“Experts in each of these areas don’t necessarily talk in the same science, and as a result, one of the key things the industry identified is the lack of trained personnel in this particular area,” Ananth said.
The Personal Care Products Council (PCPC), an umbrella organization made up of the leading players in the cosmetics industry, identified this industry problem and turned to UC’s Cosmetic Science program to help find a solution. In partnership with the PCPC, UC will launch a fully online graduate certificate in hygienic manufacturing of cosmetic products beginning this fall.
“We are quite excited about it and we are happy to work with the industry to address the key concerns that they have, and also it’ll be a big plus for the consumers because we want to make sure the product they’re getting is microbiologically safe and clean,” Ananth said. “We decided that it’s an opportunity for us to build on our existing program and at the same time provide a solution to an unmet need in the industry,” Ananth said.
“The PCPC Manufacturing Hygiene Task Force began looking for a university partner to create the kind of broad-based education and qualification which would provide access to the knowledge needed to successfully address these challenges in the future,” said Geoff Waby, a task force co-chair and regulatory affairs and vigilance officer for Obelis Group, a leading specialist in European regulatory, directive and compliance strategy. “We are pleased to link up with the James L. Winkle School of Pharmacy and their cosmetics program, which is celebrating its 50-year anniversary.”
The Cosmetic Science program already has a focus on formulation science, material science, safety, efficacy testing and scaling-up products, but there was a gap in plant engineering instruction, Ananth said.
“If someone gets this certificate, they’ll be able to look at the problems very differently and maybe address those issues before there’s problems in the plant and manufacturing,” Ananth said. “The whole idea is to overall increase the awareness of hygiene in the plant, based on an understanding of the formulations and ingredients and all of those other aspects.”