Hair Color Chemist

About the role

We are seeking a Hair Color Chemist to join our R&D color team, supporting the formulation, optimization, and evaluation of high-performance professional hair color products.

Responsibilities

• Formulate and optimize professional hair color products — permanent, demi/semi-permanent, lighteners, and developers — from bench development through scale-up support
• Develop shade palettes, tones, and coverage levels based on project briefs, stylist feedback, and competitive benchmarks
• Prepare and manage lab batches, maintaining accurate formulas, records, and version control throughout the development process
• Plan and execute performance, stability, and compatibility testing; analyze results and recommend formula improvements based on data
• Investigate formulation and manufacturing issues, identifying root causes and implementing solutions grounded in technical evidence
• Evaluate and select raw materials within established platforms, balancing safety, regulatory, cost, and performance requirements; collaborate with suppliers as needed
• Maintain complete and accurate technical documentation, including formulas, batch records, test reports, and change documentation
• Partner with Marketing, Education, Regulatory, Quality, Operations, and Manufacturing to support product delivery against performance, claims, cost, and timeline objectives
• Support manufacturing scale-up by documenting critical process parameters and providing on-call technical guidance during production
• Support stylist and salon testing programs, capturing consumer and stylist feedback and translating it into actionable formulation improvements
• Contribute to product usage instructions, education materials, and application best practices from a formulation standpoint
• Ensure compliance with cosmetic regulations, company standards, and laboratory safety procedures
• Stay current on hair color technologies, ingredient innovations, and competitive products; continuously deepen expertise in hair fiber science and color chemistry

Requirements

• Required Qualifications:
• Skills: Solid understanding of cosmetic chemistry fundamentals: polymers, conditioning systems, emulsions, rheology modifiers, and surfactants
• Experience: 3+ years of hands-on laboratory formulation experience in hair color, hair care or color cosmetics
• Education: Bachelor's degree in Chemistry, Cosmetic Science, Chemical Engineering, or related field required
• Preferred Qualifications:
• Skills: Hands-on formulation experience in hair color development — strongly preferred; experience with oxidative dye systems, semi-permanent dyes, alkalizing agents, bleaching chemistry, developers, and tone control technologies
• Experience: Hands-on formulation experience in hair color development — strongly preferred; experience with oxidative dye systems, semi-permanent dyes, alkalizing agents, bleaching chemistry, developers, and tone control technologies
• Education: Master's degree preferred