Studying cosmetics' chemistry & marketing - the first semester at Laurea

The first semester studying cosmetics’ chemistry and marketing is behind me. And I dare say I passed with flying colors! I’m studying at Laurea to become a bachelor of beauty and cosmetics and so far it feels like the perfect match for me.

Applying to school and getting in was definitely the highlight of 2023. In short, it has felt really fulfilling. I thought I could talk a bit about my experience. How has it been studying online and what have I learned so far.

studying at laurea estenomi — First day of school and all the feelings! But you can only read tired and pleased from that face.

Studying to become a bachelor of beauty and cosmetics

My class is online-only. I get to do my own schedule and work from home, which I’m already used to. There were some days on the campus and I also met my group in-person, but other than that it was me and my laptop at home.

It’s been a while since I’ve studied anything, so in August, when my school begun, everything felt new. And while new is good and exciting, it’s also difficult.

Chemistry

At first everything – and when I say everything I mean chemistry – felt really difficult. I was never that good at chemistry at school, but luckily it’s quite straightforward and learnable. You just need to put in the time and effort. Our teachers have also been great and they reply to messages quickly. You bet I’m the one to send questions. Now I have learned the basics and a little about cosmetics. There’s so much that goes into creating a product, I almost feel stupid not thinking about it that broadly before (and marketing also plays a big role in a product).

Obviously, there’s still a lot to learn! It feels like chemistry is a whole another world with endless possibilities and rules. For this whole time I have repeated the same sentence: chemistry is super interesting, but difficult. I’m equally terrified and excited about the things I get to learn about. And that about sums it up.

I know many are surprised just how much chemistry there is in this degree, so just be prepared. Knowing some basics and studying a bit in advance helps.

Actual school assignment. We created a cosmetics line for fairies using AI. I consider myself quite magical and would buy, would you?

Marketing & other courses

When it comes to other courses such as marketing, they have felt easier. It helps that I have already done digital marketing. I feel like especially with the marketing courses we got to be more creative and independent. We did group projects and those were really fun and teachable. One of the best zooms we had was the one where all the groups got to showcase their projects. I learned the benefits of hyaluronic acid (in short, it’s a great ingredient) and forest extract (I did not know it may improve collagen production) , dived into the world of fragrances’ marketing (hello misogny) and korean skincare (still don’t love it, sorry). My group’s project about K18 and Olaplex products also got positive feedback. I learned a lot about hair; what it consists of, how traditional and innovative hair products work and why we use water and heat to style our hair.

There was also a funny coincidence, where one of the photos in teachers’ material was taken by me. Marketing also feels really interesting to me and I’m very motivated to learn more.

Besides chemistry, some technical aspects – such as Laurea’s own report template – have almost caused some grey hairs. But I’m sure it will get easier once I get more familiar with it and some other stuff.

All in all – everything’s learnable.

Next semester starts soon and I will learn about cosmetics’ legislation, English (for the cosmetic industry), writing, chemistry and marketing. The English means I will have to actually speak out, so I will probably try to speak to you in English in my Instagram stories. I wrote it here so I have to. I want to get more confident on that skill.

One of my favorite thing about zoom classes: I can do my makeup while listening. It actually helps to focus!

Personal & professional growth

The reason I applied to this school and this degree, was to gain more experience and knowledge. I’m already a beauty professional (a cosmetologist), but I want to be a better beauty professional, really taking a deep dive into the beauty world. I also want to have experience on different fields. After this first semester I know more of my strengths – writing, creativity, team work and being able to learn and process new information. I feel more confident on my skills and that’s actually pretty huge.

Who knows what kind of work I will end up doing? Something that I’m passionate about, that’s for sure.

Do you have any question regarding to my school? Comment below or send me a DM!