12.06.2023
Episode 244: Ron Robinson, CEO and Founder of BeautyStat Cosmetics
Summary
As far as Health Innovators go, Ron Robinson has cemented his place in the ever-shifting beauty landscape as a go-to-guy for all things skincare. He created BeautyStat first as a blog, and now as a successful skincare line. Along with BeautyStat, Ron has a social media following where he helps his audience navigate which ingredients work, and which ones don’t. But looking back, Ron tells us his career journey wasn’t always a given to those who knew him from the beginning.
Growing up, there were two options in Ron’s family—be a doctor or a lawyer. When Ron strayed from the path that had been laid out for him, he became an innovator within his own family. Rather than pursue a career in medicine or law, Ron found that cosmetic chemistry blended his knowledge of science with his passion for creating new things. When Ron was hired at Clinique in 1990 (on the spot, we might add) he broke into the beauty industry and never looked back.
To hear more of our chat with Ron Robinson, including the heart-warming full circle moment of when his mother finally “got” his career choice, listen to this episode wherever you get your podcasts!
I wasn't confident at all—I was compelled to do it. I just had to see it through.
Ron Robinson
Transcript
| Announcer | Welcome to WHERE BRAINS MEET BEAUTY™ hosted by Jodi Katz, Founder and Creative Director of Base Beauty Creative Agency. |
| Aleni Mackarey | Hi Jodi, how are you? |
| Jodi Katz | Hi, Aleni I'm so excited to present this episodes to our fans today? |
| Aleni Mackarey | Yes, we have an old friend joining us today. Ron Robinson, the CEO of BeautyStat Cosmetics. |
| Jodi Katz | So I went back in my email and tried to figure out what it's like the first time I met Ron, and I never delete anything in my emails, like literally have everything there. And I tracked it back to 2016. He and I met at a CW event. And we met up a few times, right after meeting and I remember walking down 29th Street, just like chit chatting with him as if it was yesterday. It was obviously not yesterday, but we've known each other for a long time. I feel like our businesses have had nine lives, you know, kind of parallel to each other. He's done a lot of things with beauty south through the years, he actually started as a blogger and influencer, before influencing was even a thing. So we've talked a lot about that on the episode. |
| Aleni Mackarey | Oh, that's amazing. That spirit of innovation and really like thinking so far ahead and seeing that whitespace is incredible. And I'm excited to hear more about that. |
| Jodi Katz | Yeah. And for anyone who like is so curious about what is it to be a cosmetic chemist, like what does it take? What does that job look like? He goes into a lot of detail about it. He's had this role through the years and many major amazing corporations, so he also loves to mentor so people should know that too. |
| Aleni Mackarey | This sounds like an episode we are definitely going to want to listen to again, great advice for anybody looking to get into this field. So let's jump into Episode 244 with Ron Robinson. |
| Jodi Katz | Welcome to WHERE BRAINS MEET BEAUTY™. We are a career journey podcast talking about what it's like to define success and reach for it in the beauty and wellness industries. Today, we are continuing our Health Innovations theme quarter with Ron Robinson, award winning cosmetic chemists and CEO of beauty stack cosmetics. Ron also spent over 15 years in the beauty industry as a cosmetic chemist and product development executive for companies that include Clinique Estée Lauder, Revlon, Avon and L'Oréal. He's also a resident beauty expert for Allure and Refinery 29, where he breaks down popular skincare trends for his followers. I'm excited to get into this conversation about his career journey from labs, the consumer all on episode 244. Hi, Ron, welcome to WHERE BRAINS MEET BEAUTY™. |
| Ron Robinson | Hey Jodi, thank you so much for having me today. |
| Jodi Katz | I'm so excited to do this with you. I went through my emails and tried to find the first like connections I had with you because we've known each other for a really long time. So I took a screenshot of it. You and I met at a CW event in 2016. Okay, wow. And we met up like it was November. So we met up like some time before the New Year. Yep. And it feels like a million years ago. |
| Ron Robinson | It does. Absolutely. When you think about it's almost 10 years ago. What do you think about? |
| Jodi Katz | Yeah, I don't even think like was beauty start around at that time? |
| Ron Robinson | It was we were a blogging agency back then. This is before the idea of launching the brand. So this is you know, you got me when I was going through my one of my career cycles there back in 2016. |
| Jodi Katz | Yeah, so I loved going down memory lane and all our correspondents together. So I'm very glad that CW brought us together. I always sort of like, like, have to take a deep breath before going to these work events. Because I'm like, oh, no, it's like sometimes like a lot. But I always end up meeting somebody that's exciting to me and learning something new. So and your proof of that. |
