Product Research & Innovation Lead - Alastin

Galderma•Carlsbad, CA

2d•Onsite

About The Position

This role is responsible for assessing and delivering differentiated, scientifically credible, and consumer-relevant technologies and products that enable the brand to remain competitive in a fast-moving and evolving landscape. Positioned at the intersection of science, consumer insights, and brand strategy, the role transforms emerging technologies and trends into sustainable, high-performing product innovations. The individual will proactively influence and support the development and execution of the innovation strategy and pipeline to drive business growth. As the R&D lead for innovation, the role is accountable for advancing brand and platform innovation initiatives and ensuring their successful translation into product development projects. This includes building a science-based, consumer-centric pipeline of innovative technologies and products across multigenerational platforms, identifying high-performing ingredients with clear mechanisms of action and demonstrated efficacy for further evaluation, and partnering closely with Regulatory, Clinical and Marketing teams to substantiate and validate product claims included in marketing materials.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Biology, Chemistry, Cosmetic Science, Pharmaceutical Sciences, or a related scientific discipline; advanced degree (Master's or PhD) preferred.
5-8 years of experience in product innovation, research and development, product development, or scientific affairs within the skincare, cosmetics, aesthetics, consumer health, or OTC industries.
Strong knowledge of skin biology, ingredient technologies, cosmetic and OTC product development, and clinical evaluation methodologies.
Demonstrated experience identifying, assessing, and translating emerging technologies, scientific discoveries, and consumer insights into commercially viable product innovations.
Solid understanding of global claims substantiation requirements and regulatory frameworks across key markets, including the United States, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and China.
Proven track record of successfully developing and launching innovative skincare, cosmetic, aesthetics, or OTC products in a global organization.
Experience evaluating and interpreting ingredient efficacy, mechanisms of action, clinical data, and scientific literature to support product development and claims strategies.
Strong project leadership skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities, drive cross-functional alignment, and deliver results in a complex matrix environment.
Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making capabilities, with the ability to balance scientific rigor, consumer needs, and business objectives.
Exceptional verbal, written, and technical communication skills, including the ability to effectively present complex scientific concepts to diverse audiences, including Marketing, Regulatory, Medical, and Executive Leadership teams.
Demonstrated ability to influence stakeholders and build strong collaborative partnerships across functions, regions, and levels of the organization.

Responsibilities

Upstream Innovation – Build a strong knowledge base and opportunity landscape to inspire and fuel future innovation initiatives. Identify, assess, and advance key innovation opportunities by leveraging consumer, technological, and scientific insights, competitive intelligence, and market trends. Participate in due diligence activities for licensing and business development opportunities, as applicable.
Project Ideation – Partner with Global Marketing and regional teams to conduct competitive assessments and develop innovation briefs aligned with business and consumer needs. Generate and refine innovative product concepts through scientific, technology, formulation, and claims-based approaches. Collaborate with the Scientific team to propose differentiated and scientifically credible concepts. Identify and screen high-performing ingredients with clear mechanisms of action and demonstrated efficacy for further cross-functional evaluation.
Project Execution – Assess technical, scientific, and regulatory feasibility during feasibility and development stages to ensure concepts can be successfully executed. Support product development and qualification activities to ensure alignment with project briefs and consumer expectations. Drive scientific concepts, hero ingredients, technology platforms, and claims strategies in close collaboration with Marketing, Regulatory, Safety, Product Development, Procurement, and Operations teams. Lead and coordinate product evaluation, sensorial testing, and consumer validation activities to support lead formula selection and market readiness. Support development of product claims, usage instructions, and artwork content.
Product Launch & Scientific Communication – Evaluate and substantiate and create product claims dossiers using scientific documentation (including ingredient dossiers, publications and clinical study reports) while ensuring compliance with global regulatory requirements. Creating and maintaining a claims library including supportive material to support regulatory, medical and marketing needs. Ensure claims strategies address both consumer and healthcare professional needs by translating scientific findings into clinically meaningful product benefits. Partner with Regulatory, HCP Marketing, Legal, Clinical and Marketing teams to lead scientific claims substantiation and support global claims validation. Support Marketing and Medical teams with scientific communications, including claims support, HCP toolkits, training materials, videos, FAQs, and launch content for regional markets.
Cross-Functional Leadership & Governance – Represent the R&D team at both platform and project levels during stage-gate governance reviews, including Brand Committee and Portfolio Committee meetings.