ECTS
60 credits
Duration
1 year
Training structure
Faculty of Science
Language(s) of instruction
French
Presentation
The L2 préPAC corresponds to a course in the second year of the Bachelor's degree in Chemistry at the Faculty of Sciences in Montpellier. This course, which prepares students for the Professional Bachelor's degree in Perfumes, Flavors, and Cosmetics (LproPAC), is highly recommended for those wishing to enroll in the LproPAC.
This course (500 hours of training, minimum 8 weeks of work experience) consists of a common part and a part specific to each option: perfumes and aromas, and cosmetics.
The courses are taught by a dynamic teaching team made up of lecturers and researchers from the Faculty of Science at the University of Montpellier, as well as lecturers and researchers from the Faculty of Pharmacy and various external industry experts.
The number of places available in L2 préPAC is limited to 20 students.
90%
Success rate
Objectives
The aim is to integrate the L3 proPAC degree in order to gain access to careers as senior technicians and assistant engineers in the perfume, cosmetics, and food flavoring industries.
Know-how and skills
Mobilize appropriate theories, models, and concepts to solve problems in organic and analytical chemistry for applications in perfumes, flavors, and cosmetics.
Knowledge of specific raw materials, chemical classes of odor molecules, and the main synthetic raw materials used in flavors, fragrances, and cosmetics.
Raising awareness of aromatic plants in perfumes, flavors, and cosmetics.
Understanding the influence of thermodynamic parameters on applications in perfumes, flavors, and cosmetics.
Knowledge of laboratory equipment and analysis techniques suitable for the field of fragrances, flavors, and cosmetics.
Understand the essential concepts of colorimetry for applications in cosmetics and fragrances.
Understanding the physical and chemical phenomena of interfaces, the properties of surfactants, and colloidal systems in cosmetic or food industry applications.
Understanding the physiology of taste, smell, and cosmetic applications.
Pre-professional skills
Select and use raw materials to create simple and complex combinations of fragrances, sweet and savory flavors, and apply them to a medium.
Knowing how to select and use cosmetic raw materials to formulate emulsions, foaming products, colored products, and toothpaste.
Evaluate raw materials and finished products (sensory and chemical analysis, smell and taste).
Characterize and analyze (quality control) raw materials and finished products.
Understand the basics of regulations governing perfumes, flavors, and cosmetics, develop specifications for a cosmetic product, and perform quality controls tailored to industrial issues.
Use marketing concepts to develop regulatory and advertising labeling for a cosmetic product.
Cross-functional and language skills
Ability to work independently and in a work group.
Know and apply the health and safety rules in a chemistry laboratory.
Communicate, process production-related information, and share operational practices.
Use standard digital tools and IT security rules to acquire, process, produce, and disseminate information (development of documentation materials: written and oral reports).
Identify and select various specialized resources to document a topic.
Analyze and synthesize data for use.
Develop critical thinking skills.
Use written and oral comprehension and expression in English (vocabulary appropriate to the field of expertise).
Organization
Internships, supervised projects
Internship | Mandatory |
|---|---|
Duration of the internship | 2 to 4 months |
Internship abroad | Possible |
Duration of the internship abroad | 2 to 4 months |
The end-of-year professional internship is required to validate the L2préPAC. This is a regulated internship that takes place from May onwards and lasts between 2 and 4 months.
Good to know:
The duration of the internship(s) completed by the same intern in the same company may not exceed four months per academic year (Art. L 612-9) and must end on August 31.
The maximum weekly working time is 35 hours.
When the duration of an internship within the same company exceeds two consecutive months, the internship is subject to mandatory compensation, based on a legal minimum of 35 hours per week (in 2020, approximately €500/month). There is no upper limit to this compensation.
For more information, see the Faculty of Science website, internship management service.
The internship agreement
Agreements must be signed BEFORE the start of the internship (Pstage application). To access the application as a student, log in tothe ENT with your username and password. Go to the My Education tab > Internships and Job Offers.