| Ron Robinson | Yeah. Thank you. Thank you. Yes, I remember that that meeting. And I'm glad we stayed in touch. And I'm glad to be here today. |
| Jodi Katz | Yeah, I can actually close my eyes and see you and I walking down the street together like in Midtown. Like, that's how fresh This is, even though it was so long ago. Yep. Okay, let's go back to the beginning. This is a career journey show. We love unraveling all the threads in these amazing career journeys of the people like you that we get to interview. So I'm going to go back in time, think back to your like, 11 year old self, what do you want to be when you grow up? |
| Ron Robinson | I wanted to be a museum curator. And this is really weird, but I love going to museums. It's so funny. I'm now revisiting that childhood thing that I used to do by by going to museums now, but that's what I wanted to do, I felt who's actually deciding where stuff goes, what to put into it. And specifically, this is the Museum of Natural History here in New York City, which everyone, all kids love to see the you know, the dinosaur exhibits and to see, you know, primitive, this and that. And that's what really just made me think and I think that's what I may have felt that I had this idea about being a creative type, in a sense, even before science and before becoming a cosmetic chemist. There was something, there's always this creativity in me that I guess inspired me by going and loving museums as a kid. |
| Jodi Katz | That is such a fun job, you know of all the people we've asked this question to I don't know that anyone said that they wanted to be a museum curator. So I love that you're the first person to mention it. Okay, So Ron, somebody told me that when it was time for college, there was pressure in the family for you to become a doctor. Is this true? |
| Ron Robinson | That is absolutely true. You know, I grew up in one of those households where there was only two professions that were respected. You were either a doctor or a lawyer. And given my Mom was a nurse, she studied nursing. He wanted in this case, the her three boys to become doctors, and we all were not suddenly pushed, but aggressively pushed study biology and chemistry. Do pre med become a doctor, two of my brothers ended up becoming doctors and practicing today, I was the rebel that didn't know what I wanted to do. I ended up going to med school for a year hated it, realized it was not for me, dropped out, move back in with my parents. My Mom's specifically was super upset. And like, thought I was a bum and what are you going to do with your life. And that's how I stumbled on becoming a cosmetic chemists literally, I was sending out resumes, to different beauty companies and different companies in general looking, they were looking for cosmetic looking for chemists, and clinic called me in for an interview back in 1990. Had no idea there was this world of chemistry and cosmetics, and how that whole thing mixed, but they hired me on the spot. They loved my passion for chemistry. And they saw my creativity that I just talked about, and hired me. And that was how I broke into the industry in 1990, as a cosmetic chemist for Clinique, the division of the Estée Lauder companies. |
| Jodi Katz | So let's go back to this time and you said you went to medical school for one year, right? You have a lot of pressures around you, your brothers are, you know, fulfilling the family wish, how do you reconcile in your head that like, you really can't move ahead with this, like, this is not for you, given all those pressures? |
| Ron Robinson | It was really tough. And I think this is it was so stressful. And of course, it's pre social media. So this, there's no way I could connect with others that are going through this, this is something that I had to manage internally. And then also the the depression about going moving back in with my parents, they get to see that I'm not fulfilling their dream or my dream. And I have to figure out well, what am I going to do with my life? So it's really, really very tough, and I had to face them every day, like, what are you doing with your life? What are you doing with your life? And fortunately, I found something. |
| Jodi Katz | Would you say that? You felt very alone at that time? |
| Ron Robinson | Absolutely. Absolutely alone? No one could relate to this. Keep that I have two other brothers in the family that successfully at the time were either in med school or have graduated from med school and, and are are doctors, medical doctors. And I'm here this dropout, that is feeling like like what am I doing? Like I am just not doing anything with my life. And this. And I'm young at the time. So. So it's it's like, what am I going to do? And there's no internet, I can't do online searching and discovering things. I you know, I saw I was checking out the classifieds, because that's how you found jobs back then. These are these are job listings, in paper, physical newspapers, you have to go in, you have to circle the jobs that you thought would be a fit for you. And you had to mail a paper resume in the mail to these mailboxes in order for companies to discover and find it and find Yes, that's that's what it was back then. |
