This is a translation of my German blogpost Hinter den Beauty-Kulissen… ProTec Ingredia Proudly Presents: In welchem Beruf Wissenschaft, Vertrieb und Marketing zusammenpassen. Enjoy!
In cooperation with ProTec Ingredia // I’ve been writing the Behind the Beauty Scenes series for a few years now and I still keep coming across professions in the beauty industry that make me think: Oh, I wish I’d known earlier that this kind of job existed! Very often these are job profiles that might not even be on your radar after finishing university studies or vocational training. And that’s why I’m introducing biochemist Gabrielle Moro who is in charge of marketing and business development at marine ingredients manufacturer Codif. Read more about how Gabrielle came to work for Codif, what she does in her job and which trends she believes will shape the industry in this chapter of my Beauty Soap.
But first a few words about Codif: The manufacturer of active and raw cosmetic ingredients was founded in 2002 and is based in the Brittany region of France. From the beginning, sustainability and the protection of natural resources have played an important role for Codif. A key focus of the company lies on the so-called blue biotechnology, or: Bioth-ecology which combines biotechnology and ecology.
What is your professional background and how did you join Codif?
Gabrielle Moro: I have a Master’s degree in biochemistry with a focus on food microbiology so back then I didn’t really have much to do with cosmetics. During the final part of my studies, I worked as an intern in the research lab of a multinational company that focused on the maturing and ageing of cheese (so French, right? 😊). Unfortunately, the project was terminated for several reasons and I had to re-orient myself rather quickly. One of my professors told me about a French cosmetics company that had already hired a few other students from my university. After a successful job interview, I began working for Sederma, a manufacturer of cosmetic active ingredients.
I worked in Sederma’s Research & Development (R&D) lab for microbial biotechnology for three years. I was also fortunate to be sent to a national research institute to develop biotechnological processes with plants. I learned a lot about cosmetics but also about myself during that time, and I realised that the field of cosmetic ingredients is an exciting playground for anyone who loves biochemistry. However, R&D is often quite far removed from the cosmetic active or finished product.
When I left Sederma and moved to Brittany with my husband I also decided to leave the world of research labs and get closer to the actual clients. And Codif Technologie Naturelle offered me the perfect opportunity to do so: When I joined the company 15 years ago, Codif was still very young and I was able to help expand and build the company. I was given a lot of freedom and scope for development and this has remained until today. I love tackling those challenges every day.
What is your job at Codif and what are your responsibilities?
Today I am the head of marketing and business development at Codif. It’s a multidisciplinary and versatile position which is typical for our company. As part of my job, I am responsible for three divisions: First, there is the marketing, i.e. the development and marketing of cosmetic ingredients. This means that I am in very close contact with our R&D teams and we constantly exchange information. I am also responsible for the distribution of our active ingredients in France and internationally. And finally, I’m heading our communications department and organise events for the company.
My team includes four colleagues who mostly have a scientific background. They work in different functions in both marketing and distribution. These interdisciplinary jobs have a major advantage: We have specialist knowledge and competence on the distribution side of things but at the same time, our customers‘ feedback is directly integrated into the product development process. They are very inspiring jobs which, however, also require great flexibility.
What does your typical work day look like?
Oh, that is difficult to answer! I’m travelling internationally for approximately one week per month to support our partners during customer visits or seminars. In addition, I travel a lot within France to meet some clients in person or attend trade fairs, but I also regularly attend strategic meetings at our headquarters. Every week I spend around half a day discussing on-going projects with the respective team members. So every work day and week looks different. However, what remains the same is that every day, I am interacting with people. I am in constant touch with our partners, my team members, my customers, the R&D teams and, of course, my boss 😊.
What do you like about your job? What challenges are you currently facing?
You can probably guess this after reading my last answer: I like that my job and the travelling offer me the opportunity to have so many human encounters – there is constant interaction with other people. In addition, the scientific dimension of my job makes my work particularly interesting.
And the greatest challenge that I am currently facing? Since the pandemic, travelling has become pretty complicated. Finding international flights that work for my travel dates from a regional airport in Brittany is difficult – it might sound superficial, but organising travel has become a real headache. Many flight routes were cancelled and ticket prices are often at a record high. Of course, we also use video conferencing but sometimes, it is really important to meet someone in person. So we’ve had to adapt our travel habits to the new circumstances.
Another challenge is finding qualified new staff members for Codif – and here we have the same problems as many other companies. As an active ingredients manufacturer, we need scientists who are also comfortable with marketing and distribution and are willing to regularly travel within France and internationally. Finding new employees that fulfil all of these criteria can be difficult, although it is exactly this variety that ensures that the job never gets boring.
Which project do you find particularly exciting?
I’m a big fan of cutting-edge technologies in the field of synthetic chemistry. In future, these new technologies will allow us to develop unique and tailor-made molecules from marine or plant organisms, such as plant-derived retinol or a marine hyaluronic acid.
I am also fascinated by metabolomics which is the scientific field that studies the metabolic properties of cells, organisms or tissues. To be more specific: You apply something to the skin and the skin’s microbiota is then transforming it into something else. This means that the final step in the production of a cosmetic ingredient is actually performed by our skin, depending on its individual requirements. Isn’t that amazing? Just imagine: At some point in the future, specially manufactured cosmetic actives could work in tandem with the skin‘s microbiota to produce the required dosage of molecules for each specific skin condition.
Which trend or innovation do you believe will influence the beauty industry over the next few years?
I’m not a clairvoyant, of course, but I think that transformation technologies will definitely be a key driver for future innovations. The collaboration with our partner Polymaris has shown us that nature can, for example, produce biodegradable plastic. Such an enormous potential for innovation! And, of course, sustainability, environmental protection or upcycling are already built into this concept.
Many thanks for the interview and the insights into your job!
© The photo was supplied by Codif for the purposes of this blog post.
Codif‘s ingredients are available for trade customers from the company’s German distributor ProTec Ingredia.
The next chapter of the Beauty Soap will be all about sun care. Stay tuned!
