What makes The Honey Collection special:

The Honey Collection is nestled in the heart of New Zealand’s wine region, Marlborough, it is a unique skincare brand that started in 1993 using UMF honey as their key ingredient. The Director was approached by a friend wanting to create a product to be exported to Asia.  The product was a hit and so it was decided to start a contract manufacturing side to his business. This grew unexpectedly fast before the decision was made to split the company into two and build a purpose-built facility with GMP being the target. In 2016 the planning and design started for this contract manufacturing factory. I was lucky enough to be quite involved with the planning and overseeing of the build.  This is how the sister company, Designer Skincare NZ, was created. GMP certification will be reached early this year.

Your role/part:

Having started as a manufacturer, I soon worked my way up to become 2IC, overseeing all the manufacturing and formulation side of the business. (at Designer Skincare NZ)

How have your studies helped progress:

Learning with IPCS has helped me learn the science behind cosmetics. Not only are the lectures easy to understand and follow but it allowed me to fit studying into my busy family and work life. I found ways to pass on the knowledge I had gained to staff, including incorporating a “fact of the day” or a “did you know” moment during our working day, making it a fun way to help them learn important information about the industry they work in, and they really enjoyed it.  I am very thankful Belinda created this distance learning programme that allows people in the industry to learn accurate information and achieve a qualification in the field we often have practical experience in. For me personally, understanding the concepts behind creating a formula has assisted immensely for when I work alongside our formulator. It has really helped me understand the science involved in creating new and improving existing products. I feel an incredible sense of accomplishment to receive my diploma and know that the knowledge and skills I have gained will help me in my work every day.