| Jodi Katz | So when it was time for this interview about being a cosmetic chemist, what did you know, when you walked into that meeting? What did you know about cosmetic chemistry? |
| Ron Robinson | I knew nothing. I knew nothing about cosmetic chemistry. I didn't even know that I have heard of the brand Clinique and Estée Lauder companies. Sure I heard of them because my Mom used the products. But I wasn't this necessarily user this product, and it was totally foreign to me. And then I walk in to this interview. There's a big Estée Lauder, logo, and then Clinique logo, and I'm going into these labs that are super clean and white. And I sit down for this interview, and they're asking me about chemistry and biology. And have you ever thought about what it would be like to formulate cosmetics and skincare and I'm just blown away? They're impressed with my knowledge of chemistry, but I'm also learning from them that hey, it takes, you know, takes chemistry takes work to actually put these products together. They don't just make themselves and I was super inspired. And I said This is perfect for me. It blends my knowledge of chemistry with my yearn for creativity and putting things together. Just like the museum curator is I mentioned before, and it was magic, I found my calling, I found that I belonged in this industry. And that was 33 years ago. |
| Jodi Katz | Do you remember your first day on that job? |
| Ron Robinson | I do? Absolutely. Remember the first day of the job? Absolutely. |
| Jodi Katz | Tell me about it. |
| Ron Robinson | I think I think the first thing obviously, I have to get fitted for a lab coat. So that's key. All cosmetic chemists, they were their lab code. And then I got the tour of the facility and learned things like okay, this is where different types of products are formulated, you have special rooms where skincare is made special rooms, where makeup and color cosmetics are made. And then other rooms that are more for fragrance and developing Bath and Body products. And each each one has ingredients that are associated with those types of products and, and then equipment that is catered to mixing and producing those types of products. So that was my first thing that I got, I got to see there was this mix of chemicals, but also hardware that needed to work together to create, mix, blend, and formulate the different types of products in cosmetics today. |
| Jodi Katz | The way you're describing it to me I'm totally picturing like Willy Wonka, you know, like each room, different flavors, different styles. |
| Ron Robinson | That's exactly what it's like. And it's you know, everything. It's it's pretty clean. And again, lab coats. And it's very you know, you have a lab book, which is your, what you use to actually create your recipe, if you will. So every time I make a new formula, I have to write down exactly what I did, because that's how we kept we keep records. And we are able to see how we've gotten a product from this form to the next form, what changes did we make, and it's all recorded and documented. And that's why we kept it in a physical lab book form. |
| Jodi Katz | So this whole world of chemistry with regards to our industry is very foreign to me, like I've never touched it, I've never gotten close to it, you know, I get to hear about through our client work at BBCA, I get to hear about the actual finished products and the claims and the key ingredients, but not the process to get there. So can you break it down for me and our listeners, because this is such a specific area of the industry that I'm sure a lot of people like weather like their engineers or whatever would probably find very fascinating. What are you really doing every day, especially in their early years when you're more junior in the role and learning the ropes? |
| Ron Robinson | When I first got there, I was given a project. So in some cases, I'm asked to take a product and existing product on the on the market that might have some bad consumer feedback or reviews that we all know because customer reviews are key. So the marketers at a time may say hey, new chemist Ron, we are getting feedback on this product that's on the marketplace, can you make it less XYZ, less greasy, faster, absorbing, smell nicer, spread easier, that sort of thing. So one of my first jobs was working to reformulate current products in the marketplace. So I got a few of those types of projects. And then the goal of any cosmetic chemist is to work on new and exciting products as well, where you're just given a concept. Hey, Ron, we want your help on developing a new facial cleanser. That's meant for media for normal to oily skin that has a gentle foam creamy in nature. And we want to launch that next year. And I go through the process of okay, what are the right ingredients to put together that's going to help deliver on that marketing wish, if you will, for that type of product. And that's how, what a cosmetic chemist is doing day in and day out. They they're working on reformulating and improving current products, but they're also working on new concepts that don't exist, that meet that written concept, that verbal concept, and creating something that really the goal is to exceed the customers expectations in terms of being able to in this case, a cleanser that's going to have this great foam and feel and leave skin clean and soft and all the great things for that type of product. So that's what we're doing on a day to day basis. |
