Senior Cosmetic Formulation Scientist – R&D & Scale-Up

Devcos International; Melbourne; On-site; AUD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Devcos International is seeking a senior formulation scientist in Melbourne to lead end-to-end product development from concept to full-scale production. You will own formulas, select actives and stabilisers, and act as the technical contact for customers.

You’ll help shape lab workflows, the formula library, and processes while collaborating with procurement, QA and Sales to deliver compliant products on time.

Qualifications

• 5+ years hands-on formulation experience in skincare, haircare, or body care.
• Experience in contract manufacturing or brand R&D is preferred.
• Strong knowledge of emulsions, rheology, preservation, actives and fragrance incorporation.

Responsibilities

• Develop new formulas from customer briefs across skincare, body care, haircare, sun care, bath and shower, fragrance, and personal care items.
• Match benchmark products and adapt formulas from the Devcos library to new claims, costs and textures.
• Select actives, emulsifiers, preservatives and sensory ingredients to hit target performance and regulatory requirements.
• Prepare lab samples and iterate quickly on customer feedback within sample turnaround times.
• Scale formulas from bench to pilot to full production batches with defined process parameters.
• Write manufacturing instructions and batch records with Production and Quality.
• Attend first production batches and troubleshoot on the floor.
• Support equipment selection, validation and GMP adherence as the site grows.

Skills

Formulation

Emulsion science

Rheology

Preservation systems

Actives

Fragrance incorporation

Stability testing

Scale-up

GMP

Documentation

Customer relations

Education

Degree in Chemistry, Cosmetic Science, Chemical Engineering, Pharmaceutical Science or related field

Job description

About us
Devcos International is a Melbourne-based, full-service beauty manufacturing and supply chain company. We develop and make products for beauty brands in Australia and around the world, through our own facilities in Australia and China and a network of partner manufacturers across Asia, Europe and the US.

About the role

You'll take brand briefs from concept to full-scale production, owning formulas end to end. You'll also be a go-to technical contact for our customers. As one of our first technical hires, you'll help shape how the lab, the formula library and our processes are set up.

Key responsibilities

Develop new formulas from customer briefs across skincare, body care, haircare, sun care, bath and shower, fragrance, men's grooming and personal care: serums, creams, lotions, gels, cleansers, masks, oils, balms, shampoos, conditioners, treatments, body washes, scrubs, mists and more.

Match benchmark products and adapt existing formulas from the Devcos library to new claims, costs and textures.

Select actives, emulsifiers, preservatives and sensory ingredients to hit target performance, cost and regulatory requirements.

Prepare lab samples and iterate quickly on customer feedback, typically within agreed sample turnaround times.

Build and maintain a library of base chassis formulas the commercial team can sell from.

Testing and stability

Plan and run stability programs (accelerated and real-time, freeze-thaw, temperature cycling) and packaging compatibility testing.

Coordinate preservative efficacy (challenge) testing, microbiological testing and safety or claims testing with external labs.

Set specifications for bulk and finished product: appearance, odour, pH, viscosity, specific gravity, micro limits.

Investigate formulation failures and recommend corrective actions.

Scale-up and technical transfer

Scale formulas from bench to pilot to full production batches, defining process parameters (order of addition, temperatures, mixing speeds, hold times).

Write manufacturing instructions and batch records with Production and Quality.

Attend first production batches and troubleshoot on the floor.

Support equipment selection and validation as the site builds out its manufacturing capability.

Documentation and compliance

Maintain complete formula records: INCI lists, percentages, raw material trade names and suppliers, and costed BOMs for the new line form (NLF) and ERP.

Prepare technical documents for customers: INCI declarations, specifications, certificates of analysis inputs, allergen and restricted substance statements.

Check formulas against target-market rules, including Australian cosmetic and AICIS requirements and, where relevant, TGA, EU Cosmetics Regulation (EC) 1223/2009, US MoCRA and China NMPA.

Support Product Information File (PIF) and safety assessment preparation for export customers.

Work within ISO 22716 cosmetic GMP and site quality procedures.

Raw materials and cost

Evaluate and qualify new raw materials and alternative suppliers with Procurement and Quality.

Identify cost-down opportunities and substitutions without compromising performance.

Stay on trend with the latest raw materials: track new ingredient launches, emerging actives and market trends through suppliers, trade shows (e.g. in-cosmetics) and industry publications, and keep regulatory changes in view. Bring new ingredient ideas to NPD and Sales regularly, and build a pipeline of on-trend concepts we can pitch to customers.

Customer relationships, communication and presentation

Build strong, trusted working relationships with customers, suppliers and internal teams; be a go-to technical contact for brand clients.

Join customer briefing and technical meetings; explain formulation options, trade-offs and timelines in clear, non-technical language.

Prepare and present formulation concepts, sample rounds, stability results and technical recommendations to customers and management, in person or online.

Represent Devcos at customer visits, site tours and, from time to time, supplier and industry events.

Support Sales and NPD with feasibility assessments and indicative costings.

Help set up lab systems, equipment and procedures, and train junior lab staff as the team grows.

About you

Degree in Chemistry, Cosmetic Science, Chemical Engineering, Pharmaceutical Science or a related field

5+ years of hands-on formulation experience in skincare, haircare, body care or personal care, ideally in contract manufacturing or brand R&D

A track record of formulas you developed that reached commercial production.

Strong knowledge of emulsion science, rheology, preservation systems and common actives, surfactant systems and fragrance incorporation.

A genuine passion for ingredients and a strong, up-to-date knowledge of raw materials. You keep across the latest launches, hero actives and ingredient trends (e.g. biotech and fermented actives, peptides, upcycled and sustainable materials, clean and natural alternatives) and know how to turn them into commercial formulas.

Experience running stability and compatibility programs and interpreting the results.

Experience scaling batches from lab to production.

Accurate, disciplined documentation habits and comfort working under GMP.

Strong relationship-building skills, with a genuine customer-service mindset.

Excellent written and verbal communication; able to explain technical topics clearly to non-technical audiences.

Confident presenting to customers and senior management when needed.

Able to juggle several customer projects with tight deadlines.

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