Senior Chemist

SENIOR CHEMIST | COSMETICS COLOR & FORMULATION EXPERT

Los Angeles, CA | 4+ Years of Cosmetic Formulation Experience

ARE YOU THE CHEMIST WHO KNOWS COLOR?

• Can you look at a shade and immediately recognize what needs to change?
• Do you understand pigments, undertones, color matching, dispersion, payoff and shade development?
• Can you take a color concept from the lab bench and turn it into a formula that performs?
• Do you enjoy troubleshooting formulas when the answer isn't obvious?
• Are you equally comfortable developing a new shade, refining an existing formula and solving a difficult formulation problem?
• If color and formulation are where you do your best work, we want to talk.

We are looking for a hands‑on Senior Chemist with strong expertise in color cosmetics and formulation to join a growing beauty company's R&D team in Los Angeles.

This is not a role for someone who simply manages projects or coordinates development.

We are looking for a chemist who knows what is happening inside the formula.

You’ll be involved directly in developing, testing, troubleshooting and improving cosmetic products — with a particular emphasis on color development, shade matching and formulation performance.

Your expertise will be at the center of the role.

You’ll work on:

Develop, match and refine shades across color cosmetic categories. Understand undertones, pigment combinations, intensity, coverage, payoff and how individual colorants behave within a finished formula.

Work hands‑on with pigments, colorants, dispersions and other raw materials to achieve the desired shade and performance.

Develop and optimize color cosmetic formulas from initial laboratory work through finished-product development. Skincare formulation experience is a strong plus.

Investigate and solve problems involving shade, texture, dispersion, stability, payoff, wear, application and overall product performance.

Prepare and evaluate laboratory batches, document results, modify formulas and make informed recommendations based on testing and observation.

Work with manufacturing and other R&D partners to transition successful laboratory formulas into repeatable commercial production.

Improve existing formulas through raw-material evaluation, performance testing, cost considerations and technical problem‑solving.

While color formulation is the heart of this position, you’ll also have exposure to the broader product‑development process.

• R&D colleagues on new product development and formulation challenges
• Manufacturing on scale‑up and production issues
• Marketing on product concepts, trends and product claims
• Operations on development timelines and commercialization
• Suppliers on raw materials, ingredients and technical questions
• You'll also contribute to stability testing, formula documentation, laboratory procedures and multiple product‑development projects.

We’re looking for someone with:

• 4+ years of hands‑on cosmetic formulation experience
• Strong experience in color cosmetics formulation
• Demonstrated expertise in color development and shade matching
• Strong understanding of pigments, colorants, dispersions and cosmetic raw materials
• Experience developing and troubleshooting cosmetic formulas
• Experience taking formulations from laboratory bench through scale‑up and commercialization
• Strong knowledge of cosmetic chemistry and formulation principles
• Experience with laboratory batching, testing and documentation
• Skincare formulation experience is highly desirable
• Understanding of cosmetic stability, safety and regulatory requirements
• Strong analytical…