Is it common for chemical engineers to work with cosmetics?

Hi Gracie,

I think it’s awesome that you would like to be the owner of a cosmetic company!  Enjoying math, biology, and chemistry is a great start.  There are a number of degrees that could help you reach this goal and chemical engineering is definitely one of them.  While some people think chemical engineers only work in oil and gas refineries, you’ll find chemical engineers working in all kinds of fields including medicine, food, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, plastics, business, law, teaching…the list goes on and on.  The versatility of a chemical engineering degree was a big factor in why I chose that for my undergraduate degree—it gives you a great foundation and then a variety of career paths to choose from.

Here’s a few links I found that you might find interesting related to chemical engineering and cosmetics.  This one is about the Cosmetic Engineering option that is part of Manhattan College’s Chemical Engineering program https://manhattan.edu/cosmetics. This link is from the same website and talks about the engineering that has gone into several cosmetic products https://manhattan.edu/cosmetics/how-engineers-create-cosmetics .

This link has a number of resources with examples of different jobs within a cosmetic company that you could have as a chemical engineer. http://chemistscorner.com/how-to-become-a-cosmetic-chemist/

I also looked at L’Oreal’s career website.  L’Oreal is one of the largest cosmetic companies in the world and they have several jobs posted that require an engineering degree, and prefer chemical or mechanical engineering.  To look at these job postings, go to http://www.loreal.com/careers/careers-homepage.aspx, click on “Look for a Job” in upper right hand corner.  In the Function Section, select “Research and Innovation”, and in the Employment Section, select “Full-Time”.  There is a Process Engineer position that requires a bachelor degree in science or engineering.  

If you go back to the main search page, select “Manufacturing” in the Function Section,”, and in the Employment Section, select “Full-Time”.  I especially thought the following jobs looked interested: Senior Manufacturing Engineer, requires a bachelor degree in engineering; Production Manager, requires a bachelors degree in engineering or science discipline; and Manager Performance Improvement, requires a bachelors of science degree and candidates with a Chemical or Mechanical Engineering degree are preferred.  

Best of luck with whatever path you choose to reach your goals and I can’t wait to buy products from your cosmetic company in the future!!
~Victoria Tinsley