Amy Poulton

"I would say that my personality types fit fairly well with my work, however the influencer and communicator roles probably would fit my role well also. The Coach personality type is perfect for my role as I have to work with people around the world, understand their needs and translate it into solutions for them. All of the qualities of the Coach are important for my work."

"I work in the personal care and cosmetics sector of a chemicals manufacturer. As a sales development specialist I work with the sales teams in Europe to understand the needs of our customers and how we can help them find solutions with the products we sell. I visit customers and present to them information about our materials and the science behind them. I also listen to the needs of the customers and use this to help influence the materials we will create in future. This helps them to create the amazing personal care and cosmetic products that you would find in the shops.The thing I most enjoy about my job is that I am always learning new things about the science behind skin care and cosmetics. I also love travelling around Europe and meeting new people.Starting salaries in cosmetic chemistry are very varied and can be from £21,000 to £30,000 depending on the role and company. My role is more specialist and is not actually considered an entry level role - for this kind of role the salary is around £40,000."

"I have a BSc (Hons) Chemistry. I chose a chemistry degree as it was a subject I always enjoyed at school and teachers told me that it is very flexible and can be useful in many different roles. During my degree I did a year abroad in Canada which was amazing, during this time I worked in a research group within the university. I enjoyed it but realised scientific research wasn't what I could see myself doing as a career. During university my love of skin care and cosmetics grew and I researched the science behind them, this is how I discovered cosmetic chemistry. After graduating I first worked for P&G creating fine fragrances for designer brands, I then moved and worked in a formulation team at Boots creating skin care products. I loved being able to see products I created on the shelf. The role I have now allows me to dive deeper into the science of the raw materials used in cosmetics and skin care. If you would have told me at school that I would have a job that involved presenting to people I'm not sure I would have believed you. I wasn't a fan of speaking up in school and dreaded the speeches and performances we had to do for English! As I moved through my jobs I realised that speaking to people was actually something I loved and I aspire to keep people engaged and teach them new things."

"My favourite subject at school was actually DT Textiles and I still love sewing. I love doing craft projects such as making clothes or baby toys and blankets. Most people don't associate science with being creative but I think that having this creativity makes me better at my job."

"My role is really varied.I meet with different teams to discuss products, ideas and solutions both short and long term.I create presentations for customers showcasing our products and how they could help them with their projects.Present to customers, listen to their needs and help them solve problems.Look at the performance of different teams and products and think of ways to improve them.I also (in non-COVID times) travel to meet customers in person across Europe and beyond."

"AS Level: Physics, Extended Project QualificationA Level: Chemistry, Maths and GeographyBSc (Hons) Chemistry with a year study abroad in North America - Newcastle University, year abroad at University of Waterloo, CanadaSCS Diploma in Cosmetic Science"