Cosmetic Lab Assistant
2 days ago
Pompano Beach
Job Description Brand Labs USA is seeking a hands-on R&D / Bench Chemist to support the development, scale-up, and manufacturing of skincare, hair care, body care, and other personal care products. This role is ideal for a chemist who enjoys working at the bench but also understands what is required to successfully move a formulation from the laboratory into production. The Chemist will develop and improve formulations, prepare laboratory batches, create and maintain batch records, assist with production scale-up, oversee batching activities, and work closely with Quality Control to improve documentation, testing, and manufacturing systems. Responsibilities • Develop and modify skincare, hair care, body care, and personal care formulations, including creams, serums, cleansers, shampoos, conditioners, gels, oils, and related products, • Prepare bench-scale laboratory batches, prototypes, and customer samples, • Evaluate formulas for appearance, texture, pH, viscosity, stability, performance, and manufacturability, • Conduct and document stability, compatibility, and performance testing, • Maintain accurate formulation files, laboratory records, specifications, testing results, and development documentation, • Create, review, and update master formulas, manufacturing instructions, and batch records, • Support the transfer of formulas from laboratory scale to pilot and full production, • Attend and oversee initial production batches to ensure formulas are manufactured correctly and consistently, • Troubleshoot formulation, batching, processing, viscosity, pH, stability, and production issues, • Provide technical guidance and training to batching and compounding personnel, • Work closely with Quality Control to strengthen raw-material, in-process, and finished-product testing systems, • Assist with the development and improvement of specifications, test methods, SOPs, and quality documentation, • Investigate out-of-specification results, production deviations, and product-quality concerns, • Help improve batching procedures, documentation accuracy, production consistency, and overall manufacturing controls, • Ensure development and manufacturing documentation supports GMP, FDA, and ISO 22716 requirements, • Maintain laboratory raw materials, samples, supplies, and equipment, • Assist with laboratory equipment maintenance and calibration schedules, • Enter and maintain formulas, specifications, batch records, and related information within company software systems, • Collaborate with R&D, Quality Control, Production, Purchasing, and management throughout the product-development and manufacturing process Qualifications • Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry, Cosmetic Science, Biochemistry, Chemical Engineering, or a related scientific field, • At least 3 years of hands-on formulation experience in skincare, hair care, cosmetics, or personal care products, • Strong working knowledge of emulsions, surfactants, thickeners, preservatives, pH adjustment, viscosity, ingredient functionality, and formulation stability, • Experience preparing laboratory batches and scaling formulas into manufacturing, • Experience creating or working with master formulas, manufacturing instructions, specifications, and batch records, • Understanding of cosmetic GMP requirements and quality-control practices, • Familiarity with FDA cosmetic requirements and ISO 22716 is preferred, • Ability to troubleshoot formulations and manufacturing processes in a practical production environment, • Strong documentation, organizational, and recordkeeping skills, • Detail-oriented with a strong commitment to product quality and consistency, • Able to communicate effectively with laboratory, QC, batching, production, and management teams, • Comfortable balancing benchwork, documentation, production support, and multiple development projects, • Experience with ERP, formulation, laboratory, or R&D management software is preferred Ideal Candidate The ideal candidate is not someone who only wants to formulate at a laboratory bench. We are looking for a practical, hands-on chemist who can develop a formula, document it correctly, help scale it into production, support the batching team, identify manufacturing problems, and work with Quality Control to continuously improve our systems. Salary based on experience: $22 to $28 per hour