I’ve been working in the industry for a few years, and I wanted to talk about what it’s like pursuing a career in beauty. I personally have experience working on the corporate side of beauty (vs the retail side), so I’ll be focusing on that today. There are a lot of mixed feelings about working in the industry. What companies are like, stereotypes, workplace environment, and more. So I’m here to break it all down for you.
However, I want to point out that this is my personal experience, and others may have a completely different mindset. I just want to share what I’ve experienced and learned from working in the industry.
Education + Background
To start, I want to talk a little bit about my education and background and how I started my career in beauty. When I was in high school and applying to college, I had no idea what I wanted to do. I decided to major in business as it seemed pretty universal and I thought I could figure out what I wanted to pursue over time. I got my degree in business/marketing in 2018 and got my first job in the beauty industry right after graduation.
What I did in College
Working in the beauty industry was a dream of mine. I’ve always loved makeup and skincare, and the idea of being able to work in the industry I was passionate about sounded like a dream. So while I was in college, I tried to find beauty-related internships or brand ambassador programs so I could get experience in the industry. I was a brand ambassador for a small, indie makeup and skincare brand and wrote blogs for them. I also found an internship for a beauty-tech startup where I helped with email marketing and influencer outreach.
Because I planned to pursue a career in marketing, I also tried to gain experience in marketing specific internships. I had an internship in public relations, and also did social media for a bridal shop and my business school. While these weren’t beauty-specific roles, I was able to learn a lot more about marketing and grow my skill set.
My Applying/Interview Process
When I finished college, I applied to every beauty job out there: marketing roles, education roles, sales roles, etc. I was never set on a specific job title or department, so I was open to many types of roles. I was able to interview at several companies that I had loved and admired for years! It was amazing seeing their company headquarters and learning more about the behind the scenes. I ended up getting a job offer at one of my favorite makeup & skincare companies (I won’t name them for privacy reasons) as their Brand Educator & Coordinator.
What It’s Like Working in the Industry
If you love makeup and skincare, pursuing a career in beauty can make your job a little extra fun. It’s exciting being able to work in something you love and be around makeup and skincare products all the time. For my first role, education felt like a natural fit for me. While it wasn’t what I initially went to school for (business/marketing), I found myself loving educating people on products, ingredients, and brand identity.
My First Job
My first job had a lot of different moving parts. I worked with merchandisers (who visited store locations to promote the brand), helped out at beauty conventions and events for the brand, created training documents for retailers, and more. A lot of my day to day was visiting store locations, training on products, but I was also able to travel for the company for various beauty conventions like BeautyCon and Generation Beauty.
My Second (& Current) Job
I decided to get my esthetician’s license while I was working at the first company to further my skincare education. After a year, I decided to shift to a more skincare-focused role, so I moved to my current company.
I currently work for a skincare startup that builds personalized skincare routines (again, not naming names for privacy reasons). At my current job, I help with skincare consultations/recommendations, along with internal education on skincare routines, products, and ingredients. I also help with social media marketing and community engagement. It’s a little bit of everything!
The Perks of a Career in Beauty
So let’s talk about the positives of working in the industry. It’s a lot of fun having a career in beauty, especially if you’re passionate about it! Here are some of my favorite perks:
1. Free Product!
Yes, most companies will give you free product. The most common practice is providing a certain amount of “credit” to go towards products. How much credit you get and how often you get it depends on the company that you work for. For the most part, the credit is more than enough to cover all the products you’ll need in a year! Some brands/companies will even let you test new products before they launch too – super fun 🙂
2. Travel/Events
At my first company, I got to go to various beauty conventions and work at influencer events! I even traveled across the country for some of them – all on the company’s dime. I visited several cities, and these are some of my favorite memories from the job. I was able to visit New York, Chicago, Miami, Austin, and more! It was so fun being able to travel with my coworkers and be able to go out for food and stay at hotel rooms for free. I even got to meet some of my favorite influencers! That’s not to say it wasn’t hard work (but more on that later). Also want to point out that not all departments worked these events. Since my role was in education, our team always helped at events and conventions.
