Hello and welcome to my blog! My mission here is to provide information about cosmetic and personal care products, manufacturing processes, ingredients, business practices and more, all based on my personal experiences in the industry.
To get started, I would like to introduce myself and my background in more detail! I've been working in the industry since 2010, but my love of the makeup and beauty started long before then!
I loved experimenting with different products starting at a young age. I remember my mom buying me a "make your own lip balm" kit and mixing together the ingredients and adding custom flavors and fragrances. I also used to lock myself in the bathroom and play with different makeup looks. Since it was the late 90s / early 2000s, lots of bright blue eyeshadow was involved, sometimes even blue mascara and eyeliner. Thankfully, I usually washed away my experiments so little photo evidence exists.
When I got older, I decided to major in chemical engineering and then engineering management to pursue a career in the makeup and personal care industry. I got my start at Burt's Bees, a great company with a focus on natural personal care and minimal processing and spent three years there. Most recently, I worked at the Neutrogena manufacturing plant, owned by Johnson & Johnson and also the site of manufacturing for products from the Aveeno, Clean & Clear and Johnson's baby brands.
Over the past nine years, I have worked in research and development and supply chain. I've worked at internal manufacturing plants that are owned and run by the company and I've also worked with contract manufacturers that make products for many brands. I'm an expert in the new product development process, from the original idea for a product through the final discontinuation of a formula and everything in between.
I hope this blog will help consumers with curious minds learn more about where their products come from. When you pick up a bottle on a store shelf, there are countless people and processes that helped get it there. I'm also hoping to help anyone who is interested in being part of this industry learn more about how to get a career started.
Thank you for joining me on this journey!
