Jessica Heilman, Product Manager in Philadelphia, PA, United States
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Jessica Heilman

Verified Expert  in Product Management

Product Manager

Philadelphia, PA, United States

Toptal member since June 28, 2024

Bio

Jessica is a formulation chemist with nearly a decade of experience in personal care product development. She has formulated conventional, natural, and organic OTC and cosmetic products under various certifications. Jessica has had extensive involvement in the scale-up and manufacturing process for the products she developed, allowing her to have a well-rounded understanding of her products from concept to final packaging.

Project Highlights

Product Reformulation
Reformulated six problematic products and prevented a missed launch date.

Expertise

  • Chemistry
  • Manufacturing
  • Marketing Strategy
  • Microsoft 365
  • Product Development
  • Regulatory Compliance
  • Reverse Engineering
  • Testing

Work Experience

Managing Owner

2019 - PRESENT
Pure Chemistry Consulting
  • Worked with new and established brands to develop effective and innovative personal care products.
  • Collaborated directly with contract manufacturers to develop scale-up procedures for the large-scale manufacturing of new products.
  • Developed testing protocols to substantiate claims and analyze data to create consumer-facing marketing materials.

Director of Innovations

2022 - 2023
Renmatix/All Well Beauty
  • Developed cosmetic products under the brand's clean beauty standards and EWG verification.
  • Headed applications research on new ingredients developed by Renmatix and applied the research to new product development.
  • Managed the research and development team and led the new product development team to create product pipelines aligning the R&D, Marketing, and Sales teams.
  • Assisted manufacturing in scale-up processes and provided guidance on developing more efficient processes for current products.

Formulation Scientist

2019 - 2020
The Mentholatum Company
  • Developed OTC and cosmetic personal care formulations.
  • Created product dossiers for the marketing team to build a campaign for new and current products.
  • Led the internship program, which included hiring, training, and managing the interns in 6-month cycles.
  • Awarded "Best Green Formula" at the Global Formulation Conference 2020.

Technical Sales

2018 - 2019
Seppic, Inc
  • Developed a personal care portfolio of $3 million annually.
  • Managed over 200 customers and developed new client business.
  • Utilized technical background to provide formulation assistance and promote Seppic ingredients to customers.
  • Visited customers and attended local trade shows to promote Seppic ingredients.

Cosmetic Chemist

2016 - 2018
One Love Organics
  • Formulated natural and organic skincare under Ecocert/COSMOS standards and applied and maintained necessary Ecocert/COSMOS certifications for both products and ingredients.
  • Assisted in the manufacturing scale-up of new formulations from pilot to full scale.
  • Sourced, set up, and trained manufacturing personnel on necessary production equipment, including tanks, cooling systems, in-line homogenizers, pumps, and mixers.
  • Formulated Yoga Journal's 2017 Natural Beauty Awards "Best Moisturizer" and "Best Lotion."
  • Formulated a product that was a finalist in the City Awards 2018 "Cosmetic Innovator of the Year."

Junior Chemist

2015 - 2016
Product Quest
  • Developed innovative personal care cosmetic and OTC products and composed batching procedures for large-scale manufacturing.
  • Conducted pilot batches of new formulations as a step to product validation for manufacturing.
  • Represented R&D on the Material Review Board to improve manufacturing processes.
  • Reprocessed out-of-specification batches from manufacturing by performing necessary adjustments in the lab and developing procedures for the large-scale batches.

Project History

Small-scale Manufacturing Facility Optimization

Led the design and procurement of manufacturing equipment to produce batches of up to 15 gallons of various products, including emulsions, gels, oils, and balms.

Based on production needs, I sourced optimal-sized tanks with necessary heating and cooling capabilities, mixing and homogenizing equipment that would work well across various viscosities. I also worked on a pump for transferring to the filling line.

In addition, this project involved working closely with the production team to perform scale-up tests for each product. All tests were successful, and the brand increased productivity due to the larger batch sizes.

Product Reformulation

Reformulated six problematic products and prevented a missed launch date.

A client had six products recently developed by a contract manufacturer. The 1st batches produced had all failed quality control testing. Four products had severe issues relating to emulsion instability and separation; the remaining two had sensory issues as they felt tacky on the skin.

I quickly gathered relevant information from the manufacturer and reformulated all of the products to meet the client's standards. I then went to the facility and supervised the products' scale-up. The batches passed quality control, and the client was able to launch on time.

Award Winning Products

Won two awards in a global formulation conference held by a large multinational corporation.

A large multinational corporation holds a global formulation conference every year, with submissions coming from countries across North America, South America, Europe, and Asia. In order to submit a product, candidates must present the product concept in a virtual conference.

In 2019, I submitted a novel product that functioned as an anhydrous makeup remover that emulsified and rinsed off the skin as water was applied. That product was given an honorable mention for the most innovative product that year. In 2020, my submission of a 100% natural lip conditioner won the award for best natural product. This formulation was developed to provide multi-faceted moisture to the lips while keeping the elegant feel of silicone-based lip conditioners using only natural ingredients.

Education

2009 - 2014

Bachelor's Degree in Chemistry

Drexel University - Philadelphia, PA, USA

Skills

Paradigms

Testing

Industry Expertise

Chemistry

Other

Product Development, New Product Development, Reverse Engineering, Scale-ups, Batch Reprocessing, Science, Microsoft 365, Google, Experimental Design, Marketing Strategy, Manufacturing, Time Management, Regulatory Compliance, Management, Research, Clinical Study Design, Client Management, Customer Support, Product Certification, Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS), Mechanical Design, Public Speaking, Sales, Trade Shows, Salesforce, Customer Service, Manufacturing Site Design

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