3. Training/Education
One of my favorite perks is attending trainings from other brands. My current company is a retailer (so we carry and sell products from skincare brands), so we get trainings every few months from the brands we carry. I love these trainings because you’re able to gain valuable knowledge on products, ingredients, and the industry. I truly believe you never stop learning, and this is one of my favorite parts of my career in beauty. Another perk is sometimes the brands will send us gratis (gifts) of new launches so we can try them before they even launch!
4. Work in What You’re Passionate About
I know this is kind of obvious, but it really can be great working in what you’re passionate about. You learn a lot working in the industry – how brands work with retailers, what things are like behind the scenes, and the ins and outs of a beauty company. It’s really eye-opening to me seeing what profit margins are like for brands and what goes into getting products onto retailer shelves. There’s a lot to learn and the geek in me is always eager to learn more about the industry, and it’s one of the main perks (for me) in my beauty career.
The Downsides of the Industry
Now let’s talk the negatives – it’s not always rainbows and butterflies pursuing a career in beauty. I know it sounds amazing and fun and exciting, which it can be, but here are some of the potential downsides of working in the industry.
1. The Workplace Can Be Cliquey
This is a pretty big stereotype when it comes to working in beauty. Many people say that working with a lot of women can be catty and cliquey. However, I think this heavily depends on the company that you work for, the people (obviously), and what management is like.
I’ve personally seen some of this behavior from time to time when working at events and with other people in the industry, but it hasn’t been common for me. I loved a lot of my coworkers and am still good friends with some of them today! That being said, it is a pattern that I’ve heard a lot about from other people in the industry. I also want to point out that this behavior can happen in all industries, it’s not exclusive to the beauty space.
2. It’s Hard Work.
Again, I’m sure any job will be stressful at times and you’ll have a million things on your to-do list. But it’s truly not all glamorous – you work hard in the industry. There are also a lot of situations where work can spike: launching new products, brand events, influencer collaborations, entering a new retailer, etc.
I had a lot of late nights and weekends working events, non-stop work at conventions, and early morning setups. As fun as it may seem to travel for work and attend events, event days were always long and strenuous. However, these crazy schedules were mainly just for conventions/events. Most weeks I worked pretty much a typical 9-5, so it wasn’t like this all the time.
3. You See EVERYTHING (Good & Bad)
I will say that you learn a LOT about the ins and outs of a beauty company – which can be super fun! But there’s also some downside to this. You see the negative environmental impacts that the industry has (SO much cardboard, shipping, unnecessary waste), and you see some of the cattiness and stereotypes that the industry is known for. I personally felt like sometimes I wasn’t taken seriously in my job because of my age – which shouldn’t be used against you.
All company dynamics are different, but I think that working in the beauty industry kind of takes away some of that “magic” that you initially have with makeup and skincare. You see the reality of what it takes to “make it” as a brand in the industry. The (often cutthroat) environment, the push to always meet sales goals/numbers, the true intentions behind certain brands, etc. It’s just not quite as exciting as before.
I still do love the industry and see so much potential in it. I hope to use my experience and understanding of the industry to be a different kind of resource to all of you. There are pros and cons to all industries and companies, but those are just some of mine.
How to Get Your Foot in the Door
When I got my first “big girl” job in the industry, my most asked question was, “how did you get a job in beauty?”. So I want to share how I got my career in beauty started, and my advice for finding jobs in the industry.
1. Find Unique Ways to Get Experience
The beauty industry values people that have industry experience. I’m not saying that you won’t be able to get a job if you don’t, but it will give you a leg up in the application process. And you’re probably wondering, how do I get industry experience if I can’t even get my first job in beauty? I recommend looking for internships or brand ambassador programs that are beauty-related while you’re in school. Even if the role is small, having beauty experience on your resume can give you a boost when applying to jobs.
2. Focus on Networking
Next, networking is my number one piece of advice for you. Since being in the industry, it’s crazy how small the circles can be in the beauty industry. Everyone seems to know each other, and a lot of people jump from one beauty company to another, so don’t burn any bridges. If there’s a specific company you’re dying to work for, find a way to get connected! Find a current employee that works in the department you’re interested in (more on departments below), and try reaching out to them on LinkedIn. Send a nice message introducing yourself, and try to build a connection.
