From Food Science to Face Oil: Meet Bronwyn

A scientific background, with a practical streak

Bronwyn holds a Bachelor of Food Science and Human Nutrition, majoring in Food Technology, awarded in 2011, and a Master of Human Nutrition from Deakin University, completed in 2013.

Her undergraduate studies covered chemistry, biochemistry, microbial biology, food analysis, processing, quality management, packaging and product development. Her postgraduate studies built on that foundation with further work in nutrition research and innovation in food science.

Food technology might seem an unexpected starting point for skincare, but there is plenty of familiar territory at the formulation bench. Working with ingredients means understanding their individual properties, how they behave together, and how processing affects the finished result.

Where food science meets skincare

A formula is more than a list of appealing ingredients. The proportions matter. So do the method, the temperature, the order of addition and the way the finished product feels.

Anyone who has made an emulsion has encountered the challenge of bringing oil and water together. Anyone who has worked with oils and butters knows that changing the balance can change a product's texture considerably. Those are familiar kinds of questions in food product development, too.

That training provides a useful foundation for skincare work: thinking about the whole formula, keeping the process consistent, and approaching adjustments with a clear reason for making them.

Research is another part of that foundation. Studying science means learning to look beyond an exciting ingredient headline and ask what the evidence actually supports. At the formulation bench, that translates into asking what an ingredient contributes, why it belongs in the product and how it fits with everything else.

Helping make the Made In Hemp favourites

Made In Hemp's skincare story began with founder Darius and the development of the original range. Bronwyn's role is part of its continuing story: helping manufacture the established products and contributing to the development of what comes next.

At Long Jetty, our in-house range includes hand cream, face creams, body butters, Healing Balm, soaps, lip balm and facial oil. Making these products brings the science into everyday practice through weighing, blending and following the production process.

It also gives Bronwyn a direct connection with the products beyond the label. Alongside manufacturing, her work across the stores means she hears the questions customers ask, the textures they prefer and the products they come back for.

That combination gives useful perspective when thinking about the range: the experience of making a product, the experience of using it, and the experience of helping someone choose it.

The face oil that started with “I could make my own”

The Nourishing Face Oil is a particularly personal part of that story. As Bronwyn puts it, the face oil is “entirely my baby”.

She preferred using a face oil in her own routine, but buying one felt increasingly hard to justify when she had access to the ingredients and the background to develop her own.

There is something very relatable about that starting point. A product you want to use, a practical reason to make it, and the curiosity to work out how.

For a facial oil, the experience matters. How does it spread? How rich does it feel? Is it something you look forward to applying? Those questions sit alongside the choice of ingredients, because a product has to earn its place in a daily routine.

What began with Bronwyn's own preference became our Nourishing Face Oil: a personal formulation project that found a place on the Made In Hemp shelf.

Putting that experience into what comes next

Bronwyn's interest in formulation continues beyond the face oil. Her work includes making the existing range and exploring opportunities to expand it, drawing on her scientific background and practical experience.

That gives new ideas a useful starting point. What would this product add? How would someone use it? What ingredients and texture would help it do that job well?

Sometimes inspiration comes from a customer conversation. Sometimes it comes from working with an existing formula. And sometimes, as the face oil shows, it starts with wanting something for your own bathroom shelf.

Behind the creams, balms and oils made at Long Jetty are people who take an interest in both the ingredients and the finished product. For Bronwyn, that work brings together years of study, a practical approach to making things, and the pleasure of seeing someone else enjoy a product she has helped bring to life.

If you already use our Nourishing Face Oil, now you know whose idea is sitting on your bathroom shelf.