Formulation Chemist - Personal Care Aerosol & Pump Dispensers

Formulation Chemist

Personal Care, Cosmetics & Medical Aerosols

35,000- 40,000 + Bonus + Relocation Support

Bishop Auckland, County Durham

Are you a hands-on Formulation Chemist who enjoys seeing your products go from concept to shelf at pace?

Do you want real ownership of projects, direct customer interaction, and exposure to high-volume manufacturing rather than working in a narrow lab-only role?

This is an opportunity to join an established and growing independent aerosol and pump dispenser manufacturer supplying personal care, cosmetic and medical device products across the UK, Ireland, Europe and North America.

The Opportunity

This is not a corporate R&D lab role.

You will be the central technical lead within a fast-moving, customer-driven product development environment, working across:

• Shave gels and foams
• Shower foams
• Tanning mousses and skincare formats
• SPF formulations
• Medical sprays including adhesive removers, barrier sprays and wound care products

You will manage multiple concurrent projects, working from brief through to scale-up and handover into production.

The business operates five filling lines and produces approximately 24 million aerosol units annually, with specialist expertise in bag-on-valve technology. This creates unique formulation and packaging interaction challenges that require strong technical judgement and practical problem-solving.

What You Will Be Doing

• Developing and modifying formulations for personal care and cosmetic aerosol products
• Managing end-to-end sample development in response to customer briefs
• Leading in-house stability programmes (ambient, accelerated, freeze-thaw, UV exposure)
• Conducting packaging interaction and compatibility studies
• Setting and reviewing raw material and finished product specifications
• Creating and maintaining Product Information Files (PIFs)
• Coordinating outsourced CPSRs, microbiological testing and user trials
• Supporting manufacturing with blend troubleshooting and recovery solutions
• Liaising directly with customers to manage feedback, timelines and expectations

You will not be working in isolation. You will collaborate daily with Quality, Production, Supply Chain and Commercial teams, operating in an agile SME environment where decisions are made quickly and ownership is valued.

The Technical Profile We Are Seeking

You must have:

• A minimum of 2 years' formulation experience within personal care or cosmetics
• Strong hands-on bench formulation capability
• Experience in stability testing and preservative systems
• Exposure to fragrance work and sensory assessment
• An understanding of scale-up and manufacturing realities

Highly desirable:

• Aerosol formulation experience (including foam or gel formats)
• Experience with bag-on-valve or pressurised systems
• Exposure to medical device or regulated cosmetic environments
• Experience preparing or coordinating PIF documentation

You should be confident managing multiple live projects and comfortable speaking directly with customers when required.

The Environment

This is a collaborative manufacturing business, not a siloed laboratory environment.

The successful candidate will:

• Be highly organised and self-motivated
• Thrive in a reactive, customer-led setting
• Be comfortable balancing scientific integrity with commercial deadlines
• Communicate effectively with both laboratory and production teams
• Enjoy taking ownership and accountability

If you prefer narrow, single-project research roles with heavy supervision, this will not be the right environment.

If you enjoy autonomy, pace and impact, it will be.

Why Join?

• Significant autonomy within a growing technical function
• Broad exposure across personal care, cosmetics and medical devices
• Direct involvement in premium and private label product launches
• New laboratory investment and facility development
• A supportive SME culture with cross-functional teamwork
• Opportunity to influence and shape future technical growth

Package

• 35,000- 40,000 (flexible for exceptional aerosol experience)
• Discretionary annual bonus
• 25 days holiday plus bank holidays
• Pension scheme
• Death in service benefit
• Relocation support available for the right candidate

If you are a practical, customer-focused Formulation Chemist who wants to play a central role in a specialist aerosol manufacturing business - and see your products reach major retail and international markets - we would be delighted to speak with you.

Apply now for a confidential discussion.