Getting Started with Consumer Products

Introduction

The field of Consumer Products is big business if you have an advanced degree in Chemistry, Biochemistry, or even Biology. As a scientist in these fields, you can work at the forefront of research and the development of products involved in home care, products that keep fabrics clean or soft, baby care such as diapers and soaps, family care items like soaps, grooming and hair products, and cosmetics or other beauty products.

Most careers in this field are found 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 that support product safety.  It’s all about the consumer and what the consumer needs to brighten his or her life.  You’ll be able to create 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.

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 for the public.  If you want to work in government, you will likely be hired by 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.

 

Corporations

Proctor & Gamble:  This is a huge corporation with plants throughout the U.S. and the world at large.  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 products (including fragrances), shampoos, diapers, and other paper products, among other things. This is a large company with revenues of 80 billion USD in 2022.  The field is wide open as to areas of expertise you can go into while working for this company.

Unilever Corporation: Unilever is a Dutch/British company, well known for its soaps, which are of many varieties and are used for many areas of common life. It is the largest soap producer in the world, netting more than 9 trillion USD in 2022.  It also makes fabric softeners and other products for laundry.  Food products, including Hellman’s, ice cream, and Knorr are good areas to start for those individuals who want to work in the area of food creation, research, and development. The company had revenues in excess of 60 billion USD in 2022.

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, including several food brands.  There are products for bathroom cleaning and general cleaning of the home, many of which contain bleach. The company’s 2022 revenues were about 8 billion USD.

Kimberly-Clark: Kimberly-Clark is a strong company with 2022 revenues of 19 billion USD that makes bathroom tissue, disinfectant wipes, and infant diapers. The company is headquartered in Dallas, Texas.  It has around 40,000  employees (2020) 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 has made toothpaste and toothbrushes since 1873 when it produced its name-brand toothpaste.  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. The company boasted 17 billion USD in revenue in 2022.

L’Oreal:  This is a French-based company that makes numerous beauty and cosmetic products.  You can work in research and development or production.  Many of its main R & D locations are in the UK, but it has factories in 130 countries and had revenue in excess of 32 billion USD in 2022. It says it has 88,000 employees (2022) and has regularly acquired smaller cosmetic companies in recent years to expand its business.

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 in New York and since has gained a worldwide reputation for products that say, “luxury and elegance.”  It sells products in 135 countries.  They are creating new beauty products all the time and have a strong research and development division. It took in 15 billion USD in 2022 in sales revenue.

Avon:  Avon makes beauty products, fragrances, and cosmetics.  The products are sold by independent salespeople throughout the world; however, the company is currently based in London.  As a postgraduate in the biochemical sciences, you would be involved in the research and development of new products for Avon. The company’s last report indicates it has 23,000 employees.

 

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 postgraduate, 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 and should have wide knowledge of various products and their chemical components.

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. As a biological sciences postgraduate, the products you’d investigate would have some biological or chemical hazards associated with them.

 

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.  Most companies have a page on their website to search for careers.

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

A bench position would begin at around $50,000 per year. In supervisor or managerial positions, you should expect pay in the range of $80,000 to $90,000 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 $150,000 per year.