Advanced Cosmetics Entrepreneurship Professional Diploma Coming to AUC

AUC is paving the way forward in the cosmetics industry with the launch of the new Advanced Cosmetics Entrepreneurship Professional Diploma, a first-of-its-kind program in partnership with the Egyptian Cosmetics Company (ECC). 

“The cosmetics industry is flourishing in Egypt, and the Advanced Cosmetics Entrepreneurship Professional Diploma is here to teach the future leaders of the industry the science behind safe, reliable and revolutionary products,” stated Wael Mamdouh, the chemistry professor who is spearheading the program. 

Offered by AUC’s Engineering and Science Services, the new diploma will take the foundation of what participants learned in the Cosmetics Formulation Entrepreneurship Professional Diploma (COZM) and add further technical education in laboratory and manufacturing management, as well as increase project-based and experiential learning with ECC’s support and sponsorship. COZM launched in 2023 as a first-of-its-kind cosmetics program partnered with the Egyptian Drug Authority (EDA). 

“AUC is here to ensure that entrepreneurs entering the market are prepared with technical and business knowledge, and have the tools to reach success,” said Mamdouh. “The advanced diploma will give participants unique industry insight to their own path within the field.” 

 “The advanced diploma will give participants unique industry insight to their own path within the field.” 

The COZM professional diploma, which was also started by Mamdouh, teaches participants the essentials of the cosmetics industry across three modules. Firstly, participants take classes in skin anatomy, physiology and formulations, studying the basics behind the science of cosmetics. Secondly, they take business classes and learn what it means to be a cosmetic entrepreneur through a series of lectures and group projects. Lastly, participants work with the EDA to understand how to get their products tested, registered and approved by the government to ensure they’re safe for the public.

The Advanced Cosmetics Entrepreneurship Professional Diploma will have the same three-module structure as COZM, but with more hands-on opportunities through increased interactive chemistry learning and participant-led product design. The science module will be all hands-on labs, and the business module will be based on individual project development. The advanced professional diploma is open for participants who have already completed the COZM diploma and will begin in 2026. “We’re looking for participants who are passionate about entering the cosmetics industry,” said Mamdouh. “At the end of the program, they will be experienced entrepreneurs ready to share their unique perspectives.”

“At the end of the program, they will be experienced entrepreneurs ready to share their unique perspectives.”

Participants will be given lectures on market standards, useful ingredients and potential niches. ECC’s manufacturing branch will produce prototypes of formulations developed by participants as well as take them on a tour of the factory, showing them the realities of product fabrication in the cosmetics industry. At the end of the program, ECC will sponsor the top three participant projects by supporting product creation, registering a number of cosmetic product files at EDA, producing batches for free and providing advertising assistance. Participants will present their prototypes to a panel of judges from ECC and AUC, with three chosen to receive the sponsorship award. 

While the winners will have a huge leg up in the cosmetics industry, everyone who participates in the Advanced Cosmetics Entrepreneurship Professional Diploma will walk away with invaluable knowledge and experience. As Mamdouh explained, “The program will not only recognize the winners because everyone is a winner. We will keep supporting participants through other means, such as guidance and mentorship. Nobody will be left alone.”

With the success of participants who graduated from the COZM professional diploma — including two participant startups that are now on the market — Mamdouh is confident that the advanced diploma will only increase success in the cosmetics field. “It’s a booming industry, and we’re here to help the AUC community take the lead,” he said.