| Jodi Katz | So it almost sounds like the equivalent to being like a nose at a perfume house, right, getting the brief from the client and really curating the experience of what the end user is gonna have. Right? |
| Ron Robinson | Absolutely. And what influences that especially now are trending ingredients, ingredients that may have some real science, backing or testing to show and that will be part of the brief. Can you include vitamin C can you include This ingredient or that ingredient, and that becomes the basis for the product and developing, okay, it's got to be this new, this new high tech facial treatment type of product, but it has to contain X, Y and Z as well. And I build the formula around that, as well. |
| Jodi Katz | So you've worked at almost like every strategic it looks like that's major in our industry through the years. Are there products that are still in the market that you had a hand in developing at that time? |
| Ron Robinson | Oh, my goodness. Yes. Okay, so Avon has a few. So I've worked it, just so where I've, everyone's clear where I've worked. Clinique, which is the division of the Estée Lauder companies, as well as Estée Lauder itself, as well as La Mer. So those brands, I've worked at Revlon twice, and rev under the Revlon brand, there's the Al may brand that you might have heard of, as well as L'Oréal, Lancôme, specifically, and Avon. So those are the brands that I've worked on. So from my clinic days, there's there's some products that still exist in the in the turnaround franchise. And if you guys heard about that line back and it launched originally back in the 90s, I developed some of their best sellers back then, that product contained encapsulated salsa salicylic acid, which was a first of its kind at the time, I believe that products still exist, and then a few Avon, and Lancôme and Revlon Cloud products still are on the market today. So it's super exciting to go back down memory lane and see those those original still on the shelf and still being you know, you know, great sellers for those brands. |
| Jodi Katz | Let's close the loop on Mom, Ray and how how much she wanted you to be a doctor, when she started to see the type of impact you're able to make it your job and products that maybe she and her friends would purchase or want. What was her response to your career choice then? |
| Ron Robinson | Yeah, Jodi, It's a great question. So yes, it's important to circle back to Mom she's been she's my influence. She since passed, but she's my influence to this day. So she was a beauty lover. She loved Estée Lauder and Clinique products. So after about a year of working for Clinique is this cosmetic chemist that she had no idea whatever that that person does, and what I was doing for work, I brought home a bag of some of the products I was developing. And her face was so happy and excited, she could not wait to jump into that bag and get those products. And for that moment, I was forgiven, and really forgiven for breaking her heart and not becoming a doctor. And it was the most fulfilling thing I've ever experienced in terms of being able to see the joy and happiness that beauty products can bring to someone. And that experience drives me to this day to be able to get that type of feedback where consumers love your products. And they see the results. That takes me back to that day with my Mom where she forgave me. And after that, just hey, Ron was a lot more beauty products, what he would have you got from today. And it became total a total shift. And then he was totally pleased with my career choice and supported me. So that's how that story ended up. And again, she's just a big influence to me to this day. |
| Jodi Katz | I love that and she got the benefit from all those great company stores and all those corporations you worked at which is so fun. |
| Ron Robinson | Absolutely. She did absolutely. All the gratis, we got and all the companies, I bring them right right home to Mom and a shopping bag. Thank you. |
| Jodi Katz | For those people who haven't worked at these really large corporations that have company stores, can you explain what that is and what the shopping experience is like? |
| Ron Robinson | Yeah, basically, these companies they really want the employees to benefit from you know, the products that they sell so not only might you get a gratis which means you get a free amount of really a stipend towards spending towards a mountain of free product. You also get to buy the product at at a at a really great discount as being an employee so that's another perk of of working for these big companies. |
| Jodi Katz | Right, imagine like a duty free cosmetic shopping experience. It's everything is like the prices are ridiculous. |
| Ron Robinson | It's you know, you could have you could have, you know, really have a great time just shopping and just getting things at a tremendous discount. |
| Jodi Katz | Let's talk about the move from the like, you know, really big corporate jobs right through your career, like really influential businesses to moving into the world of blogging and educating what was the motivator for you to walk away from the corporate world and start playing in your own space? |
