Marketing Placement

Sam Jeffery

Business

Placement (10 Months+)

L'Oreal

Describe your role and what it entails.

I was placed as the marketing intern in the upcoming and TikTok famous skincare brand, CeraVe, within L’Oréal’s Active Cosmetics Division. It’s the division which focused on fast growing skincare trends within the fields of medicine and dermatology. The beauty of this division is that I get the best of both worlds – working with influencers and e-retailers such as LookFantastic, FeelUnique, and ASOS, whilst also supporting our medical and pharmaceutical teams with professional conferences and GP recommendations.

What have been your highlights?

My highlight has been our most recent product launch – our Hydrating Cream-to-Foam Cleanser. Joining the business at the beginning of this process, deciding on the product specifications, the promotional campaigns, and the launch – all I could feel was immense accomplishment when seeing this product on the shelves of our retailers. L’Oréal gave me the responsibility to put forward my ideas, and then see them become a reality in our various stores and online sites. A pinch yourself moment when shopping!

What have been your challenges?

Life at L’Oréal is not going to be smooth sailing, even as an intern you are a valued employee, which means there are high expectations. This was challenging in my first few weeks – with so many questions, worries, and complications faced – making progress felt difficult. However, L’Oréal’s culture welcomes curiosity and encourages learning at all stages. My line manager, account holders, and so many others in my division were more than happy to answer my many questions and point me in the direction of further information and contacts. Despite the responsibility proving challenging, it has provided me with a wealth of commercial experience which is invaluable. Can’t wait to keep learning!

What advice would you give to a student following in your footsteps?

Be comfortable in your own skin and confident in who you are! When I arrived for the interview I was the only person who wasn’t wearing any L’Oreal products, and didn’t know the first thing about lipstick or foundation. However, the interview started and I instantly realised that I didn’t need to be an expert in make up to make an impact here. With no expectation of knowledge on the entire beauty sphere, we were able to discuss the areas within L’Oréal where I saw my passions. There’s no expectation to know everything about beauty when applying to L’Oréal, but there’s an expectation that you want to learn, and I haven’t stopped learning since. So don’t let your lack of beauty awareness discourage you from applying to L’Oréal – come with your passions and be willing to learn.