Senior R&D Scientist

About the role

The Senior R&D Scientist will lead the development, optimisation and enhancement of cosmetic product formulations, ensuring they meet international standards, cost targets and consumer expectations. You will act as a technical leader, mentor junior scientists and provide data‑driven insights to support strategic objectives.

Key responsibilities

• Design and develop new formulations and improve existing ones while meeting cost‑reduction goals and regulatory requirements.
• Leverage data‑driven and AI‑powered tools to maximise stability, sensory quality and economic efficiency.
• Benchmark formulations against international references to ensure competitive performance.
• Translate research insights into lab‑tested prototypes ready for scale‑up.
• Update regulatory files, ensure compliance with EU and local regulations, and communicate changes to relevant teams.
• Support the R&D Manager in cost‑saving initiatives across the product portfolio.
• Provide technical guidance to production, assisting with first‑batch validation and troubleshooting formulation issues.
• Collaborate with Marketing and Product Development, supplying ingredient details, codes and artwork approvals.

Required profile

• Proven experience in cosmetic or personal‑care formulation development.
• Strong knowledge of EU cosmetic regulations and international standards.
• Ability to lead projects, mentor junior scientists and drive cross‑functional collaboration.
• Up‑to‑date with industry trends, competitor launches and emerging technologies.

Required skills

• Formulation development and optimisation
• Stability testing and scale‑up
• Regulatory compliance (EU cosmetics regulations)
• Cost‑optimization and budgeting
• Data analysis and AI‑driven formulation tools