Introduction
Consumer
Products is big business if you have an advanced degree in Chemistry,
Biochemistry or even Biology. As a scientist, you can work with products
involved in home care, products that keep fabrics clean or soft, baby care such
as diapers and soaps for babies, family care, such as soaps, grooming and hair
products, and cosmetics or other beauty products. Most careers are in the corporate world in
any one of hundreds of companies that create products for people’s lives. There are also a few government
positions. It’s all about the consumer
and what the consumer needs to brighten his or her life. It’s about creating practical solutions for
day to day problems using your skills in chemistry, biology or
biochemistry. Research and development
are hot areas of employment, but there are also jobs as supervisors in the
areas of production or post-production.
Career Paths in Consumer Products
When
you graduate with a Master’s degree or Doctoral degree in the biochemical
sciences, you have the skills necessary to work in research and development in
any company that provides consumer products to the public. If you want to work in government, you will
likely be hired at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. You could also be hired at the base level in
the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
You can advance in any of these positions and, because you have an
advanced degree, you will likely be hired in an advanced position from the
beginning.
Careers in Consumer Products
Corporations
Proctor & Gamble: This is a huge corporation with plants
throughout the U.S. and world. The
company is actively going “green” and is focused on sustainability as well as
reducing waste in the process of manufacturing its products. It makes cleaning products, beauty produces
(including fragrances), shampoos, diapers and other paper products, among other
things. The field is wide open as to
areas of expertise you can go into while working for this company.
Unilever Corporation: Unilever is well known for its soaps,
which are of many varieties and are used for many areas of common life. It also makes fabric softeners and other
products for laundry. Food products,
including Hellman’s, Bertolli and Lipton’s are good areas to start in those
individuals who want to work in the area of food creation, research and
development.
Clorox: Clorox is both a company
and a major brand of cleaning products for household cleaning. There are scores of products out there with
the Clorox brand name. There are
products for bathroom cleaning and general cleaning of the home. Most products contain bleach.
Kimberly-Clark: Kimberly-Clark is a strong company
that makes bathroom tissue, disinfectant wipes, and infant diapers. The company
is headquartered in Dallas, Texas. It has
56,000 employees with offices and factories located in 35 countries
worldwide. It also is a big supplier of
facial tissues and feminine hygiene products.
Colgate-Palmolive: This
Company is a large company that began as a soap and candle factory in New York
City in the early 1800s. It makes
toothpaste and toothbrushes. It also
makes hand soap, dish soap, and pet nutrition products. There are factories for these products
throughout the world, and you can work at any one of them. They have a big research and development
department that works on new product development and maximizing the products
they already have.
L’Oreal: This
is a company that makes numerous beauty and cosmetic products. You can work in research and development or
production. Located in the UK, it has
factories in 130 countries and has done billions of dollars in cosmetic sales
in 2009. It has 64,000 employees and
filed for 674 patents in 2009 alone.
Estee Lauder: This
is a company that makes cosmetic and beauty products. It specializes also in products that reduce
the signs of aging. It was founded in
1946 and since then has gained a worldwide reputation for luxury and
elegance. They sell products in 135
countries. They are creating new beauty
products all the time and have a strong research and development division.
Avon: Avon
makes beauty products, fragrances and cosmetics. The products are sold by independent
salespeople throughout the world. As a
postgraduate in the biochemical sciences, you would be involved in the research
and development of new products for Avon.
Government Positions
U.S. Food and Drug
Administration: The US FDA is
responsible for ensuring the safety of products produced by consumer product
companies. As a post graduate, you may
find work investigating product safety based on previous bad outcomes with the
products or complaints from the populace about certain products. You would need to have an interest in product
safety in order to work for the US FDA.
U.S. Consumer Product Safety
Commission: This is a commission that makes recalls
of products found to be unsafe and investigates consumer complaints. The CPSC is committed to protecting consumers
and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical, or
mechanical hazard or can injure children. The CPSC’s work to ensure the safety of
consumer products – such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters, and
household chemicals – contributed significantly to the 30 percent decline in
the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past
30 years.
Resources for Finding Jobs in this
Area
You
can apply directly through the various companies or through the government
agencies for jobs. The choicest jobs are
in research and development of new products, but there are jobs in production
and sales as well. For government
positions, you would find jobs involving investigation of consumer
complaints. There is a job board at Consumer Products Central
that offers positions such as new products development manager, production
manager or sales representative. Several
of the companies, such as Colgate, have their own job boards for you to look
through.
Positions
You
can find positions in research and development such as new product development
supervisor or manager. There are
numerous supervisor positions in production areas of these products.
Pay
In
supervisor or managerial positions, you should expect pay in the range of
$50,000 to $60,000 to start. As you work
your way up the corporate ladder, you could become a Vice President in charge
of your division and can make more than $100,000-$125,000.
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