Natural Beauty Care offers pharmaceutical scholarships

One of Australia’s most successful manufacturers of organic personal care products is donating $120,000 towards scholarships for students studying pharmaceutical science at Monash University.

Natural Beauty Care’s team of chemists and technicians formulate bespoke beauty products and cosmetics for a range of major Australian and international brands. Their expertise extends through skin, hair and baby care, spa treatments, tanning and even pet care.

Managing director John Humble described the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Science at Monash as "outstanding" and said he had been enormously impressed with students who’ve had placements with NBC in the past.

High-quality graduates

“They produce very high-quality graduates, and when you speak to the students they all speak glowingly of the course itself and all  the teaching staff and researchers,” he said. “We’ve had an excellent experience with those who have worked with us over many  years.”

One scholarship a year will be offered for at least the next five years for those taking either a Bachelor of Pharmaceutical Science or the Advanced (honours) version of the course. Both teach how to develop effective medicinal products through scientific research and clinical trials. Monash designed the advanced degree for high-achievers expecting to pursue honours studies and a career in pharmaceutical science.

“They will be equity scholarships to help those who would otherwise struggle to afford the fees. We want to provide them with financial security so they can concentrate fully on their studies,” John said. “We felt it was only fair that we do something to support  the faculty as we’ve certainly benefited from our relationship with the people there.”

At times, NBC has had difficulty recruiting development chemists and have turned to Monash for help.

They have provided some excellent graduates. If any of the students on the scholarships consider us as future employers, we’d be honoured.”

Unique challenges

NBC was an early adopter of the organic movement in the hair and beauty space when it launched over 20 years ago. For a shampoo, body cream or shower gel to be certified organic presents unique challenges for the researchers and brand developers.

“When we started, the first green shoots of the movement towards sustainability were beginning to show. At first, it was a niche that not enough people were servicing, but then the multinational companies realised that their customers were demanding more natural products with fewer artificial additives and harmful chemicals.

“Today they’ve become mainstream, but are still markedly more difficult to formulate.”