From Lab to Brand - Career Pathways with Plant Potions

Be in to win a Waiheke studio experience + $200 Plant Potions prize pack. plus get 20% off a purchase - use code study20 at checkout

Explore where science can take you, then enter at the bottom of the page for the chance to visit our studio and create your own signature essential-oil blend.

See the prize and enter

Plant Potions · Waiheke Island

From Lab to Brand

Careers in Cosmetic Chemistry

Your science degree could help create the next generation of personal-care products, fragrances, cosmetics and sensory experiences.Plant Potions is an award-winning aromatherapy brand, mindfully made on Waiheke Island. Behind every finished product is a collaboration between creative direction, chemistry, testing, regulation, manufacturing, design and commercial decision-making.

A Curious Founder

Kia ora, I’m Louise Mills, founder of Plant Potions. My background is in communications, media and marketing, with an insatiable curiosity for products and wellbeing.
During the early development of Plant Potions, I devised six essential-oil blends that became the foundation of our hero aromatherapy range—blends we still sell eight years later. My next step was to work with a cosmetic chemist who could help translate my ideas into safe, stable and scalable formulations.
I defined the customer need, product purpose, sensory direction and commercial brief. The chemist brought the formulation knowledge required to turn that brief into a product.It is a strong example of how science moves beyond the laboratory and into everyday life.

What Does a Cosmetic Chemist Do?

  • Research and select ingredients
  • Develop and refine prototypes
  • Test compatibility and stability
  • Create manufacturing instructions
  • Support safety and regulatory documentation
  • Scale formulations for production
  • Solve problems involving scent, texture and performance
  • Work with packaging, quality and commercial teams

How Can You Get There?

A Bachelor of Science majoring in Chemistry is a strong starting point. Related pathways can include Biochemistry, Medicinal Chemistry, Pharmacology, Food Science and Biological Sciences.

Students can also specialise through Chemical Formulation Design or further cosmetic-science and personal-care formulation training.

Laboratory experience, careful documentation, curiosity and the ability to communicate technical information are all valuable.

Where Could the Career Take You?

You Could Begin As

Laboratory or quality-control technician, R&D assistant, junior formulation chemist, or manufacturing or stability-testing assistant.

With Experience, You Could Move Into

Product development, senior formulation, quality assurance, regulatory affairs, manufacturing management, technical sales, R&D leadership, consultancy or entrepreneurship.

From Idea to Shelf

A Plant Potions product moves through seven broad stages:

Identify a customer need
Develop the product brief
Formulate and prototype
Test and refine
Check documentation and compliance
Prepare for repeatable production
Launch, learn and improve

Which part of that process sounds most like you?

Science Majors Expo

Be In to Win

Step inside the world of Plant Potions and experience how scent, creativity and product development come together.

The Prize

  • A day in the Plant Potions studio on Waiheke Island
  • A $200 Plant Potions prize pack
  • The opportunity to create your own signature essential-oil blend

How to Enter

  1. Fill in the details on the pop-up window.
  2. Follow @plantpotionsnz on Instagram.
Follow @plantpotionsnz
The selected entrant must be following @plantpotionsnz when the prize is drawn. We will verify only the provisional winner—there is no need to send us a DM. By entering, you agree to receive Plant Potions email updates. You can unsubscribe at any time. No purchase is necessary

Continue Exploring

Discover study pathways, connect with New Zealand’s cosmetic-science community, or see how Plant Potions brings scent and product ideas to life.

Chemical Formulation Design NZ Society of Cosmetic Chemists Discover Plant Potions