48 EDUCATION AND SKILLS
Signposting career opportunities in cosmetics
Dr Gillian Westgate - Cosmetics Cluster UK
The cosmetics and beauty industry is a dynamic environment where science meets creativity at every level in every profession. It employs over one million directly or indirectly in the UK,1
is
worth several billion to the UK economy and is part of a vast economically resilient global marketplace. However, the science, scientists, engineers, and creativity required for the launch of every new product are not always recognised or appreciated by students or those early in their careers. Our sector is rarely top-of-mind in discussions that dictate a future career path of someone in school or higher education. Nor is the industry represented in the types of career fairs that attract top students into and beyond university. Many people working in the sector say the pathways into jobs and careers in the cosmetics and beauty industry were not well described or signposted during their formative education. Furthermore, students and consumers of
cosmetic and beauty products are generally ignorant of the many, varied and rewarding jobs in the cosmetics and beauty industry and how these are deployed in the production of the myriad of products they use every day. So, the UK’s first and only business cluster for the cosmetics and beauty industry – Cosmetics Cluster UK (CCUK)2
- set about trying to find out
why this is. Following two industry surveys by CCUK, three years apart, here I assess the current state of play.
The survey says In relation to the question addressed above, CCUK’s Education and Skills project was established in 2018 with five partner organisations representing cosmetic science, training and education and industry advocacy.3 The group’s focus was to survey the career journeys into cosmetic science jobs, to test the
Please indicate your age
18-24 11.3%
35-44 23.1%
37 28
45-54 23.1%
34
Over 55 17.5%
18 43
25-34 26.9%
hypothesis that the cosmetic and beauty industry does not have adequate career signposting, to gain insights into why this is and to generate data to influence change in relation to how careers in this industry are introduced and promoted from schools up. Our first survey findings showed us that
awareness of careers in cosmetic science while in full-time education was poor, courses training for jobs in the sector were few and that over two- thirds of respondents said they ‘fell into their career’ in the industry.4 The survey was re-run again three years
later post Covid-19, given that the industry was in the spotlight with its swift pivoting to make hand sanitiser products, yet took a big economic hit, according to a beauty and wellbeing sector workforce report from the UK government.5
How long have you been working in the cosmetics/beauty industry?
Less than 12m... 12.5%
11-15 years 14.4%
1-5 years 16.9% 16-20 years 9.4%
23 27 15 Figure 1: Survey responses to age/time spent working in the industry/number of companies worked for PERSONAL CARE March 2023
www.personalcaremagazine.com 48
Over 20 years 30.0%
4 companies 15.9%
18 20
3 companies 17.7%
20 27
6-10 years 16.9%
Our second survey was widened to include
more partners and questions were included that targeted non-technical roles in the industry.5
Of
the 160 responses (Figure 1), 80% were women6 and 62% left full time education over ten years ago.
Six out every ten had worked in only one
or two companies, indicating a loyal workforce borne out by highly positive scores for this industry being ‘a good place to work’. Some 24% worked in a larger company (over 500 employees) and 28% in a micro business (under ten employees). We analysed our survey by qualification
level. It is not a surprise that qualification levels are high in our industry, with 60% Level 5 and above and with most with PhDs in the over 55s age group.7
How any Companies have you worked for?
One company 13.3%
5 or more companies
18.6% 21 15 39
2 companies 34.5%
The survey showed a wide diversity
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