| Ron Robinson | Yeah, I walked away from Avon that was my last corporate job. I there I was the Global Head of Product Development for all skincare so all markets, US International Big responsibility. And I was really cranking out extremely fast pace level of innovating and developing products. So like for four big launches a year, literally my status was was pages and pages of products that were in the pipeline to launch. And I felt like, Hey, I'm constantly trying to outdo myself with trying to create new I've not, there's nothing left, everything's out there, I put it all on the marketplace already. And I felt like, even at the time, I felt like I was putting the there was so much confusion on the product shelf, back then, I felt that I could be better served if I were to help the consumer. So I left Avon, and I decided that I was going to become an educator and help consumers cut through the clutter by reviewing products and helping them make smarter purchasing decisions. So I launched BeautyStat, which in its first one was a blog, I launched it in 2009. And went to market with that product where we would review products, and then monetize through ads and sponsored a content and collaborations and then evolved into the social media agency. So that was the initial goal of beauty said, educate the consumer, and help brands connect with those consumers. |
| Jodi Katz | So 2009 was like, you know, in the digital ecosystem, ancient times. So what were the models that you were seeing in the marketplace? It could be at a category that inspire you to think oh, there's there's potential here? |
| Ron Robinson | Yeah, great question. I think at the time there were big, massive blogs like Total Beauty, and Glam, these were, these were, they were big, big blogs at the time. And we were called bloggers. This is before the word influencer was coined, or content creator, we were bloggers. We were actually writing and people would read and see your photos and see your swatches be educated that way. And at the time, BeautyStat blog became the go-to blog, and we were competing for SEO and eyeballs just with like the big Total Beauty dotcoms of the world as well. So it was a hot, exciting time. And those platforms also developed social media followings, etc. So it was very exciting time for the blogosphere, if you will. |
| Jodi Katz | So leaving the corporate world to be an entrepreneur, that's a big shift. It's a big leap. How many years? Were you thinking about that before you left Avon? |
| Ron Robinson | It was very fast. I just, I launched it at the time, when Facebook had launched LinkedIn had launched Twitter at launch. So people were moving to social media at the time. So it was a very interesting time where social just started. And again, there was no Beauty Insider like myself, and certainly no cosmetic chemist was out forming a blog and helping to educate consumers. It was totally new and fresh. And it was super exciting to be there at that time. |
| Jodi Katz | So what was the shift from content to actually then formulating and putting out product with a beauty site name on it? When did that happen? And what was the inspiration? |
| Ron Robinson | The inspiration came after many years of connecting and talking to consumers that were reading my blog, they were asking me specifically about vitamin C, the ingredient, they would ask about all types of ingredients. Hey, what ingredient should I use if I have this problem? But the question about vitamin C came over and over again. Specifically, why is it unstable? How do I shop by tenancies? How do I use a vitamin C serum? And that got me thinking vitamin C great ingredient, everyone knows that but it's notoriously unstable. And there there are a few big selling vitamin C's in the marketplace at the time and still are today that aren't stable. And consumers understand that they do Shift they turn to attend to oxidize, turn brown, and stop working. And I said what if I could stabilize pure vitamin C, that would be the Holy Grail and beauty a stable vitamin C that consumers can really get results and not have to worry about tossing it and wasting their money. So me and actually a cosmetic chemist colleague of mine, we got together and we worked at night time as a side hustle, working on trying to stabilize pure vitamin C spent several years we applied for multiple patents. And the last step was to actually do the independent clinical testing to say okay, we have a stable formula, but doesn't work. We got the results back God after a few weeks, and I bet I footed the bill to spend clinical testing is very expensive. I decided hey, I'm going to I've got to do this. We spent so much time working on this great formula. And we got the independent clinical testing results. And it was came back amazing before and after fake photos were fantastic, really transformed consumers skin. And that's what prompted me in 2019 to launch the brand, the skincare brand BeautyStat with our star Vitamin C serum, this universal C skin refiner. And that's four years ago, that's how we started, we went from a blog to a fast growing skincare brand. |
