Question
Beauty Takes Time
Physical Science Studies: Structure, Interactions, and Properties of Matter
Jim Schwartz remembers the bewilderment he felt when he began working for Procter & Gamble (P&G). Schwartz had just earned a degree in chemistry. He did not understand, however, why P&G had hired dozens of researchers just to work on Ivory soap.
"I thought, what in the world are all these people doing here? It's a bar of soap, for crying out loud!" Schwartz said.
Schwartz has now worked at P&G for two decades. Over the years, he has developed a fuller appreciation for the enormous effort it takes to bring beauty products to market. These products include hair products and skin creams. P&G is just one of many companies that spend tons of money and time researching these products.
Beauty is a highly profitable business. This is thanks to several groups that are eager to look younger or better. Take baby boomers, for example. Baby boomers are members of the huge generation of people born following World War II. Many of these people enthusiastically seek ways to fight the effects of aging. They spend money on products that promise to help. Young people too are directing more money toward increasing their beauty. So are an increasing number of people in developing countries.
These customers have helped P&G. The company's sales have more than doubled in the past decade. The global market for beauty and personal health care is about $482 billion. Therefore, the company sees plenty of room for growth.
Clearly, there's money in the promise of beauty. A growing number of companies are offering beauty products for the first time. P&G, for example, is known for such brands as Tide and Pampers. But then it branched out. P&G now competes with established beauty product companies. These include L'Oreal, Avon, and Estee Lauder.
Companies want to get an edge on the competition. They therefore spend many years and millions of dollars manufacturing and testing their products. P&G has nearly doubled its number of researchers in the last 20 years. It now has more than 1,700 researchers. L'Oreal has steadily increased spending on its beauty product research. It currently has about 4,000 researchers.
These researchers work on years-long projects. They attempt to find out everything there is to know about human skin and hair. Researchers examine skin pores. These are magnified to the point that they look like moon craters. Researchers also wash and rinse rows upon rows of hair samples. In addition, researchers spend a great deal of time researching human cells. Tom Dawson is one of P&G's scientists. Dawson spent nearly seven years studying the causes of human dandruff.
Researchers are responsible for developing products that offer added personal benefits. They make sure products look right. Researchers also make sure products feel and smell right. These experts must prepare the product for marketing. They also must make sure that it can be affordably mass produced.
In the final stages of research, companies test their products. Many pay volunteers to try their latest products. Some workers get to try out not-yet-available products, too.
With all this research, it can take 5 to 10 years for a beauty product to finally reach customers.
"That [seemingly] simple product sitting on store shelves has years and years and thousands of person-hours that went into making it work well," Jim Schwartz said.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Compare and contrast acids and bases. Cite examples from the readings to support your comparison. Also cite examples from what you may already know.
Type your answer in the box below.
one short answer
Physical Science Studies: Structure, Interactions, and Properties of Matter
Jim Schwartz remembers the bewilderment he felt when he began working for Procter & Gamble (P&G). Schwartz had just earned a degree in chemistry. He did not understand, however, why P&G had hired dozens of researchers just to work on Ivory soap.
"I thought, what in the world are all these people doing here? It's a bar of soap, for crying out loud!" Schwartz said.
Schwartz has now worked at P&G for two decades. Over the years, he has developed a fuller appreciation for the enormous effort it takes to bring beauty products to market. These products include hair products and skin creams. P&G is just one of many companies that spend tons of money and time researching these products.
Beauty is a highly profitable business. This is thanks to several groups that are eager to look younger or better. Take baby boomers, for example. Baby boomers are members of the huge generation of people born following World War II. Many of these people enthusiastically seek ways to fight the effects of aging. They spend money on products that promise to help. Young people too are directing more money toward increasing their beauty. So are an increasing number of people in developing countries.
These customers have helped P&G. The company's sales have more than doubled in the past decade. The global market for beauty and personal health care is about $482 billion. Therefore, the company sees plenty of room for growth.
Clearly, there's money in the promise of beauty. A growing number of companies are offering beauty products for the first time. P&G, for example, is known for such brands as Tide and Pampers. But then it branched out. P&G now competes with established beauty product companies. These include L'Oreal, Avon, and Estee Lauder.
Companies want to get an edge on the competition. They therefore spend many years and millions of dollars manufacturing and testing their products. P&G has nearly doubled its number of researchers in the last 20 years. It now has more than 1,700 researchers. L'Oreal has steadily increased spending on its beauty product research. It currently has about 4,000 researchers.
These researchers work on years-long projects. They attempt to find out everything there is to know about human skin and hair. Researchers examine skin pores. These are magnified to the point that they look like moon craters. Researchers also wash and rinse rows upon rows of hair samples. In addition, researchers spend a great deal of time researching human cells. Tom Dawson is one of P&G's scientists. Dawson spent nearly seven years studying the causes of human dandruff.
Researchers are responsible for developing products that offer added personal benefits. They make sure products look right. Researchers also make sure products feel and smell right. These experts must prepare the product for marketing. They also must make sure that it can be affordably mass produced.
In the final stages of research, companies test their products. Many pay volunteers to try their latest products. Some workers get to try out not-yet-available products, too.
With all this research, it can take 5 to 10 years for a beauty product to finally reach customers.
"That [seemingly] simple product sitting on store shelves has years and years and thousands of person-hours that went into making it work well," Jim Schwartz said.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Compare and contrast acids and bases. Cite examples from the readings to support your comparison. Also cite examples from what you may already know.
Type your answer in the box below.
one short answer
Answers
GPT-4o mini
Acids and bases are two fundamental categories of substances that exhibit distinct properties and behaviors in chemical reactions.
**Acids** are substances that donate protons (H⁺ ions) in a solution and typically have a sour taste. They can react with metals and carbonates, producing gases. For example, vinegar (acetic acid) is a common household acid used in cooking and cleaning. In the context of beauty products, certain acids, like salicylic acid, are used in skincare to exfoliate and promote clear skin.
**Bases**, on the other hand, accept protons and have a bitter taste. They feel slippery and can neutralize acids. An example of a base is baking soda (sodium bicarbonate), which is often used in personal care products for its gentle abrasive properties. In beauty products, some bases help in pH balancing and stabilization.
In both the readings about beauty products and general chemistry knowledge, the importance of understanding these substances is clear. For example, researchers at companies like Procter & Gamble study the properties of skin and hair, which involves understanding and manipulating pH levels that can involve both acids and bases to create effective formulas. The research spans years to ensure that products like shampoos and skin creams are safe, effective, and palatable to consumers.
**Acids** are substances that donate protons (H⁺ ions) in a solution and typically have a sour taste. They can react with metals and carbonates, producing gases. For example, vinegar (acetic acid) is a common household acid used in cooking and cleaning. In the context of beauty products, certain acids, like salicylic acid, are used in skincare to exfoliate and promote clear skin.
**Bases**, on the other hand, accept protons and have a bitter taste. They feel slippery and can neutralize acids. An example of a base is baking soda (sodium bicarbonate), which is often used in personal care products for its gentle abrasive properties. In beauty products, some bases help in pH balancing and stabilization.
In both the readings about beauty products and general chemistry knowledge, the importance of understanding these substances is clear. For example, researchers at companies like Procter & Gamble study the properties of skin and hair, which involves understanding and manipulating pH levels that can involve both acids and bases to create effective formulas. The research spans years to ensure that products like shampoos and skin creams are safe, effective, and palatable to consumers.