Senior Chemist

Saenger Associates; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Saenger Associates in Los Angeles seeks a hands-on Senior Chemist with deep expertise in color cosmetics and formulation to join its R&D team. You’ll develop, test, troubleshoot and optimize color cosmetic formulas, with a focus on color development, shade matching and performance.

This role requires 4+ years of hands-on experience, the ability to move formulas from the bench to full-scale production, and close collaboration with manufacturing, marketing and suppliers.

Qualifications

• 4+ years of hands-on cosmetic formulation experience.
• Strong expertise in color development and shade matching.
• Demonstrated experience with pigments, colorants, dispersions and cosmetic raw materials.
• Experience developing and troubleshooting cosmetic formulas and taking them from lab to scale‑up.

Responsibilities

• Develop and optimize color cosmetic formulas from lab to finished products.
• Match, refine and develop shades across color cosmetic categories.
• Troubleshoot formulas for shade, texture, dispersion, stability and wear.
• Collaborate with manufacturing on scale‑up and product commercialization.
• Document results and contribute to stability testing and formula development.

Skills

Cosmetic formulation

Color development

Shade matching

Pigments & colorants

Formulation troubleshooting

Laboratory batching

Scale-up & commercialization

Cosmetic chemistry

Regulatory requirements

Independent work

Job description

SENIOR CHEMIST | COSMETICS COLOR & FORMULATION EXPERT

Los Angeles, CA | 4+ Years of Cosmetic Formulation Experience

ARE YOU THE CHEMIST WHO KNOWS COLOR?

• Can you look at a shade and immediately recognize what needs to change?
• Do you understand pigments, undertones, color matching, dispersion, payoff and shade development?
• Can you take a color concept from the lab bench and turn it into a formula that performs?
• Do you enjoy troubleshooting formulas when the answer isn't obvious?
• Are you equally comfortable developing a new shade, refining an existing formula and solving a difficult formulation problem?
• If color and formulation are where you do your best work, we want to talk.

We are looking for a hands‑on Senior Chemist with strong expertise in color cosmetics and formulation to join a growing beauty company's R&D team in Los Angeles.

This is not a role for someone who simply manages projects or coordinates development.

We are looking for a chemist who knows what is happening inside the formula.

You’ll be involved directly in developing, testing, troubleshooting and improving cosmetic products — with a particular emphasis on color development, shade matching and formulation performance.

COLOR IS YOUR SPECIALTY

Your expertise will be at the center of the role.

You’ll work on:

COLOR DEVELOPMENT & SHADE CREATION

Develop, match and refine shades across color cosmetic categories. Understand undertones, pigment combinations, intensity, coverage, payoff and how individual colorants behave within a finished formula.

PIGMENTS & COLORANTS

Work hands‑on with pigments, colorants, dispersions and other raw materials to achieve the desired shade and performance.

FORMULATION

Develop and optimize color cosmetic formulas from initial laboratory work through finished-product development. Skincare formulation experience is a strong plus.

TROUBLESHOOTING

Investigate and solve problems involving shade, texture, dispersion, stability, payoff, wear, application and overall product performance.

LABORATORY DEVELOPMENT

Prepare and evaluate laboratory batches, document results, modify formulas and make informed recommendations based on testing and observation.

SCALE-UP & COMMERCIALIZATION

Work with manufacturing and other R&D partners to transition successful laboratory formulas into repeatable commercial production.

FORMULA OPTIMIZATION

Improve existing formulas through raw-material evaluation, performance testing, cost considerations and technical problem‑solving.

MORE THAN JUST COLOR

While color formulation is the heart of this position, you’ll also have exposure to the broader product‑development process.

YOU’LL COLLABORATE WITH:

• R&D colleagues on new product development and formulation challenges
• Manufacturing on scale‑up and production issues
• Marketing on product concepts, trends and product claims
• Operations on development timelines and commercialization
• Suppliers on raw materials, ingredients and technical questions
• You'll also contribute to stability testing, formula documentation, laboratory procedures and multiple product‑development projects.

WHAT YOU BRING

We’re looking for someone with:

• 4+ years of hands‑on cosmetic formulation experience
• Strong experience in color cosmetics formulation
• Demonstrated expertise in color development and shade matching
• Strong understanding of pigments, colorants, dispersions and cosmetic raw materials
• Experience developing and troubleshooting cosmetic formulas
• Experience taking formulations from laboratory bench through scale‑up and commercialization
• Strong knowledge of cosmetic chemistry and formulation principles
• Experience with laboratory batching, testing and documentation
• Skincare formulation experience is highly desirable
• Understanding of cosmetic stability, safety and regulatory requirements
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills
• Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively with cross‑functional teams
• A hands‑on approach and genuine curiosity about why a formula works — or doesn’t
• Experience with a cosmetics manufacturer, contract manufacturer or established beauty brand is preferred.

THE CHEMIST WE’RE LOOKING FOR

• We’re not looking for someone who simply follows a formulation.
• We’re looking for someone who understands the formulation.
• You know how a pigment will behave.
• You understand why a shade is pulling too warm, too cool, too yellow or too red.
• You know that changing one raw material can affect more than color.
• You can troubleshoot a formula when the obvious solution doesn’t work.
• And when you see a problem in the lab, you want to figure out why.

SHOW US WHAT YOU KNOW

Because this position requires genuine expertise in color and formulation, qualified finalists may be asked to complete a practical color and formulation assessment during the interview process.

We want to understand how you think, how you approach formulation challenges and how you work with color — not simple what your résumé says.