Post Graduate Certificate Course in Manufacturing Hygiene

In previous issues of Happi, we explored, in a three-part series, the concept of manufacturing hygiene and anticipated means by which this capability and practice would be established. We are pleased to announce that the Personal Care Product Council joint Micro and Quality Committee Manufacturing Hygiene Task Force and the University of Cincinnati (UC) College of Pharmacy are launching UC’s Graduate Certificate in Hygienic Manufacturing (GC-HM) of Cosmetic Products, beginning in Fall 2023.

The series of articles in 2022 likened Manufacturing Hygiene to the role of a conductor. The music is produced by the highly skilled and talented musicians. The conductor is needed to bring it all together into an effective result. This is just like the co-ordination needed to bring scientists and engineers, who specialize in formulation design, product preservation, equipment engineering and maintenance, filling and packing operations, quality control and assurance, together to minimize the risk of a microbial contamination.

There is a clear and urgent business need for this specialized training. Formulations of personal care products have moved to a more “clean beauty” or “natural” platform, leading many manufacturers to eliminate traditional safe and robust preservative systems. Microbiological risk is a balance of the following factors: formulation, the preservative system, the making and filling equipment, facilities, operating practices, education and training, and choice of packaging. Microbial contamination is clearly the greatest cause of recalls for drugs, dietary supplements and cosmetics. This risk has increased because the formulation and preservative systems have changed, but the other factors have not been revised to compensate. The GC-HM is designed to give students the knowledge to understand the challenges and insight to address them. Consequently, graduates of the course will be attractive to industry, and able to contribute more and faster, because of the knowledge they gain.

When a microbial incident happens, the financial and reputational consequences are real and the risk to consumer health potentially profound. This urgent need was recognized by both PCPC and the University, and through co-operation of industry and academia, the course was created to address this growing need.

The James L Winkle College of Pharmacy at University of Cincinnati has a long history in cosmetic science education and 2023 marks the 50th anniversary of the cosmetic science program at the University. The new GC-HM at UC will be an addition to the existing Graduate certificate and MS degree programs in cosmetic science. The courses in GC-HM will consist of two new courses jointly developed by UC and PCPC through the Task Force, and four other courses that are already in the current MS degree program in cosmetic science. The two new courses have been developed by some of the world’s most experienced scientists and technologists from PCPC member companies and will be coordinated by the Task Force.

The existing courses that will be included in the certificate are the following: Cosmetic microbiology, introduction to surface, colloid and membrane science, Introduction to skin and hair, skin, hair, and oral products. The new courses are Manufacturing Hygiene—Microbiology, Product/Package Design and Quality Assurance and Manufacturing Hygiene—Facilities, Utilities and Plant Engineering. These courses add up to a total of 13 credits for the Graduate Certificate.

If someone chooses to take just the two manufacturing hygiene courses, they can do so as a non-matriculated student.

After completing the certificate, if a student desires to continue for MS degree in cosmetic science, he/she can transfer all the 13 credits from the Graduate Certificate into the MS degree program. The total number of credits for the MS degree is 30 credits.

The Graduate Certificate and the MS degree programs in cosmetic science at University of Cincinnati are 100% online and asynchronous in their format. Similarly, the new GC-HM will be also available online in an asynchronous format which makes it convenient for those who are already working and would like to gain additional expertise in manufacturing hygiene. This format also allows students from all over the globe to join the program.

Because of the ease in marketing personal care products through social media, there has been a proliferation of small and medium size manufacturers in the marketplace. While these are exciting opportunities for newcomers in the field with focus on themes such as “clean beauty” and “preservative-free,” it is even more important for them to ensure the microbial safety of their products. The newly developed courses along with the existing courses will indeed provide the basic know-how to create, scale-up and manufacture these products in a safer way.

Selected comments from students in UC’s current program reflect the practical value of this program to the cosmetic and personal care community.

Christine Tilghman, R & D manager at Mane USA: “The program is extremely well rounded and highly technical,” she said. “Every class I took was applicable to something I was working on, some project, so it really helped me grow and expand my technical breadth and depth to really apply it.”

Alexandra Peterson PhD of the PCPC commented “I was very impressed with the quality and scope of the courses provided, as they provided in-depth instruction on a wide variety of topics relevant to a career in the cosmetic science industry” she said “Completing this program has provided me with a great deal of expertise to bring to my new position at PCPC, and I feel very prepared for a career in the cosmetic science industry thanks to the information I learned at the University of Cincinnati.”

Brooke Smith, a hygienist at L’Oréal, commented “As a chemical engineering graduate working in the cosmetic industry, I had to learn microbiology on the job. Having this knowledge prior to my entry into the industry would have helped me be more effective from the start of my career. With the launch of the new Manufacturing Hygiene certification, students will have the knowledge necessary to go out into the workforce and add tremendous value to their companies immediately.”

Our hope is that the newly launched training for manufacturing hygiene for cosmetic products will also provide similar benefits to our future students.

More information about the program can be obtained from the UC website: online.uc.edu