How My Summer Internship Changed My Values and Career Aspirations
My original title for my summer internship at Beautini was a data analytics intern. I quickly learned that in a small company, you wear many hats and a title doesn’t define the work you get to do. I got the opportunity to work on product development, which involved skincare formulation for a clean beauty product. All of the sudden, I was listing off the names of chemicals to our manufacturer like it was second nature. There is so much science involved in beauty, and I dove head on into the world of ingredients. Not long into my work in formulation, I had a moment of self-reflection, realizing that so many of the products I own contain many of the ingredients I now know are harmful to the skin or the environment. Over the course of a week, I finally made the move to get rid of boxes of products and am now refilling my beauty supply with products that match my new values. Out of instinct, when I shop for beauty products, I am quick to analyse what’s inside and if it’s truly clean and safe for skin. I have always been so interested in sustainable businesses, but never took the step to actually make my purchases from them. Doing the research has finally pushed me to make that change to a cleaner, more sustainable lifestyle. Clean beauty has become such an integral part of my life, that I now feel drawn to continue to work with formulation in some capacity throughout my career. I plan to become further educated on the chemistry of beauty, and find a way to incorporate clean formulation into my future jobs.