3. Try Different Job Sites
I know everyone’s looking on LinkedIn nowadays, and this is a great place to start! I definitely recommend filtering by industry and selecting “Cosmetics” if you’re looking for a beauty position. However, I’ve found that a lot of companies hire from job sites outside of LinkedIn. I’ve gotten interviews for companies through sites like Indeed, Glassdoor, ZipRecruiter, and even my city’s Craigslist page. I also recommend looking up the brands you’d like to work for, and check out their career page.
4. Find Ways to Stand Out
This is another important tip. Jobs these days are getting more and more competitive, so it’s important to find ways to stand out. I recommend finding ways to make your resume, cover letter, and application unique. You could show how passionate you are about the industry by creating a makeup-inspired resume, or include a deck of marketing/social content ideas with your application. It’s important to show a company why you’re interested in them, and what value you’ll provide. Good luck!
Beauty Industry Career Paths
My advice to you is to find what sector of the beauty industry you’re interested in working in and get experience working in those fields. You don’t necessarily have to have beauty experience for a lot of jobs in the industry! While having industry experience can give you a leg up, having related experience to the role is generally more important. I definitely recommend doing your research on different jobs, departments, and their responsibilities to help find your interests.
Here are some of the main departments that most beauty companies have:
Marketing
Most companies have a marketing team that usually covers everything from event planning, social media, email marketing, public relations, and more. Some larger companies might have PR and E-Commerce as separate departments too. If you find yourself wondering, “how do people view this brand?” or “how will people find or discover this brand?”, marketing might be a great option for you!
Education
Generally, most beauty company’s education teams focus on training and educating retailers, customers, and the employees on the products and brand identity. Usually the education team also helps support retailers and events to promote the product. Many education teams work hands-on as well – mini facials for skincare or mini makeovers for makeup. If you love telling a story, are a geek about skincare ingredients, and enjoy working hands-on with people, education would be a great fit!
Product Development
If you’re interested in how products are made, where ingredients are sourced, and want to help brands create new, exciting products, product development is a great department to consider. Some brands produce products in-house, meaning they mix and create their formulas themselves. Other brands work with a manufacturer to create their formulas and produce them on a larger scale. There are a lot of moving parts with PD (sourcing ingredients, working with manufacturers, product samples, etc.), so there’s a lot to learn and discover!
Sales
Generally, the sales team of a beauty company works with retailers to get more products on their shelves. They also manage any orders retailers make and ensure that these orders get fulfilled in a timely manner. The sales team also helps brands get into new, exciting retailers and manages communication to help maintain positive relationship with the retailers. If you’re passionate about sales and building relationships, this could be a great fit!
Supply Chain/Operations
The supply chain and operations team works with manufacturers, vendors, warehouses, and distributors to ensure all products are being produced properly and on time. They handle the entire supply chain from start to finish: ensuring the manufacturers produce the products and packaging, how they’re transported, and when they’ll arrive to the warehouses. If you’re an excel wizard and love seeing how products go from being produced to being on the shelves, supply chain might be up your alley.
Accounting/Finance
All businesses need someone to manage accounting and finance. If you have a degree in accounting/finance and have experience in this field, you can transfer these skills to any company! The accounting and finance teams help to manage the companies overall finances, business expenses, and more. If you love managing numbers and are very detail oriented, accounting and finance are amazing options. This is a great way to get into the beauty industry without having prior beauty experience.
Human Resources
Same as above, if you have experience working in Human Resources, many of those skills will be transferrable to the beauty industry. If you love working with people, helping with conflict resolution, and conducting interviews, HR could be a great career path to look into. This is another beauty career path that doesn’t necessarily require industry experience either 🙂
Last Words
Overall, I think a career in beauty can be incredibly rewarding! I love being able to learn more about skincare every day, and it’s really fun being able to work in something you love. However, there can be some negative to this as well. For me, I love all things beauty and sharing it will all of you, but working in the industry and pursuing this side hustle can be exhausting sometimes and I can get burnt out.
However, if you’re a big beauty junkie and are interesting in a career in beauty, it can be a lot of fun! I would just recommend finding a company whose values you align with. If you’re passionate about the brand you work for, you’ll have a better experience supporting them! Feel free to contact me if you have any other questions about pursuing a career in beauty 🙂
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