| Jodi Katz | And when you're formulating after hours, this isn't something you can see like in your kitchen, right? You have to go to a lab for this. |
| Ron Robinson | Yeah, to lab. So we rented lab space that we were able to use and leverage that in order to formulate, and I'm still running the blog at the time, and then doing this as my side hustle to see, you know, we're weed that out. |
| Jodi Katz | So this is a lot of investment in your time. And then ultimately, we're paying for the testing a lot of faith that this would pay off, How confident were you in this process that you're going to get to the end result that you're hoping for? |
| Ron Robinson | I wasn't confident at all, I felt like I just I was compelled to do it. I just felt like, you know, we spent this time doing this, we think it's a great idea. I just had to see it through. It was one of those where I just okay, if I lose the money, then I lose it. But at least I can sleep and say hey, I tried. And it was the best money I've ever spent either. |
| Jodi Katz | This is a very on entrepreneur trait, which is this desire to keep going, right? Even when like all the signs are saying like, you're gonna run off the cliff to just say, I'm gonna put my head down and keep focusing because I, some part of me, just needs to do this. Right? Even if you weren't confident you needed to do it, I find that myself, like, I've been running my business for 16 years, like, wow, like, Why did I keep going? It's so hard. But there is just a kind of like, internal goal that I have for myself. And the goal is keep moving as I evolve. But like I'm compelled to keep seeing the magic happen. And the only way it's going to happen is if I keep going, right? |
| Ron Robinson | And I think this, this was a clear, though no go type of decision. In other words, I either had to do this, and then that would be okay. If it didn't work, then it was time to stop. So I did have that in mind. So So I guess the advice I would give any entrepreneur on the line now is that you have to decide what the risk reward is. And I felt that if I would take this last risk, which was expensive, that the reward could be so great. And that's where I went. And then since then it's been a lot easier in order to build this. That was the that was the final step. And now I have the proof points to continue and to hustle and to be super excited waking up every morning and wanting to drive and grow and build this brand. |
| Jodi Katz | You've become so influential in our industry. I'm wondering, do you think of yourself as an influencer? |
| Ron Robinson | Yeah, it's interesting. You ask that because you remember the reason why I started the BD step blog was to educate. And that back then you educated by creating blog, you actually typed out wrote out your feelings, thoughts, whatever you wanted to educate and share, you wrote it down. Now I've gone full circle now and I've become this creator, if you will. So if you if you follow me on Instagram, you'll see that almost daily, I post a short, one minute video where I educate my followers on ingredients, trends, I weigh in on things, and I help them again, navigate, navigate this crowded space, help them understand what ingredients work, which don't work. And it's been super fulfilling in terms of being able to talk and give consumers you know, that education from from someone now they seem to value they seem to look towards the cosmetic chemists to help them understand ingredients. So I'm really excited about being able to do that. And again, give back and most of my content is it's not about my brand. It's about other ingredients, things that I'm not necessarily using. But my followers they want to hear they want they want to understand and learn more, and I'm just happy to do that. |
| Jodi Katz | Well, you didn't tell me yet. Do you consider yourself an influencer? I know you're influencing but do you in your heart think like I'm an influencer? |
| Ron Robinson | Just to some extent. Yes. I guess I have since people do ask me. And they do value my feedback. I would say to some extent, but I think a lot of it I think a lot of us are influencers. I think it's a level of of magnitude, how much What are you doing to actually show up and to influence folks? What do you doing to address that, and really show up for that. So, I make, I mean, making a commitment to do so, on a daily basis. |
| Jodi Katz | I love the consistency. I mean, I think that's what separates once again, it's very entrepreneurial mindset, like making a commitment, because you know that there's value in it versus like, you know, dipping in and saying it's too hard. And you know, I'll move on to something else. It's, I think, another really fierce entrepreneurs trait. Okay, before we close up the interview part of the show, I want to ask another question, because I've been with you at events. And I've been standing there next to you chit chatting with other people. And notable people will say to you, oh, well, you formulate for me, I want to start a brand. So you probably get asked this quite a bit. So a lot. What is the answer? Is this, is this part of your world? Helping other people establish great firms for their brand? Are you like totally focused on BeautyStat? |
