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Alumna wins national L鈥橭real award

Mascara comes in tubes of different sizes, colors, and shapes. It can be found in almost any household in the United States. And 60 percent of the mascara bought in the U.S. is made using a process designed by University of Arkansas at Little Rock alumna Christa Rowland and her team. Together, they’re聽responsible for industrializing the bulk process for all L鈥檕real and Maybelline mascara. L鈥橭real and Maybelline mascara for North and South America is produced in North Little Rock, where Rowland has been managing Process Expertise, a team she was previously a part of as a process expert. 鈥�I have a lot of passion for my work and for the beauty and consumer products industry because of the way we are able to engage with so many people鈥檚 daily lives,鈥� she said. 聽 Rowland received her undergraduate degree in chemistry from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock in 2008 before going to work for L鈥橭real, but she wanted to further her education and skill set. After two years away, Rowland returned to attend graduate school while working full time, and she graduated with a Master of Business Administration in 2012. The function of Rowland鈥檚 team within her company is to be industrial experts for L鈥橭real formulas. In addition to mascara, they work on efficiency improvements, troubleshoot formula issues with products, and create new processes to solve challenges. They also define the processes used to press powders, fill liquid formulas, and clean and sanitize the equipment. 鈥淭he expectations are high, and I鈥檓 constantly growing and have been lucky to work with and learn from a lot of really self-demanding and empowering people that inspire me,鈥� Rowland said. 鈥淚 think if I was in a more traditional company and workplace I would probably be bored and a lot less motivated.鈥� Last year, Rowland and her team won the grand prize in excellence in L鈥橭real鈥檚 Beauty Shaker Awards. The intent of the contest is to boost entrepreneurial spirit in approaches to new ideas and business challenges within L鈥橭real. Awards are given for excellence, out-of-the-box ideas, and sustainability. The excellence category is given to a team whose implemented idea produced聽positive results for the business. Rowland鈥檚 team found an alternative processing method for lip gloss that created a zero-waste batching process by a simple concept that eliminated all the residual formula that would typically remain in the mixing tank. Thanks to the team’s method, the company cut out聽hundreds of thousands of liters of water and cleaning chemicals from its process聽补苍诲听resolved a major capacity challenge on the equipment. It also significantly reduced the time required to respond to variations in production forecast. The team presented its work in the semi-final and final rounds in New York City to the L鈥橭real CEO, Fr茅d茅ric Roz茅, and his committee as well as executives and notable professionals from within the beauty industry. The winner was announced at the Year End Business Review by Roz茅 and a surprise member of L鈥橭real鈥檚 brand ambassador team, Eva Longoria. Rowland and her team were able to meet the actress and take home a $20,000 award.