Kristian Ray Angelo Are

Over two years of experience in Technical Services for Personal Care Raw Materials at BASF Japan (current role)
Four years of experience as an R&D and Scale-up Engineer at Igrek Co., a Japanese OEM for personal and home care products
Holds two master’s degrees: (1) MS in Chemical Engineering, (2) MEng in Bioengineering
Published in peer-reviewed journals in both English and Japanese on topics including global suncare trends, biocatalysis, and environmental life cycle assessment
Contributed to a patent application on a sulfonate surfactant thickening system
Licensed Professional Chemical Engineer (Philippines)
Fluent in English (near-native level) and Japanese (business level)

Work Experience

Application Technologist & Technical Specialist Assistant Manager
BASF Japan – Kitatone, Ibaraki, Japan
April 2023 – Present

- Collaborates with Asia Pacific R&D, marketing, and local sales to align product development with market needs, creating formulations that connect innovations to consumer demands.

- Creates skincare, suncare, and cleanser sample formulations showcasing the benefits of BASF’s UV filters, emollients, and specialty surfactants, effectively demonstrating their properties.

- Engages directly with Japanese personal care brands and OEMs to communicate the benefits, uniqueness, and mechanisms of BASF products, ensuring customers understand ingredient performance and formulation advantages.

- Designs and conducts human sensory evaluations as well as exploratory experiments, uncovering new product benefits and enhancing consumer experience.

- Contributed to a patent application for a sulfonate surfactant thickening system.

- Authored a journal article on global suncare product development trends, published in February 2025.

Formulation and Scale-Up Engineer
IGREK Co., Ltd. – Katori, Chiba, Japan
May 2019 – March 2023

- Oversaw the end-to-end production process of shampoo, body soaps, and conditioners, from raw material selection to scale-up manufacturing, ensuring product quality and consistency.

- Conducted human sensory evaluations to assess and optimize the tactile and experiential properties of new formulations.

- Supervised daily laboratory operations, ensuring seamless workflow, adherence to safety protocols, and timely completion of R&D activities.

Quality Assurance Analyst
Del Monte Philippines Inc. – Manila, Philippines
March 2012 – November 2012

- Performed quality control analyses on raw materials to ensure compliance with regulatory standards and product safety requirements.

- Served as a resident sensory panelist, conducting taste evaluations of new formulations for ketchups, sauces, fruit juices, and other products, ensuring flavor consistency with established benchmarks.

- Managed the raw material quality laboratory, overseeing daily operations, equipment maintenance, and adherence to quality protocols.

Education

PhD Bioengineering (units earned)
Tokyo Institute of Technology (Oct 2017 – April 2019)

M.Eng. Bioengineering
Tokyo Institute of Technology
- Thesis: Direct carboxylation under supercritical CO2 using T. acidophilum isocitrate dehydrogenase and T. acidophilum glucose dehydrogenase.
- Scholarship: Monbukagakusho Scholarship Recipient.

M.S. Chemical Engineering
De La Salle University - Manila
- Thesis: Life-cycle assessment of ammonia as a transportation fuel.
- Scholarship: DOST-ERDT Scholarship Recipient.

B.S. Chemical Engineering
Mindanao State University (cum laude)