Research & Development

Did you always want to work in beauty?

I’ve always loved the sciences. I knew I wanted to become a chemist. What I was looking for in a job was the chance to be creative. I took the job at ELC and loved working with my hands and being able to create new products and seeing them go out into the market. My undergrad is marine biology, which does come into play through my work with La Mer, where we use a lot of marine extracts.

How has your role changed over the years?

When I first started here, as a young scientist, I learned a lot. I learned about the chemistry and the colors behind our makeup products. As I’ve progressed through the years, I’ve gotten more and more responsibility. And now I’m very fortunate to be in a managerial role where I can help train and teach a lot of the young chemists how to make products by today’s standards and for today’s consumers.

Describe your best day at work:

My best day is usually when our products go into production and go onto the counter so consumers can use it. It’s amazing when you see a product you helped create in a magazine for the first time. Whenever we’re at the mall or when we’re at the store, we usually go right to the Estée Lauder or Clinique counter to see all the products that I’ve helped to develop over the years, and to see what’s selling well.

As a working father, how do you manage work/life balance?

I work hard to maintain a work-life balance, trying to make sure that I get home on time for the kids while at the same time, supporting my brands. The good news is that this is a family-oriented company, especially here out in Melville in Research Park. It’s like a big family, the family of scientists is amazing. The company treats its employees very well, and the biggest improvement that I’ve seen in this area is we now have paternity leave, for fathers, and we have great maternity leave for mothers.

Did you always want to work in beauty?

Funny enough, I have never been a huge cosmetics user so the beauty industry wasn't really on my radar. My cousin used to work here and when I graduated with my Bachelor's degree he encouraged me to apply for a position with the company because he knew my passion for science would find a home here. I didn't think I had the appropriate credentials as a premed-turned psychology major, but I did have a few years of bench lab experience. I interviewed with my boss anyway and we hit it off; my credentials actually made me a perfect fit for his group. And when I started working here, I realized the extensive hard science that goes into cosmetics, and that has driven my passion for the beauty industry.

What makes you feel good about coming to work each day?

I like being a part of a very diverse team. Everybody here has different stories. They come from different parts of the world, different parts of the country, with a wide range of expertise but somehow, we all come together and we make this amazing team. We come from all walks of life and complement each other so well.

Something that I also appreciate is the company’s commitment to breast cancer research. I've come to appreciate that cosmetics not only make people look beautiful but feel beautiful as well, and that helps your psyche. There are some really great organizations that use makeup to help cancer patients to feel better about themselves. And if I can be a part of that in some way, then that's awesome.

Can you talk about a project you are working on?

Most of the projects I work on relate to pigmentation, which has been an interesting journey for me because I'm one of the few black women in this group so I can personally relate to this research. It is gratifying to be part of projects where I'm looking for healthy and safe ways to help people with color correction issues, dark spots, or even vitiligo within the black community and within my own family too..

What are some of your interests or passions outside of work?

Music is definitely a second language for me. I started learning my first instrument, the violin, at the age of three and haven;t stopped playing or learning new instruments since. Music has taken me around the world, literally, and has allowed my to give back to the community through some amazing orchestras and organizations. I'm also involved in my church, not only through music but also helping to support teenagers in my community, the way the adults in church helped me when I was growing up. I want to be able to give that back to the next generation, spiritually, socially and academically, being that person in their corner, rooting the on to be the best they can be.

Describe your best day at work:

During my time here, I've had the privilege of mentoring interns. There was one intern I worked with who was extremely nervous about a presentation she was giving the next day. We prepared and practiced and I challenged her with advice that had been given to me, that if there was anyone who knew her project best it would be her. With that in mind, the next day, when she presented, people responded so positively to the project that she did, really appreciated the work she did and gave us great feedback. I was very proud of her as I saw her grow more and more confident over the course of her presentation. It means a lot when the advice you give has real-time immediate results. Definitely tops my list as one of my favorite days here.

Can you describe the work that takes place in the lab?

We look at every single material that goes into a product. We set the specification or standard for each raw material before we use it. Then we test each lot from our raw material vendors. Basically, we do quality control for each raw material. We also set the specification of each product. Over the course of a year, we test hundreds, possibly thousands of products.

What is something you are proud to have accomplished?

Before I joined the company there was no analytical lab. I made a few trips to Melville, the company’s global center for R&D, where I trained the raw materials task team and then I came back and set up the equipment and the raw materials task team capability here. I worked hard over three to four years to set up the analytical lab we have in Shanghai today. My favorite thing is to see my lab organized, with everyone well-trained and with things under control.

Can you talk about the culture of the Estée Lauder Companies?

We are just like a family working here. We may have some different ideas on a project, but we can speak up, share our thoughts or our opinions. No one will judge you. Sometimes we may disagree, but we work it out. Even if I have a different opinion than my boss, I can say what I’m thinking and if it's reasonable, my boss will accept it. This is very important, too.

What sets The Estée Lauder Companies apart when it comes to R&D?

The combination of science and creativity skills is particularly special. We have amazing scientific depth, while our creativity is legendary. And it’s such a warm and caring culture. I see and feel this every day with the passionate scientists and engineers we work with all around the world. We believe that our talent gives us a competitive advantage in Global R&D. A cornerstone to our talent strategy is to ensure we attract and develop diverse talent in every measure. We are especially proud that more than 50% of our technical organization employees are women.

What makes it exciting to work here?

I think it is particularly exciting to be in R&D in our company because we are laser-focused on prestige beauty — which frankly raises the bar on everything we do. There is great challenge in formulating and designing new products and packages for so many amazing brands, across all markets and channels. To do so, we must be on the leading edge of science and technology trends. This enables us to be really fresh and creative. And as scientists and engineers, that's what we seek: the highest of challenges. It is truly stimulating.

What type of career paths are available in R&D?

Our R&D Dual Career Path is designed to unleash the talent of every individual within our R&D organization. The core principle is to enable R&D people to do what they do best: develop their skills, provide challenging opportunities and reward them for their contributions. The Dual Career Path provides the choice to either be: (i) Scientific/Technical Experts, focusing their expertise on our most challenging technical projects or (ii) Scientific/Technical Management, blending their technical, organizational and business skills to ensure our innovation programs delight our consumers and fuel our business goals. The richness of assignment opportunities within R&D spans from upstream research to in-market support of world renowned products. We also span a broad range of disciplines, including formulation, process development, packaging, consumer, clinical, safety, regulatory and many more.