Key Takeaways:
For decades, the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) Annual Meeting has been the clinical crown event of the dermatology industry. Founded in 1938, the AAD has over 20,000 members worldwide, and its Annual Meeting has been where prescription drugmakers, device manufacturers, and researchers have unveiled the latest advances in skin health since 1939. The AAD’s meeting has always had a clinical-first rigor, with rows of poster presentations, CME (continuing medical education) sessions, and pharma-backed seminars designed to educate dermatologists and drive progress in patient care.
However, at the 2025 Annual Meeting in Orlando, Florida, attendees noticed a new presence in the exhibit hall. Alongside exhibit booths of medical dermatology products and devices, a growing number of consumer-facing skincare brands were exhibitors, commanding attention with clinical trial data and experiential activations. What was once a strictly clinical space has begun to blur the lines, with legacy dermocosmetic names and consumer brands alike utilizing the AAD as a stage to earn professional validation as well as consumer trust.
The turning point can be attributed to the clinical skincare category’s explosion in retail. By the late 2010s, mass retailers like Target, CVS, and Ulta were giving significant shelf space to dermatologist-backed brands like Eucerin and Vichy. While “dermatologist-approved” is not a regulated term, social media accelerated the trend, making “derm-approved” a shorthand for efficacy.
Almay was the first to market itself as “dermatologist-tested” in 1931, though the idea gained traction in the ’60s when Clinique dressed its saleswomen in lab coats and enlisted a dermatologist advisor. From the start, the phrase was a symbolic seal of authority designed to reassure consumers, and today, consumer brands are actively selling to dermatologists and their patients.
However, this creates an ultracompetitive playing field. For conglomerate-owned brands such as CeraVe and Lubriderm, it is easy to afford perks that strengthen physician relationships, whereas indie disruptors face a David-and-Goliath challenge. Even exhibiting at the AAD Annual Meeting requires a large investment, making it a high-stakes game for smaller brands aiming to be dermatologist-recommended in a space increasingly shaped by clinical authority and consumer demand. As a result, the AAD Annual Meeting, once considered somewhat irrelevant for consumer-facing players, has now become a destination for consumer skincare brand building.
From Hype to Hard Evidence
In 2023, L’Oréal Dermatological Beauty hosted its debut booth as a major sponsor of the event, showcasing multiple dermatological brands under its umbrella, including La Roche-Posay, CeraVe, and SkinCeuticals. For La Roche-Posay, the AAD Annual Meeting has since become a strategic pillar—the brand first affirmed its presence at the AAD in 2010, when presenting the winners of its North American Foundation Research Awards.
“Recognizing the AAD as the premier dermatological conference in the US, we leverage this unparalleled platform to showcase our unwavering commitment to dermatological beauty,” Rachelle Mladjenovic, General Manager, La Roche-Posay US, told BeautyMatter.
Mladjenovic emphasized that the brand's presence is not merely symbolic. “Our engagement extends beyond scientific demonstration, actively fostering critical international relations with both established and emerging thought leaders in the field.” She explained that La Roche-Posay’s booth was fundamental to driving product adoption, facilitating key recommendations, and gathering invaluable insights that inform future innovations.
La Roche-Posay’s approach highlights the stakes for legacy brands with a dermatological foundation: being at the AAD Annual Meeting is not just about visibility, but about keeping leadership in a space where new entrants are eager to compete.
Bubble-Breaking Barriers
If La Roche-Posay is the seasoned veteran, Bubble is the recruit. Known for its colorful packaging and TikTok-fueled popularity, Bubble could be dismissed as a Gen Z marketing brand; however, founder Shai Eisenman has worked since the brand’s inception to lay its foundation in science.
Eisenman explained to BeautyMatter that Bubble has always been a dermatologist-developed brand. With nine dermatologists on its advisory board, the brand conducts clinical trials on every product and spends two to three years developing each formula. “The AAD allowed us to bring that science to life for the derm community.”
The results exceeded expectations. Bubble engaged with more than 9,000 dermatologists at the show. “Even though Bubble looks very cute, that doesn’t mean it’s not clinical,” said Eisenman. “We broke a lot of barriers in people's [dermatologists] minds about what clinical science can look like.”
Eisenman described the brand's positioning at the conference with a cultural analogy, “One of our team members always says Bubble is like Legally Blonde, and I think that’s the perfect example. People may underestimate us because we look playful, but once they see the science and rigor behind what we do, it completely changes their perspective.”
