Director, Clinical Testing & Claims, R&D

Director, Claims & Clinical Testing

e.l.f. Beauty, Inc. stands with every eye, lip, face, paw and fin. Our deep commitment to clean, cruelty free beauty at an incredible value has fueled the success of our flagship brand e.l.f. Cosmetics since 2004 and driven our portfolio expansion. Today, our multi-brand portfolio includes e.l.f. Cosmetics, e.l.f. SKIN, Well People - clean beauty powered by plants, Naturium - high-performance, biocompatible, clinically-effective and accessible skin care, and our newest brand, rhode skin - developed by Hailey Rhode Bieber, a line of curated skincare essentials, formulated for a variety of skin types and needs with high performance ingredients, it's a daily routine that nourishes your skin barrier over time

In our Fiscal year 26, we had net sales of $1.6 Billion and our business performance has been nothing short of extraordinary with 29 consecutive quarters of net sales growth. We are the #2 mass cosmetics brand in the US and are the fastest growing mass cosmetics brand among the top 5. Our total compensation philosophy offers every full-time new hire competitive pay and benefits, bonus eligibility (200% of target over the last seven fiscal years), equity, flexible time off, year-round half-day Fridays, and a hybrid 3 day in office, 2 day at home work environment.

We believe the combination of our unique culture, total compensation, workplace flexibility and care for the team is unmatched across not just beauty but any industry.

Position Summary:

The Director, Claims & Clinical Testing will lead e.l.f. Beauty's global substantiation program—architecting claims governance, shaping study strategy, and translating scientific outcomes into clear, compliant, and differentiated consumer‑relevant claims. Partnering closely with Product Development (PD), R&D, Regulatory, Legal, and Product Innovation/Marketing, this leader designs and delivers clinical and consumer studies from early feasibility through commercialization while instilling disciplined processes that accelerate decisions and reduce risk.

The role spans all brands and multiple categories—including color/makeup, skin care, hair care, and others—with responsibility for end‑to‑end claims substantiation and product testing (safety, consumer, and clinical) across innovation projects.

This Director establishes fit‑for‑purpose study protocols and designs that demonstrate efficacy and enable compelling, including numerical, claims; manages all testing details and key milestones to meet timelines; and builds strategic relationships with external labs to optimize timing, quality, and cost. Additionally, the role identifies the latest ingredient technologies and actively mines for innovative ingredients to drive pipeline innovation; monitors competitive claims and stays current on emerging research across skin, color, and hair;

and partners closely with our global R&D formulation team and Product Development to share insights, methods, and technologies that inform development and positioning. The ideal candidate thrives in e.l.f.'s culture of quality and speed, brings a minimum of 10 years' experience in personal‑care claims substantiation, and is proficient in statistical principles, study design/methodology, good clinical practices, and data integrity. This position reports to the Associate Vice President, R&D and is based in New York.

Responsibilities:

• Maintain a streamlined claims governance framework to enable fast, compliant approvals across brands and categories.
• Centralize substantiation materials (briefs, protocols, reports, decisions) and maintain audit-ready documentation with clear version control.
• Define end-to-end clinical and consumer study strategies that align to product intent and timelines, including clear objectives, endpoints, success criteria, and statistical rigor.
• Design fit-for-purpose protocols and questionnaires to substantiate differentiated efficacy claims, including numerical claims, from early feasibility through commercialization.
• Oversee execution with external labs/CROs: IRB preparation, sample planning/labeling/shipping, data review, and timely delivery of final reports.
• Translate…