Birnur Aral
Product Expert | Sustainability Champion| Chemical Engineer | PhD
West New York,NJ
Summary
Dynamic director with unique expertise spanning consumer products, media and sustainability. Exceptional personal care product knowhow, including research & development, technical, clinical & consumer evaluations, claims generation & substantiation, and regulatory aspects. Seeking a purposeful leadership role in an organization that equally values environmental, human, and economic factors.
Overview
29
29
years of professional experience
4
4
Languages
Work History
Executive Director-Beauty, Health & Sustainability
Good Housekeeping Institute
New York, NY
09.2007 - Current
- Oversaw testing of hundreds of consumer products each year with focus on performance against marketing claims, ease of use and safety in fast-paced media environment for editorial coverage in print and digital outlets.
- Evaluated and approved products for Good Housekeeping Seal and Green Good Housekeeping Seal in categories including skin care, hair tools, water filtration devices and testing kits, OTC drugs, medical devices, weed killers, insecticides and more.
- Developed criteria for scoring card of Green Good Housekeeping Seal when it launched in 2009.
- Conceived and launched brand's first-ever metrics-driven Sustainable Innovation Awards in 2019 and grew it to $250K/year franchise.
- Key organizer and co-host for brand's annual Raise the Green Bar summits since 2017.
- Led formation of sustainability-focused employee resource group within Magazines division.
- Launched brand's annual Beauty Awards in 2010 and helped grow it to $750K/year revenue generator.
- Conducted investigative stories exploring efficacy of water pitchers in removing emerging contaminants, safety of microwaving plastic food containers, dangers of gel manicures, and more.
- Wrote digital articles that tease out science behind beauty products and debunk misconceptions.
- Expert reviewer on countless digital content in additional categories ranging from nutritional supplements to non-stick cookware, to pet food.
- Advocated for modernization of cosmetics regulations.
Manager, Fragrance Applications
Takasago International
Rockleigh, NJ
02.2006 - 06.2007
- Led formulation effort to demonstrate efficacy of company's sensate agents in lotion formula bases.
- Performed comprehensive stability study to document fragrance raw material and colorant interactions.
Research Scientist
Unilever North America
Trumbull, CT
06.1998 - 02.2006
- Established proof-of-principle of benefit oil and fragrance deposition on skin from personal wash formulations.
- Developed technical measurements that correlate with consumer sensory perception of cleansing formulas.
- Formulated novel bar formulations with anti-aging skin benefits using bench-top and pilot-scale processors.
- Coordinated external project to develop novel soap bar finishing process.
Applications Engineer
Rheometric Scientific, Inc.
Piscataway, NJ
12.1994 - 05.1998
- Performed tests, authored technical reports, taught training courses, and fielded questions through customer hotline.
Education
Certificate of Professional Achievement - Sustainability Analytics
09.2014 - 05.2021
- 4.2/4.0 GPA
- Sustainability Management, Green Accounting, Analysis for Energy Efficiency, Climate Systems
Ph.D. - Chemical Engineering
09.1990 - 05.1996
- Dissertation: “Flow and deformation behavior of concentrated suspensions; Development of yield stress, wall slip and air entrainment effects"
Master of Engineering - Chemical Engineering
01.1987 - 05.1990
- Thesis: "Rheological Behavior of Highly Filled Suspensions"
Bachelor of Science - Chemical Engineering
09.1982 - 07.1986
Skills
Leading with vision & integrity
Critical & creative thinker
Talent building & retention
Multiple stakeholder management
Building Trust
Project Management
Life cycle approach
Value chain analysis
Effective Communication
Content generation
Presentation skills
Search Engine Optimization
Timeline
Columbia University in The City of New York - Certificate of Professional Achievement, Sustainability Analytics
09.2014 - 05.2021
Executive Director-Beauty, Health & Sustainability - Good Housekeeping Institute
09.2007 - Current
Manager, Fragrance Applications - Takasago International
02.2006 - 06.2007
Research Scientist - Unilever North America
06.1998 - 02.2006
Applications Engineer - Rheometric Scientific, Inc.
12.1994 - 05.1998
Stevens Institute of Technology - Ph.D., Chemical Engineering
09.1990 - 05.1996
Stevens Institute of Technology - Master of Engineering, Chemical Engineering
01.1987 - 05.1990
Bogazici University - Bachelor of Science, Chemical Engineering
09.1982 - 07.1986
Volunteer Work
- Ansary Entrepreneurship Competition- Stevens Institute of Technology | Judge (2023)
- The Next Awards by BeautyMatter | Judge (2022)
- B Corp Champions Summit - B Beauty Coalition Panel | Moderator (2022)
- B Corp Global Summit - B Beauty Coalition Panel | Moderator (2021)
- SUMANI Columbia University Chapter | Project Member (2019)
- Cosmetics Design Beauty Industry Awards | Judge (2018-2019)
- Chobani HUG Initiative | Mentor (2018-2019)
- MADE SAFE | Science Advisor (2017-Present)