Expert Details
Hair & Skin Products: Formulation, Development & Testing
ID: 725320
Illinois, USA
Expert is currently the Founder of a research lab in Illinois, providing hair and skin care product development, manufacturing and testing services to the personal care industry. The lab is focused on bringing new products to the market and interacting with salon owners, stylists and individual entrepreneurs to develop their ideas from concepts to products with real benefits. The lab creates salon quality products on-site and the innovations in raw material technologies are matched to stylists’ new product ideas to maximize end benefits. All products are tested with state of the art instruments such as Dia-Stron and Scanning Electron Microscope, and further supported with salon data. Salon evaluations are done on site by Stylists who work at nearby salons, bringing in their real life experiences to objectively judge the merits of these new ideas.
Education
| Year | Degree | Subject | Institution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year: 1972 | Degree: MS | Subject: Pharmacy Administration | Institution: Brooklyn College of Pharmacy |
Work History
| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
|---|---|---|---|
| Years: 2003 to Present | Employer: Undisclosed | Title: Owner/President | Department: |
Responsibilities:Providing hair and skin care product development, manufacturing and testing services to the personal care industry. Partnering with clients to develop and manufacture superior hair and skin care products based on an in-depth understanding of consumer needs. Focusing on hair and skin care products including complex formulations such as hair colors, permanent waves, hair straighteners, ethnic hair relaxers, aerosols, hand and body lotions, and skin creams. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 2000 to 2003 | Employer: Unilever | Title: Director of Hair Care Projects | Department: Home and Personal Care |
Responsibilities:Responsible for R&D of all hair care projects, domestic and international.• Successfully introduced Hair Colorants in Latin America, expanding to other countries and other products variants and growing revenues to $10 million • Delivered over $2 million in cost savings for Latin American market through reduction in price of imported raw materials while maintaining profit margins. • Managed all phases of a breakthrough color project. • Developed a team of 10 scientists in Argentina that now function independently and manage all projects with high levels of competence. • Collaborated with key members of Marketing and Supply Chain teams, Global Technical Centers in Chicago and Thailand, and Research in the UK to ensure that project objectives are clearly defined and delivered on time and within budget. • Key member of internal global networks representing Latin America on Shampoos, Conditioners, Styling, Color and Ethnic hair. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 1995 to 2000 | Employer: Unilever | Title: Director, Hair Care Research and Development | Department: Home and Personal Care |
Responsibilities:Managed and directed all development projects in Hair Shampoos, Conditioners, Color, Permanent waves, Hair styling and Hair transformation. Coordinated research activities associated with product range at research labs in the United Kingdom. Managed a staff of up to 40 scientists, stylists and administrators. Developed policies consistent with corporate guidelines.• Interacted regularly with marketing, market research, supply chain, research personnel and other development directors to ensure long-term objectives were achieved. • Established long-term strategic direction for North America as a member of the Management Hair Care Planning Group. • Key member of the Management team that managed a budget of $20 million. • Selected technical training programs to ensure technical competencies for up to 20 scientists and stylists. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 1989 to 1995 | Employer: Unilever | Title: Director, Professional Salon Division (aka: Helene Curtis) | Department: Home and Personal Care |
Responsibilities:Directed all hair care projects including Shampoos, Conditioners, Hair Styling and reactive products – Permanent Waves, Relaxers and Hair Color.• Grew Helene Curtis to become number one manufacturer of permanent waves with 17 innovative patented technologies. • Developed new permanent waving technology (based on Cysteamine) that significantly lowered hair damage. |
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| Years | Employer | Title | Department |
| Years: 1982 to 1989 | Employer: Playtex-Jhirmack, Inc. | Title: Director, Research and Development | Department: |
Responsibilities:Created, planned, delegated and coordinated all research and development activities leading to the introduction of new products for the U.S. and Canadian markets. Managed a budget of $2 million and a staff of 10 scientists and stylists.• Increased market share by 25% through development of products with parity performance to major competitors allowing company to effectively compete with large corporations in Hair Care. Developed three unique patented technologies for future launches. • Interfaced with marketing, manufacturing, purchasing, quality control, market research and Advertising agencies to provide orderly introduction of new products while maintaining current brands. • Developed all types of hair care products including shampoos, conditioners, hair sprays (aerosol and non-aerosol), hair colors and permanent wave products. • Established manufacturing operations in South Africa and Sweden. |
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International Experience
| Years | Country / Region | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| Years: 2000 to 2003 | Country / Region: Argentina | Summary: R&D of hair care products for Unilever. Developed and introduced a line of hair color products in all Latin American countries. |
| Years: to Present | Country / Region: Thailand | Summary: Consulting and coordinating International activities for Unilever. |
| Years: to Present | Country / Region: India | Summary: Hair color trouble shooting activities for a client based in Mumbai. |
| Years: to Present | Country / Region: South Africa | Summary: Set up manufacturing operations for Jhirmack in the area of hair care. |
Career Accomplishments
| Associations / Societies |
|---|
| Member, Society of Cosmetic Chemists |
| Publications and Patents Summary |
|---|
| 29 US patents for hair and personal care products. |
Additional Experience
| Expert Witness Experience |
|---|
| Expert witness for cases involving patent infringement, personal injury, and product liability. |
Language Skills
| Language | Proficiency |
|---|---|
| Spanish | Conversational |
Fields of Expertise
cosmetic product formulation, cosmetic product manufacturing, new consumer product development, hair-care product, new product development, product formulation, product improvement, product testing, testing, research and development, rapid product development, research and development management, reverse engineering, skin product testing, skin care formulation, hair product testing, aerosol industry, hair product development, aerosol design, cosmetic raw material specification, commercialization, overall cycle time, consumer focus group, time-to-market, ideation, joint venture, field testing, cosmetic product package, personal care deodorant, baby personal care product, cosmetic safety testing, design for cost, performance, product manufacturing, deodorant stick formulation, cosmetic stability, corporate strategic planning, pilot plant scale-up, cosmetic industry, product development cycle time, new product market survey, design for manufacturability, product, product cost reduction, new product assessment, personal care product, legal patenting, innovation, sensory evaluation, research and development productivity, planning, manufacturing, deodorant