BEAUTY PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

Let’s jump in — meet your instructor, get a solid understanding of the course structure and an overview of the evolving beauty industry, and have any questions answered in a Q&A.

• Instructor introduction
• Course objectives, flow, & project
• Beauty industry: Key trends & challenges
• Q&A

Lesson 1 will give you a foundational framework for the product development process, including key market influences, development stages, stakeholder interactions, and the critical role of brand DNA.

• Case studies beauty product launches 
• Product lifecycle: Key stages
• Beauty product development process mapping
• Cross-functional roles in product development 
• Essential skills for beauty product managers
• Developing to brand DNA

Assignment #1: Create your own Product Development Process Map

Discover how to define and analyse the target audience. Develop the skills to create beauty products that meet evolving consumer needs and develop detailed audience profiles.

• Target audiences & segmentation
• Using consumer insights to drive product development
• Tracking consumer behaviours: Social media & influencer marketing
• Knowing your customer
• Workshop: Breakout into teams: Explore consumer values in skincare - how big they are in the market now and for the future.

Assignment #3: Identify primary target audiences of an iconic product
Either for your current brand/product or for a brand/product you love, write the primary target profile based on the key features of the product.

Learn to analyse competitors at both brand and product levels – explore how to use market insights to identify opportunities for new product development, redevelopment, or discontinuation.

• Competitor market mapping
• Conducting competitor analysis
• SWOT analysis: Identifying opportunities & threats 
• Portfolio analysis & product lifecycle 
• Workshop:  Using the product examples provided, conduct a commercial analysis, cannibalisation, and viability review.

Assignment #4: Conduct a product competitor analysis
Identify a product gap in the market to launch for either your current brand/product or a brand/product you love.

In this lesson, you’ll learn how to evaluate sales channels, assess a product’s viability across different distribution models, and create a brief aligned with their sales and distribution strategy.

• Understanding your brand’s distribution & different countries specifications
• Beauty consumers: Where they shop today
• Explore sales channels 
• Expectations/values/meeting criteria of certain channels
• Case Study: Caroline Hirons, Skin Rocks Market Explosion

80% of a product's impact is made during the design phase – discover how to integrate sustainability into product development, make responsible claims, meet reporting obligations, and contribute to long-term environmental impact.

• Sustainability & beauty industries’ planet impact: Carbon emissions, biodiversity loss, high-impact ingredient sourcing, & more 
• Product lifecycle analysis: Making the best choices during development 
• What’s a sustainable ingredient?
• Communicating sustainability & brand position
• EU Green Claims & EU sustainability reporting 
• Case Study: ELEMIS Turn Down the Heat Consumer Campaign

Lesson 7 will show you how to create detailed product concept briefs that align with consumer needs and formulation requirements, ensuring clarity on costs, ingredients, and packaging standards.

• Creating your product brief
• Formulation and packaging charters 
• Product positioning & opportunity 
• Key customer results and claims
• Formula, packaging, key markets, commercials
• Briefing your formulators

Assignment #5: Create your own product brief

Dive into effective packaging design, sustainable material choices, and essential IP protection strategies to safeguard their products and brand.

• Packaging in beauty product success
• Case Study: Designing packaging that aligns with your brand values and identity
• Balancing aesthetics & functionality 
• Sustainability packaging trends 

Assignment #6: Compare two products in the market
Explain why product 1 has a strong IP and recognition, and why product 2 has a low IP and recognition. What do they need to improve? 

Delve into the testing process to ensure product safety and efficacy. You will also cover establishing standards with third parties and conducting user and clinical trials for enhanced product value.

• Product testing: Claims & functionality 
• Standardised industry formulation testing
• Packaging usability & compatibility testing
• Transit testing, ongoing monitoring & product recalls
• Setting standards with R&D
• Case Study: Clinical testing tools, processes, testing houses

Gain an understanding of global regulations, how packaging and formula design impact taxation, and how to ensure product claims and copy are compliant with industry standards.

• Global beauty product regulations
• Packaging taxation in the UK & global regulations
• Ensuring compliance in ingredient sourcing
• Names & packaging copy claims compliance
• In-country product registrations
• Case Study: Labelling and packaging requirements UK & EU

Learn how to manage the complexity of product development. Balance timelines, budgets, and inventory while exploring project management tools to ensure successful product launches.

• Concept to launch 
• Managing timelines & milestones
• Risk management & mitigation
• Final forecasting aligned with product phaseouts
• Budgeting & cost control
• Case Study: Deep dive into concept to launch: Project management plan

In this class, you will develop an understanding of the supply chain dynamics, the importance of negotiating product terms, and the role of supplier audits in risk reduction. You will also hone your ability to manage supplier relationships effectively.

• Key suppliers in the supply chain
• Selecting subcontractors for manufacturing
• Sourcing packaging, ingredients, & raw materials
• Negotiating contracts, volumes, pricing, & value engineering
• Supplier audits

Explore career paths in beauty product management, essential skills and certifications for advancement, networking strategies, and how to prepare for leadership roles while managing cross-functional teams.

• Career paths: Roles & growth opportunities
• Essential skills & certifications for advancement
• Networking strategies & industry connections
• Preparing for leadership roles & managing cross-functional teams