After a tough day at work, most of us in the household and personal products industry want nothing more than a chance to kick back, relax and enjoy an adult beverage or two. But drinking isn’t part of the thinking for students enrolled in the Rutgers University Master of Business & Science degree (MBS), which combines a Master of Science in the student’s chosen concentration with essential business courses. After a long day at work, they head to the New Brunswick, NJ campus for three hours of lectures on cosmetic chemistry.

“I was drawn to the Rutgers MBS program because I thought it was the perfect prism through which you can gain a solid grasp of the entire cosmetic industry,” explained MBS Student Courtney N. Harris. “Nowhere else can you learn everything from intellectual property to fragrance science and get a strong foundation in those domains.”

MBS degrees can be customized by selecting one of 25 concentrations from life sciences, engineering or computer and information science tracks along with business courses. According to Rutgers, the curriculum is focused on helping students master the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in tomorrow’s marketplace. Certified executive coaches provide personalized advice to help students navigate their job search, career development, and continuing education. To ensure that graduates are competitive from day one, the Rutgers MBS program has externships and internships to provide practical, real-world experience. Students said juggling their careers and curriculum is worth it.

The MBS students, many of whom are employed full-time in the cosmetics industry, graduate the program in two years if they are full-time or may take 3-4 years attending part-time.

“I really wanted to connect both my technical and my business background, but also learn more, grow and help the industry grow,” explained Chanel’s Susie Xiong, a current Rutgers MBS student.

The program began a decade ago, but industry veteran Ricardo Diez, PhD, has been teaching “Product Development & Formulations for Personal Care Science,” for five years.

“The students are fantastic, the ‘greatest in the world,’ as I tell them,” said Diez. “You really need to be motivated, after a full day at work, to take a three-hour class that requires lots of effort.”

The course, which attracts 30 or more students every spring, includes employees from both raw material and finished product companies—just like their professor. For Diez, who spent more than 40 years in the cosmetics industry, equally divided between consumer product companies and raw material suppliers, the course gives him a chance to teach; albeit remotely from his home in Toronto, and it fills a mentorship gap that is expanding in every industry.

“The old figure of the mentor to teach you the stuff you needed to know to do your job is gone in most places,” he noted. “I still remember that during my first year on the supplier side I was paid to learn all sort of chemistries and technologies. And I had great mentors.”

Diez describes the class as a course of physical chemistry or colloid science applied to the development of cosmetic products. As he explains, the students come to the course expecting the conventional approach.

“Soon they realize that this is different, and love it,” he added.


The HLB Conundrum

When Happi visited the Rutgers’ classroom—the same day that the University announced it was shutting down due to coronavirus—Diez was passionately reviewing the pros and cons of the HLB scale. According to Diez, one can make an emulsion without knowing chemistry, and the HLB scale does not predict nor explain emulsion properties.

HLB is normally a rather dry topic, but Diez’s exuberant teaching style came through that night and every Tuesday night via a TV monitor; but the students aren’t alone with their thoughts. The in-class instructor is Nicholas Stebbins, PhD, a senior scientist II at L’Oréal. He has been involved with the course, whether bring a teaching assistant or co-lecturer, for the past four years. In fact, he was a student prior to becoming an instructor.

“I am always reminded of myself as a final year PhD student at Rutgers, when I was a student in Ricardo’s course the very first year it was offered,” he recalled. “At the time, I had worked on a collaboration with Chanel as part of my graduate studies, and started to become interested in the cosmetic industry.”

However, it was only after he took Diez’s class that Stebbins was 100% sure that he wanted a career in the cosmetics industry.

“Learning the science behind the raw materials and the application of these raw materials to cosmetic technologies was a great supplement to my polymer chemistry PhD studies,” he explained.

Stebbins said the course had a tremendous impact on his career decisions and opened his eyes to the science behind the products found on shelves all over the world.

“It is very fulfilling to contribute to teaching the next generation of cosmetic scientists. This course remains the best and most useful one I have ever had Rutgers, including both my graduate and undergraduate studies,” he told Happi. “I remain involved in the course to make sure that students not only know there can be great scientific technologies found in cosmetic products, but also know about the great career options in the cosmetic industry.”

According to Diez, the steady progress of the cosmetics industry during the past 80 years has been achieved, not by mixing, but with the application of cosmetic science in a practical manner.

“True innovation happens on average once every 10 to 15 years. My hope is that some of these students will be behind the next big innovations,” he added.


A Lifetime of Learning

The passion of the professors is matched by the students, explained Stebbins, who noted that they are eager to learn as much as possible in the classroom and outside of it.

“More and more, I see students becoming more involved with the industry, whether it is through the Society of Cosmetic Chemists or through their respective companies,” he said. “I have also seen more people involved with digital and social media aspects of the industry, which demonstrates how fast the digital portion of industry grows and how dynamic it is.”

When students finish the course, Stebbins said they come away with newfound knowledge of cosmetic products and the ability to look at products and concepts from a scientific viewpoint.

“My hope is that they also will be able to challenge those who spread misinformation by utilizing the science that we are teaching them,” he added.

But whether student or instructor, both sides of the classroom are enriched by the MBS program.

“Once a week, I get this amazing gift of being surrounded by bright, enthusiastic and committed young people,” concluded Diez. “Best job ever!”