chief of Allure. That’s largely due to the impact of GLP-1s. “[Patients are] getting breast lifts because after the weight is lost…it’s really now a skin problem.” Breast lifts are aided by an absorbable mesh, which can hold the breast in place while scar tissue and collagen forms to support the newly tightened skin. Dr. Cassileth discusses this and other trends and technological developments in the breast surgery space, including improved implants, fat transfers for augmentations, the use of peptides for expedited recovery, and the influence of AI. Her office uses AI-enhanced modeling to preview surgical outcomes, but Dr. Cassileth and other cosmetic and medical providers are also facing the reality that patients’ expectations are being skewed by AI-generated images. “Even though I’m a plastic surgeon,” Dr. Cassileth says, “and I have a lot of tools at my disposal, not even natural humans can achieve what AI is achieving.” Still, a lot can be achieved. Dr. Cassileth talks through the essential steps for safe and sterile breast reconstruction or augmentation, and explains why patients seeking breast reductions are her favorite to work with. She also details the expectations she has for mastectomy surgeons in hospitals, calling out high rates of mastectomy flap necrosis, which happens when skin tissue dies due to lack of blood flow, complicating reconstructions. “You can have plastic surgeons that are fantastic, but if the mastectomy surgeon who removes the breast tissue is still making a big line, or if the overlying skin dies at the time they do the mastectomy, because the skin is thinned out too much, then,” Dr. Cassileth asks, “how does a plastic surgeon do a good job?” Perspectives is a new series exploring the topics that shape women's lives today with honest, nuanced, and deeply personal conversations. The first season examines the cultural significance of breasts through intimate accounts and expert interviews, hosted by Allure’s editor in chief Jessica Cruel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Inside a recent episode

From Wanting Implants to Proudly Going Flat With Stephanie Germino

Published 6 Oct 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] And then I met my partner, Diana, in 2019. And she's been very supportive. And it was actually her that empowered me to go flat. Because even when I scheduled my consultation with my breast surgeon, I was going to get implants. It wasn't until we had this one conversation. And mind you, my fiance, her ex-partners have all been You know, done up implants, long hair, all of the things very feminine in the societal sense. But she was the one who told me, like, listen, you don't have to do that. Like you're doing a preventative surgery, risk reducing surgery. And we've had a couple of friends who've actually experienced implant illness. […]

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.7 / 5

244 ratings

Spotify

4.8 / 5

53 ratings

Contact Allure: The Science of Beauty

Guest appearances

Does not typically book guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

Shows with a similar audience

• 

  Gloss Angeles

• 

  Breaking Beauty Podcast

• 

  The Beauty Brains

• 

  My Life Online With Susan Yara

• 

  Fat Mascara

• 

  Naked Beauty

Questions about Allure: The Science of Beauty