| Ron Robinson | Focused on BeautyStat, the exception I made was with Haley Bieber on rhode. So I'm, I'm the cosmetic chemist and residents. For her I made the exception, you know, think we first connected during the pandemic, when she had this concept, this idea. And I was so intrigued, but with her enthusiasm, her knowledge of beauty and ingredients and tennis laser focus approach to what she wanted. And I made the exception with partnering up with her in the road team to help her understanding gradients and help her build that brand. So I'm thrilled about that. But between my own brand BeautyStat and how I support alien road, I really can't do any more. I might my my plate is full. I love that, Ron. So I do. I do have some great resources for folks and referrals to give folks that are looking to start the program. But God, the other key thing I want to share is that I am huge on mentorship. And if I cannot help them with their brand in terms of formulation, I'm always here for resource if they needed to ask me a question. I have frequent touch bases with various mentees. And I it getting back is really important for me. So I always try to make time for that. |
| Jodi Katz | I love that. And that's an incredible way to close out the interview portion of our show. And so now, Ron, we have a few minutes left for questions. We got a lot of questions. So I'm going to try to combine some together. Vickie asked us like what it takes in terms of like skills and characteristics to be a great cosmetic chemist. |
| Ron Robinson | Great question. Okay. The greatest cosmetic chemists are marketers and salespeople as well. Because I think this were a cosmetic chemist, they might have had a bad rap or, or a stereotype which is they used to be lab rats. Whereas their work, they're tinkering around in the lab, they don't really know the consumer. And they basically basically just come up with ideas and share them, Hey, I just mixed up something. A, what do you think of this, the cosmetic chemist today is talking to the consumer. If they're following social media, they're seeing the trends. And they're then taking that and coming up with really great ideas that they can also sell to the marketing folks about why it's so exciting and unique and different. So those are the characteristics together. The cosmetic chemists that knows the ingredients that can, knows marketing and the consumer, and can also sell an idea, those three things that makes a fantastic cosmetic chemist. |
| Jodi Katz | And do you have to have a certain degree to be a cosmetic chemist? |
| Ron Robinson | Yes. Now, when I started doing there was no clear path to becoming a cosmetic chemist back then you fell into it. Now there are more regional ways of you know, going to school studying certain, you know, cosmetic chemists, types of courses in order to go down that track. There's a lot more availability now than when I was coming up back in the day work. I just had a general chemistry degree, and then found my way into the cosmetics industry and learned on the job. Now there's more paths out there to get there. |
| Jodi Katz | So Alicia asked, this is against for the entrepreneurs out there. How would she go about finding a cosmetic chemist to work with? |
| Ron Robinson | Yeah, there are great resources out there that can help I think first is simply just Googling how to find a cosmetic chemists partner, or going the route of finding a contract manufacturer, a lot of contract manufacturers, they have chemists in house that can work with you on bringing your idea to life and they can also produce it as well. |
| Jodi Katz | Okay, so I think we have time for one more question. Oh, this is such a sweet one. What is your favorite thing about this career path that you chose? |
| Ron Robinson | My favorite thing is the consumer feedback. That is by far and that's now whether it's the fact that they might love our products and sees great results from using BeautyStat. Or if I've helped them answer a question in terms of an ingredient, and does it work? What should I look out for? And could this be something for me, and it's basically the net net is getting consumer feedback that is positive. And that's what really drives in motivates me. |
| Jodi Katz | I can tell Ron, that you are very empathetic, right? Like you really do put yourself in the shoes of that end user. So I'm not surprised that that's your favorite part of your job. |
| Ron Robinson | Absolutely is. |
| Jodi Katz | Thank you So Ron, thank you so much for joining us. This was our 244th episode. I'm grateful to you today. |
| Ron Robinson | Thank you so much, everyone. Thank you for tuning in. Appreciate it. |
| Jodi Katz | And thank you all for joining us and listening in. If you liked this episode, please rate and review. And as always, make sure you're following us on your favorite podcast platform and Instagram to stay up-to-date on upcoming episodes and all the fun we have along the way. Thanks, Ron. |
| Ron Robinson | Thank you, Jodi. Thank you so much, guys. Bye. |
| Jodi Katz | Bye. |
| Announcer | Thanks for listening to WHERE BRAINS MEET BEAUTY™ with Jodi Katz. Tune in again for more authentic conversations with beauty leaders. |
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