Formulation Scientist - Skincare & Acne

Why Shield Labs is a Once in a Lifetime Opportunity

Shield Labs () is a fast-growing skincare startup focused on bringing innovative solutions to help men overcome acne. Since launching 3 years ago, we’ve profitably scaled to a $45M run rate and over 300,000 happy customers. With a large market, high customer satisfaction, and profitable unit economics we are well positioned to grow Shield into a household name.

We're hiring a R&D Formulation Scientist to work on-site at our Naples lab with our team to develop the most effective acne treatments in the world. This is a high impact role reporting to our Head of Product.

Location: Naples, Florida (Relocation assistance provided)

Description: You'll independently develop and improve skincare formulations, create sample batches, design controlled experiments, analyze results, troubleshoot technical problems, and help translate promising prototypes into scalable commercial products.

• Product Formulation — Independently develop, optimize, and reformulate cleansers, moisturizers, serums, gels, suspensions, leave-on treatments, and other topical skincare products from initial concept through commercialization.
• Experimental R&D — Design controlled experiments to understand how ingredients, concentrations, delivery systems, and processing conditions affect efficacy, stability, tolerability, and product performance.
• Acne Innovation — Research and test new ingredients, technologies, and formulation approaches that can meaningfully improve acne outcomes.
• Troubleshooting — Diagnose and solve stability, viscosity, compatibility, processing, preservation, and scale-up issues using a structured experimental approach.
• Stability & Testing — Design stability and compatibility testing protocols, establish appropriate product specifications, analyze trends and OOS results, investigate failures, and determine formulation changes or next steps.
• Raw Material & Supplier Research —Evaluate new raw materials and technologies and work directly with supplier technical teams to understand how they can be used most effectively.
• Scale-Up & Manufacturing — Partner with contract manufacturers to translate laboratory formulas into reproducible commercial batches and troubleshoot issues during scale-up and first production.
• Lab Leadership — Provide technical direction to the R&D Lab Technician, oversee accurate execution of assigned experiments, and help establish SOPs, equipment standards, testing methods, and R&D laboratory systems.
• Strategic Product Development — Work with our Head of Product to identify which scientific questions are worth answering, what experiments should be run next, and where the largest opportunities exist to make our products materially better.

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in chemistry, cosmetic science, chemical engineering, pharmaceutical science, or a related field.
• 2-5+ years of hands‑on formulation experience in skincare, cosmetics, personal care, topical pharmaceuticals, or a closely related field.
• Experience independently researching actives and formulation technologies, developing experimental plans, and translating research into prototype formulations.
• Strong understanding of emulsions, surfactants, rheology, polymers, preservation, pH, ingredient compatibility, stability, and manufacturing processes.
• Strong experimental thinker. When something doesn't work, your instinct is to isolate variables and figure out why.
• Experience taking products from benchtop formulation through scale‑up and manufacturing.
• Able to run multiple development projects simultaneously without losing rigor or attention to detail.
• Entrepreneurial mindset with a strong sense of ownership and curiosity.
• Experience with OTC acne products, benzoyl peroxide, salicylic acid, delivery/deposition systems, or dermatology products is a benefit.
• Familiarity with GMP principles, technical documentation, and formulation development within regulated or quality‑controlled environments.