What are the responsibilities and job description for the Senior Scientist Skin Care Product Formulation position at Mary Kay?
Job Summary:
Under limited guidance, responsible for creating unique skin and color cosmetic formulations that deliver on specific benefits and market-driven needs. Leverage knowledge of the scientific principles of formulation, ingredient chemistry, and industry trends to conduct all facets of product development. Ability to independently conduct development work requiring a thorough knowledge of cosmetic formulation, application of advanced technical knowledge and demonstrated successful stability. Works with agility in an increasingly ambiguous environment to execute formula development from design through scaleup for multiple formulation projects. Serves as a technical leader in formula development for new product development and uses critical thinking to resolve development issues. Demonstrated agility to flow to the work and ability to manage multiple projects with limited supervision. Partner across the organization to lead new formula development from the bench to finished goods with limited supervision.
About the Role:
Essential Duties & Responsibilities:
Technical Leadership & Expertise
- Apply strong understanding of skin care and personal care formulation chemistry, raw materials, processing parameters, and equipment design to optimize product performance and manufacturability.
- Serve as a subject matter expert in skincare, sun care, and SPF/OTC formulations, with the ability to deep dive into complex technical challenges.
- Provide hands-on formulation support, troubleshooting, and root-cause analysis during product development, and scale-up.
- Lead and contribute to special technical projects, leveraging creativity and scientific insight to drive innovation.
- Ensure technical rigor and best practices are applied throughout the Product Development lifecycle.
Product Development & Project Ownership
- Interpret project requirements and translate them into technically sound, scalable, and compliant formulations.
- Partner cross-functionally with internal and external project partners to ensure seamless product execution.
- Support scale-up, technology transfer, and manufacturing readiness for new and existing products.
Mentorship & Team Leadership
- Provide technical mentorship and day-to-day guidance to junior and mid-level scientists, supporting skill development and scientific decision-making.
- Foster a collaborative laboratory environment focused on learning, problem-solving, and continuous improvement.
- Support prioritization of work and effective use of laboratory resources to meet business timelines and objectives.
- Act as a technical role model, promoting scientific excellence and accountability.
Growth Mindset & Continuous Improvement
- Drive innovation in formulations, workflows, and development processes.
- Identify opportunities for process optimization and operational efficiency in collaboration with cross-functional teams.
- Stay current on industry trends, raw materials, formulation technologies, cost considerations, and consumer/retail insights.
- Lead and model proactive problem-solving with a sense of urgency and ownership.
- Other duties as assigned.
Skills & Experience:
Required Education & Experience:
- Bachelor’s degree with 10 years of experience or Master’s degree with 6 years of experience in cosmetics, personal care, and/or OTC product development.
- Degree in Chemistry, Biochemistry, Chemical Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
- Extensive hands-on experience formulating skincare, body care, personal care and SPF products.
- Demonstrated experience supporting scale-up environment.
Technical & Professional Skills:
- Strong working knowledge of FDA regulations and Current Good Manufacturing Practices (cGMP) and Good Laboratory Practices (cGLP).
- Advanced understanding of formulation science, raw materials, processing, and stability.
- Proven troubleshooting, analytical, and problem-solving capabilities.
- Strong project management skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities.
- Proven written and verbal communication skills.
- Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively across functions.
- Strong mentoring skills.