Kirsty the face of curated skincare & beauty of Skin Insight Ltd, a
brand building strategist and industry insight expert who organised and moderated Cosmetic Ingredients and Packaging International (CIPI).
Back in September of 2020, Jane Evison and Gill Westgate of Cosmetics Cluster UK were invited by Kirsty to participate in CIPI a virtual global conference hosted by Professional Beauty.
They took part in the virtual seminar, ‘ Where to go if you want to update your knowledge on cosmetic science/formulations’, along with Pauline Ayres of the UK Society of Cosmetic Scientists, Lorraine Dallmeier of Formula Botanica, Heidi Bannister of Arthur Edward Recruitment and Dr Renuka Thergaonkar of R&D Global Consultants.
The session was well attended on the evening, with over 150 virtual attendees, covering the topic of education in cosmetic science and the pathways to access education.
With the beauty industry valued at £28.4 billion* and a history of innovation, product formulation, new product development and manufacturing, a question was asked by Jane, “Why is it then that for many of the leading cosmetic scientists today they did not seek out a career in this sector but instead fell into our industry per-chance?”**
Interestingly, Heidi Bannister of Arthur Edward was able to share that 88% of our industry colleagues were educated to a degree level and 10% to PhD level.
The experts on the panel shared a range of educational and vocational training opportunities and where to access these. Addressing STEM’s and offering a range of qualifications from the Diploma in Cosmetic Science provided by the Society of Cosmetic Scientists to an introduction in Cosmetic Science coming in 2021, Scrub up on Science for Key stage 3 & 4 pupils and newly launched book in collaboration with the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) Discovering Cosmetic Science.
If you are looking to upskill, retrain or thinking of a career change, but formal education is not for you, a vocational qualification may be an option. Formula Botanica, an online training school offers a wide range of courses from chemistry, to formulating and business courses.
Says, Kirsty, “Becoming a member of Cosmetics Cluster UK, I see an opportunity to bring our industry together and instead of having a fragmented industry that works in silos, to collaborate and partner with industry colleagues. I look forward to the future and to the mapping project that is in the pipeline.
I believe in giving back to the industry and supporting initiatives and campaigns having previously been a board member of UK Spa Association for 2 years. A member of CEW and a benefactor supporter of British Beauty Council.
I am participating in a global campaign ‘Unite On Purpose’ supporting businesses around the world to be seen and heard no matter who they are. The campaign is offering 100 businesses the opportunity to access a program designed to build purpose driven businesses, coinciding with United Nations ‘Sustainable Development Goals’ (SDGs) which call for action by all countries – poor, rich and middle-income – to promote prosperity while protecting the planet. Anyone is welcome to join and unite on purpose, connecting together, learning together and trading together”.
