Senior Formulation Chemist

McKenna Labs, Inc•Fullerton, CA

2d•$95,000 - $140,000•Onsite

About The Position

McKenna Labs is a full-service contract manufacturing company specializing in hair, skin, and body care products. The Senior Formulation Chemist joins the Research and Development Team and develops, reformulates, optimizes, and commercializes personal care and over-the-counter (OTC) products for contract manufacturing customers. The role leads formulation projects from concept through commercialization and works closely with customers and internal teams to develop high-quality, compliant, manufacturable products. The successful candidate brings technical expertise in personal care and OTC formulations, translates market trends and customer requirements into products, and works hands-on in a fast-paced contract manufacturing environment. This is an onsite position.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Chemistry, Biochemistry, Chemical Engineering, Cosmetic Science, or a related scientific discipline.
Minimum 5 years of formulation experience in personal care, cosmetics, and/or OTC drug products.
Demonstrated experience developing products from concept through commercialization.
Strong knowledge of emulsions, surfactant systems, active ingredients, preservative systems, rheology modifiers, and OTC monograph products.
Experience conducting stability, compatibility, and performance testing.
Ability to independently manage multiple projects and deadlines.
Strong problem-solving, analytical, and organizational skills.
Experience with technical transfers, including scaling up to large-scale manufacturing equipment.
Deep understanding of key active ingredients, raw materials, product efficacy and performance, and regulatory compliance.
Excellent interpersonal, communication, negotiation, and influencing skills for working with internal stakeholders.
Ability to think creatively and prioritize tasks effectively across multiple ongoing projects.

Nice To Haves

Experience mentoring others.

Responsibilities

Develop innovative formulations aligned with customer objectives, market trends, and regulatory requirements.
Reformulate existing products to improve performance, cost, manufacturability, or regulatory compliance.
Conduct laboratory experiments, stability studies, compatibility testing, and product performance evaluations.
Translate bench-scale formulas into pilot and commercial manufacturing processes.
Provide technical support during scale-up, validation, and commercial production.
Troubleshoot formulation and manufacturing issues and recommend corrective actions.
Collaborate with customers throughout product development, presenting prototypes, technical data, and project updates.
Evaluate and qualify new raw materials, technologies, and suppliers.
Maintain formulation records, technical reports, and project documentation.
Review product specifications and assist with technical transfer documentation.
Work with Regulatory Affairs to ensure compliance with FDA, OTC Monograph, customer, and international requirements.
Monitor industry trends, consumer insights, competitive products, and emerging technologies to identify innovation opportunities.
Mentor junior chemists and laboratory personnel.
Participate in customer meetings, trade shows, supplier presentations, and innovation initiatives.
Manage multiple projects and deliver high-quality products on time.