Dermatologist Dr. Rebecca Smith, who sits on Bubble’s dermatology advisory board, believes the brand has become elevated and respected among dermatologists as a result of its AAD Annual Meeting presence. She spoke of dermatologists who were already aware of the brand due to having younger children, while those who were not had the opportunity to learn about the purpose its products serve for older skin.
“Bubble excelled at the AAD and was an incredibly popular booth both because of the packaging and the formulation. Educating the dermatology community about Bubble and the entire product line is essential in that derms can now make informed recommendations to patients,” Smith said.
The dermatologist also noted how popular particular products were, including the Solar Mate sunscreen: “[The SKU] was well received by the derm community as it checked all the boxes we want to see as providers.”
Science Meets Culture
Topicals approached AAD with a mission to advocate for underserved consumers and expand education around skin of color. Roxana Ontiveros, Senior Product Marketing Lead at Topicals, relayed to BeautyMatter that the brand has shown up to pioneer for skin of color at leading conferences such as ODAC and Skin of Color Update since the brand was founded in 2018.
Topicals aims to overcome the looming issue in dermatology that textbooks and other authoritative teaching methods lack information on identifying and treating skin of color, which breeds mistrust towards dermatologists among the Black community. “We decided to attend AAD to continue this mission while also working toward our goal of educating 10,000 experts on treating skin of color by 2026 through our Experts Program.”
Topicals’ positioning stood out because it blends clinical credibility with cultural authenticity. “We take science seriously, but we also believe skincare can be expressive and rooted in culture,” said Ontiveros. “Our presence at AAD reflects that. Lines formed in every direction because people were genuinely curious to learn more.”
By showcasing clinical research while embracing a bold, inclusive identity, Topicals carved out a space for itself in a room historically dominated by sterile, pharma-adjacent aesthetics. “The experience was incredibly validating for our product development and marketing strategies. We left feeling confident that there is a real appetite for a brand like ours among dermatologists.”
AAD at an Inflection Point
The participation of consumer brands is not a mere trend; it's altering the tone of the entire conference. As product developer and frequent attendee Tamar Kamen put it, “If a brand is at AAD, it must have qualified to be there next to prescription pharmaceuticals. The gap between what is truly professional and what is branded as clinical is shrinking.”
For dermatologists, this convergence can be beneficial, providing direct access to a broader range of tools and brands for patient care. For brands, it's an unparalleled credibility boost. But the implications for the industry are complex.
On one hand, the credibility of new entrants is enhanced, while on the other, legacy brands and pharma companies must defend their territory. “This could propel the credibility of new brands, and at the same time, erode the perception of the brands doctors have traditionally recommended,” Kamen warned. She predicts that the pharma companies with consumer divisions may respond by creating differentiated product assortments to reinforce their clinical edge.
The intersection of clinical and consumer brands also creates a new competitive set. Brands like Bubble and Topicals are no longer just battling their Sephora neighbors; they’re positioning against CVS mainstays like Cetaphil and Neutrogena, both of which carry strong “dermatologist-recommended” legacies.
From the medical side, reception has been warm. Eisenman shared how the AAD’s inclusion of consumer brands has been personal. She recalled how she met her own dermatologist at AAD as a visitor to the conference. “When I told him I was starting a skincare brand, he looked at me a certain way. At AAD, he saw us on the show floor, met our advisory board, and it completely changed his perspective. It broke barriers around the idea that science can’t also look fun and be accessible.”
2026 and Beyond
If the early 2020s marked the breakout moment, the latter half of the decade is poised to cement consumer-facing brands as fixtures at the AAD Annual Meeting. Several dynamics will accelerate the trend:
Dermatologist approval will drive consumer trust. With misinformation rampant on TikTok and Instagram, dermatologist approval is becoming a deciding factor for shoppers, and brands can no longer ignore the professional channel.
Clinical skincare will become mainstream. The category is no longer niche; it dominates shelf space from Sephora to Walmart. Being “derm-backed” is table stakes, and showing up at the AAD meeting proves this claim.
Pharma will adapt. As consumer brands claim space at AAD, expect pharma companies with OTC lines to sharpen their messaging or even restructure portfolios to hold ground against newer clinical brands.
Conferences will evolve. AAD may increasingly serve dual roles, advancing medical science and functioning as a proving ground for brand credibility. The once-clear divide between the physician's world and the consumer aisle will continue to dissolve.
Consumer brands are no longer content to sit on the sidelines. As 2026 approaches, the question is no longer if they belong at the AAD Annual Meeting but rather how their presence will redefine the meaning of professional skincare, and whether the conference can hold its dual identity as both a scientific summit and a brand credibility platform.