Program
The first semester (S3) of the L2 Chemistry PréPAC program includes several teaching units (UE) that are common to both the perfumes-aromas and cosmetics options.
The second semester (S4) of the L2 Chemistry PréPAC program includes several teaching units (UE) common to both the perfumes-aromas and cosmetics options, as well as one teaching unit specific to each option.
Internships and supervised projects:
The end-of-year professional internship is required to validate the L2préPAC. This is a regulated internship that takes place from May onwards and lasts between 2 and 4 months.
Aromatic Plants and Regulations
2 creditsIntroduction to Cosmetics
2 creditsBiochemistry
3 creditsPerfumes: Sensory education
2 creditsEnglish S3
2 creditsChemistry of Raw Materials 1
5 creditsPPE
2 creditsAnalytical Chemistry of Volatile Compounds
4 creditsColor measurement
4 creditsPhysiology
4 creditsASTRE's scientific approach to ecological transition
2 credits
Choose one of two options:
Profile Fragrances / Flavors
Sensory analysis
2 creditsPre-professional project application on matrices
2 creditsChemistry of Specific Materials 2
5 creditsInternship
5 creditsAnalytical tools for VOC characterization
2 creditsEnglish S4
2 creditsExperimental physical chemistry of colloidal systems
2 creditsFragrances/Flavors: formulation
4 creditsBacteriology
2 creditsPolymers, colloids, and rheology
4 credits
Cosmetics Profile
Sensory analysis
2 creditsPre-professional project application on matrices
2 creditsChemistry of Specific Materials 2
5 creditsInternship
5 creditsAnalytical tools for VOC characterization
2 creditsEnglish S4
2 creditsCosmetics: formulation
4 creditsExperimental physical chemistry of colloidal systems
2 creditsBacteriology
2 creditsPolymers, colloids, and rheology
4 credits
Admission
Admission requirements
L1 Chemistry/Biology, BTS, DUT in Chemistry or Biology, PASS-LASS
Selection of applications via e-candidat starting in March, followed by interviews with shortlisted candidates.
The evaluation is based on the candidate's level of education, results, and grades obtained during their post-baccalaureate studies, as well as their career plans and knowledge of the area of expertise they wish to develop (Perfumes or Flavors). Shortlisted candidates are invited to a telephone/videoconference interview and/or an interview at the training site.
Number of places limited to 20 students.
Applications can be submitted on the following platforms:
- French and European students: follow the procedure on the University of Montpellier's e-candidat website.
Registration procedures
Applications are submitted via e-candidat (usually between March and June) and evaluated by the teachers responsible for teaching.
Application process
Application via e-candidat
Review of the file
Selection for an interview
Favorable decision: your application has been accepted for the training program. You must confirm your acceptance within one week.
Rejected: your application has not been accepted.
After acceptance of candidates
Final enrollment in L2 Chemistry PréPAC takes place at the Faculty of Sciences.
Target audience
This program is intended for students who have obtained a scientific baccalaureate and have continued their studies at a scientific university with a validated first-year bachelor's degree in chemistry, biology, or a related field, as well as for PACES students (first year common to health studies). The program is also intended for students who have obtained a DUT or BTS with a focus on chemistry and/or biology.
Capacity
20 students
Mandatory prerequisites
Fundamentals of Organic Chemistry:
- theory: molecular structure, chemical reactions, functions, and reactivity.
-practical: weighing, dilution, assembly, and yield calculation
Recommended prerequisites
Knowledge in the field of Perfumery and Flavors
Initial experience (internship or fixed-term contract) in the perfume, flavor, or cosmetics industry is highly valued.
And after
Continuing education
Professional Bachelor's Degree in Perfumes, Flavors, or Cosmetics LProPAC (University of Montpellier). Except in exceptional cases, all students continue on to the LProPAC bachelor's degree.
Continuing studies abroad
yes
Professional integration
The main objective of the LProPAC degree program in perfumes and aromas is immediate professional integration, and further study is not recommended. In exceptional cases, certain pathways are possible after graduation to master's degrees in a different field of activity (marketing, management, business creation, etc.).