What made you pursue a career in the cosmetics/personal care industry?
Honestly so many things. Growing up, I had skin issues so I would always be reading the labels of the different products I would use. This led to me researching ingredients and coming up with concoctions to try out. As a junior in college (majoring in chemistry), a professor had recognized that passion and told me about the SCC and graduate programs I could apply to for cosmetic science.
Another thing that inspired me to pursue this industry is the experience of “going natural”. To explain, I have naturally curly hair that I chemically straightened (“relaxed”) from the age of 15-23. To get my natural hair texture back, I had to do “the big chop” or basically, cut off most of my hair. Relearning my hair and embracing new products led to me to formulating in my kitchen and play around with products for my hair. As you can see, formulating plays a role in both my career and personal life!