Director of Research & Development; Color Cosmetics & Skincare

Director of Research & Development | Color Cosmetics & Skincare

Los Angeles, CA | Reports Directly to the CEO

• Can you look at a shade and know exactly what needs to change?
• Do you understand pigments, undertones, color matching, dispersion, payoff and the nuances that separate an exceptional color formula from an average one?
• Are you equally comfortable developing a new shade, troubleshooting a difficult formula and leading a team of chemists?

If that's you, we want to talk.

We are looking for a hands-on cosmetics R&D leader with deep color formulation expertise to lead product development for a growing beauty company.

This isn't a position for someone who simply oversees an R&D department.

We're looking for a chemist who knows color.

You’ll be the technical authority behind the company's color and formulation development — working directly with the CEO, leading a team of approximately 10 chemists and laboratory professionals, and helping turn new product concepts into commercially successful products.

You will play a key role in:

• Color development & shade creation — developing, matching and optimizing shades across color cosmetic categories.
• Pigment expertise — evaluating pigments, colorants, dispersions, raw materials and their impact on finished-product performance.
• Formula troubleshooting — diagnosing problems with shade, texture, payoff, stability, wear and overall product performance.
• Color innovation — identifying new technologies, ingredients and approaches that can create differentiated products.
• Formulation — developing and refining color cosmetic and skincare formulas from initial concept through commercialization.
• Scale-up — translating successful laboratory formulas into repeatable, commercially viable manufacturing processes.
• Technical leadership — establishing formulation standards, mentoring chemists and raising the technical capabilities of the R&D organization.

While your technical and color expertise is critical, you'll also have the opportunity to influence the broader product-development organization.

You’ll partner with:

• Marketing on product concepts, trends and claims
• Manufacturing on scale-up and production challenges
• Operations on timelines, costs and commercialization
• Executive leadership on the R&D pipeline and product strategy

You’ll oversee stability and safety testing, regulatory requirements, formula documentation, laboratory operations and multiple development programs simultaneously.

You should bring:

• 7+ years of hands-on cosmetic formulation experience
• Strong understanding of pigments, colorants, raw materials and cosmetic chemistry
• Demonstrated ability to develop and troubleshoot color cosmetic formulas
• Experience taking products from bench formulation through commercialization and scale-up
• Experience leading, mentoring or developing other chemists
• Knowledge of skincare formulation is highly desirable
• Understanding of cosmetic regulatory, stability, safety and claims requirements
• Strong communication and project-management skills
• The ability to move between technical detail and business priorities
• Experience with a cosmetics manufacturer or beauty brand is preferred, particularly in a fast-paced, growth-oriented environment.

We're looking for someone who doesn't just know how to formulate.

You understand why a formula works.

You have an instinct for color. You can troubleshoot what others can't. You know your raw materials. You can look at a formulation challenge from multiple angles and find the path forward.

And you can teach other chemists what you know.

Because this role requires genuine expertise in color development and formulation, finalists will complete a practical color and formula assessment during the interview process.

We want to see how you think, how you formulate and how you solve problems — not simply what your résumé says.

If color formulation is your specialty and you're ready to put your expertise at the center of an R&D leadership role, let's talk.