CHM 117 - Consumer Product Chemistry

Course unit(s): 1
Meets GAR: Meets general academic requirement SC.
Designed for non-science majors. The consumer products industry is a multi-billion dollar business that is focused on “delighting” the consumer with its goods. Marketing strategies take a holistic approach mixing emotion, perception, and performance to the consumer. This course will focus on the technical aspects of product performance and the ingredients that drive that performance. Specifically, the chemical compositions of shampoos, lotions, detergents, cleaners, etc. will be explored along with the associated product testing, claims, manufacturing, and cost structures. Claims such as “natural”, “eco-friendly” and “preservative-free” will be discussed. The course will be presented in a qualitative, results-oriented manner (a format that would be typically presented to management teams in a consumer products organization). No previous chemistry is assumed.