my cosmetic story
After graduating from college, I went back home and started working for a pharmaceutical company. For the longest time, I had my mind set on pharma and going to pharmaceutical school after gaining some experience in the industry. Of course, that eventually changed down the road since I am now a cosmetic chemist.
It wasn’t even a year after I started at the pharmaceutical company when I decided to look for a new job. I just applied for all kinds of positions, and the majority of these positions were pharmaceutical related.
One of the positions that I ended up applying for was for a company in a different industry and in a bigger city (bigger being relative since I was from a small town) just to apply. A month after applying, I was called in for my interview with the company. I enjoyed the interview so much that I began to plan my move. If I was hired for the position, my plan was to also apply for pharmaceutical school since the college I was interested in was close by.
A month went by and I didn’t hear anything. Another month, nothing. At this point, I decided to continue working at the pharmaceutical company and go from there. Mind you, I had not received any interest or any calls from any of the other positions that I had applied for previously. To this day, I wonder if this is what the majority of entry-leveled people experience.
Not expecting anything, at the start of my Christmas break, I received an e-mail… a job offer… the job offer that I was waiting for. I was offered the formulation chemist position, and this is how I entered the cosmetic and personal care industry.
Fast forward a month later, I made my first big girl move (big girl being relative since I was 20 years old). I was in a new city with a new job in a new industry.
As I transitioned into this new position as a cosmetic formulation chemist, I realized that there wasn’t really a transition period. On my first day, I was shown how to make a basic emulsion, the following 1-2 weeks, I shadowed a fellow formulation chemist, and then after that, I was essentially on my own (with the guidance of my lab manager and R&D director, of course).
Over the next few months, I realized that I enjoyed working in the cosmetics industry, that I enjoyed being a formulation chemist. It was a strange feeling. I was always a K-beauty and skincare enthusiast, and when I began in the cosmetics industry, I guess you could say that it was a natural love. I never realized before that I could do both beauty & science together.
Fast forward to now when I am writing this, I am still in the cosmetic and personal care industry, and I am still formulating. I’ve had the privilege to work with various brands (big + small) and create all sorts of products.
If you’re reading this, you’ll see that I’m trying my hand at blogging. I’ve also tried Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. (IG & TW: @cosmeticpadacts | YT @Cosmetic Padacts)
My current path isn’t what I had “planned“, but I am trying my best to enjoy everything that I am doing now.
I hope that you will show interest and support me through my career. I would like to thank those who have already been cheering me on. Thank you for giving me your undeserved support! I will try to provide you with the best in return.
Until next time, bye! ~