In honour of International Women's Day, we would like to celebrate the amazing scientists behind our beautiful products at Perfect Potion: Deanne Miller, Rachel Morton and Jill Walton. We caught up with them to discuss what inspired their careers in science, what they are up to at Perfect Potion, and some of their favourite products!
Deanne Miller, Technical Manager at Perfect Potion (left)
Favourite Perfect Potion product: "I wear our Tinted Moisturiser (Honey) every single day! I also really love the new Replenish Antioxidant Serum that contains the amazing Kakadu Plum extract. Finally, one of my 'babies' is the clinically proven Outdoor Body Spray Natural Insect Repellent. This project was a long time in the making and I was very proud to have been involved in the testing and registration of the spray as a proven effective insect repellent."
Background: After graduating from UQ with a Bachelor of Applied Science (Food Science & Technology), Deanne started her career in the food industry in quality assurance and food safety. Deanne began her path in cosmetics with Perfect Potion in 2005 as QC Chemist, and soon after began formulating. During this time, Deanne played an integral part in Perfect Potion’s adoption of various certifications for with Australian Certified Organic (ACO) in 2006 and BDIH (certified natural certification) in 2007.
After a brief sojourn back to the food industry and a short stint in the certification department at ACO, Deanne returned to Perfect Potion as the Technical Manager in 2011. In this role, she now oversees all regulatory, quality and product development matters. In 2013, she drove the adoption of COSMOS certification following its introduction to the cosmetics industry. Perfect Potion was one of the first Australian cosmetics companies to obtain certification with the BDIH, and later COSMOS, for their natural and organic ranges.
Rachel Morton, Quality Control Technician (middle)
Favourite Perfect Potion product: "My favourite products are the new Skin Elixir Nourishing Cream and Rejuvenating Eye Cream as they contain cutting edge ingredients such as Kangaroo Paw Extract as well as being COSMOS Organic."
Background: Whilst completing her Bachelor of Science (Biotechnology), Rachel was inspired to follow her heart and enter the cosmetics industry thanks to her passion for skin care. Having a science degree gave her the foundation to build upon with cosmetics. Since then, she has found herself working in mostly technical positions, from multi-national companies such as Schwarzkopf and Nutrimetics in Sydney, to smaller contract manufacturers here in Brisbane.
In her role as Quality Control Technician at Perfect Potion, she tests all raw materials when received to ensure they meet Perfect Potion's high standard of specifications. Once the products are manufactured and packaged, Rachel tests them again to ensure the highest standard of quality is consistently met.
When asked what her thoughts were about Perfect Potion's products, she said, "I love the diverse range of products that Perfect Potion produces... The wide variety of products really keeps me on my toes!"
Jill Walton, Product Development Coordinator at Perfect Potion (right)
Favourite Perfect Potion product: "My favourite product is the COSMOS Organic Replenish Antioxidant Serum, which I use every morning and night under moisturiser. It has a beautiful, light texture, is highly spreadable and full of Australian plant extracts. My skin drinks it in, leaving it feeling instantly replenished!"
Background: A love of fragrance and perfume lead Jill into a career in the cosmetics industry. After completing a Bachelor of Science degree in Australia, Jill moved to the UK to study Cosmetic Science and then obtained her first position as a Cosmetic Scientist for a raw material supplier. From there she became a Cosmetic Scientist, formulating new products for a leading skincare manufacturer.
On her return to Australia, as well as continuing R&D of cosmetics, she gained experience in a number of complementary fields including skin research at the University of Queensland (UQ) and working in the perfume industry.
Jill has been at Perfect Potion since April 2016 as the Product Development Coordinator. Her role is to research and formulate new products, the latest being the newly launched skincare range, which is certified COSMOS organic, vegan and 100% palm-free.
