R&D Chemist I
About The Position
The R&D Chemist I is responsible for formulating, developing, evaluating, and commercializing cosmetic and personal care products. The role includes hands-on formulation work across skin care, hair care, body care, fragrance, OTC, and color cosmetics, supporting innovation, reformulation, raw-material evaluation, scale-up, and manufacturing while meeting regulatory and customer requirements. The Chemist develops and optimizes products from concept through commercialization, performs laboratory formulation and testing, troubleshoots product and manufacturing challenges, and supports pilot and commercial production. The role works with cross-functional teams and contributes to product specifications and technical documentation. It requires a bachelor's degree in a relevant scientific discipline and at least three years of hands-on cosmetic formulation experience. The position is based in an R&D laboratory and cosmetic and personal care manufacturing environment with moderate noise and frequent interaction with laboratory, manufacturing, quality, regulatory, and commercial teams. Physical requirements include lifting up to 25 pounds and standing, walking, and bending for extended periods.
Requirements
- Bachelor's degree in Chemistry, Biochemistry, Chemical Engineering, Cosmetic Science, or a related scientific discipline.
- Minimum of 3 years of hands-on cosmetic formulation experience.
- Experience in personal care, skin care, hair care, fragrance, color cosmetics, or OTC product development.
- Experience taking products from concept through manufacturing scale-up and commercialization.
- Strong working knowledge of cosmetic raw materials and ingredient functionality.
- Experience formulating emulsions, surfactant systems, gels, creams, lotions, serums, butters, waxes, and anhydrous products.
- Knowledge of rheology modifiers, emulsifiers, preservatives, polymers, active ingredients, pigments, fragrances, and specialty ingredients.
- Understanding of product stability, compatibility testing, and product performance evaluations.
- Knowledge of FDA, MoCRA, OTC, PCPC, and cosmetic industry regulations.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, including Excel, Word, and Outlook.
- Strong formulation troubleshooting and analytical skills.
- Ability to manage multiple projects and priorities in a fast-paced environment.
- Excellent organizational and time-management skills.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills.
- Detail-oriented approach and commitment to quality and accuracy.
- Ability to work independently and as part of a cross-functional team.
- Creativity, innovation, and passion for product development.
- Strong problem-solving skills and technical curiosity.
- Ability to lift up to 25 pounds.
- Ability to stand, walk, bend, and work in a laboratory environment for extended periods.
- Ability to safely handle cosmetic raw materials and laboratory equipment.
Nice To Haves
- Contract manufacturing and customer-driven product development experience.
- Experience with formulation management systems such as Optiva or equivalent.
Responsibilities
- Develop, formulate, and optimize cosmetic and personal care products from concept through commercialization.
- Create formulations for skin care, hair care, bath and body, fragrance, OTC, and other personal care products.
- Conduct bench-scale formulation work involving emulsions, suspensions, surfactant systems, gels, creams, lotions, waxes, and anhydrous products.
- Reverse engineer competitive products and develop equivalent or improved formulations.
- Evaluate raw materials, technologies, and ingredient trends for product development opportunities.
- Prepare laboratory batches and document formulas, procedures, observations, and results.
- Conduct stability, compatibility, and performance testing.
- Troubleshoot formulation, stability, and manufacturing challenges and recommend corrective actions.
- Support pilot, validation, and commercial production batches and provide technical guidance during scale-up.
- Collaborate with Manufacturing, Quality, Regulatory, Purchasing, Project Management, and Sales to support product launches.
- Review ingredient declarations and support the creation of product specifications and technical documentation.
- Ensure formulations meet applicable regulatory requirements, customer standards, and internal quality expectations.
- Participate in customer meetings, technical presentations, and formulation reviews when required.
- Follow company safety policies, GLP, cGMP, and SOPs.
- Stay current on cosmetic industry trends, ingredient technologies, and regulatory developments.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Entry Level
