Like fashion, beauty is everywhere we look and the beauty industry is just as hard to get into as the fashion industry. There are so many different roles within beauty that really, it is possible to start anywhere. So why not start from the very beginning?
The thought to allow more women of colour to be recognised in the beauty industry is a consistent campaign, and Cosmetic Chemistry Connections is an initiative to do just that. Created by Madeka Panchoo, Managing Director of 33 Boroughs Consultancy Ltd, and with the help of Generating Genius, Cosmetic Chemistry Connections is a programme that aims to encourage girls aged 16+ from black and ethnic minorities to pursue a career in chemistry. Supported by L’Oreal, Fashion Fair Cosmetics and Yves Rocher, these girls will be taking a step in the right direction making their mark within the beauty industry.
Dr Tony Sewell, the founder of Generating Genius states, “Chemistry is everywhere. It certainly dominates the cosmetic industry where chemical products are produced and consumed in what is a billion pound industry. We will be attracting technical, branding and retail aspects of the cosmetic industry to meet its future talent.”
“I am really excited to be working on such a positive project,” says Madeka Panchoo. “I feel very passionate about the aims of Cosmetic Chemistry Connections and its role in empowering young women.” The Royal Society of Chemistry has found that a low proportion of girls go on to study subjects such as biology, physics and chemistry at a degree level, and this is worrying as these subjects are fundamental to the growth of the country and the state of the economy.
Cosmetic Chemistry Connections aims to show the students the relationship between beauty and science. It will launch Wednesday 30 October at Christ the King College in London where 25 students will work in a lab for a day creating their own beauty products. Working closely with cosmetic chemists, contract manufactures, scientists and marketers, they will work on the life cycle of these products from lab to shelf. The main programme is due to start in Spring 2014 with beauty and chemistry workshops.
