R&D Manager - Hair Care & Cosmetics

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the formulation and development of new hair care and cosmetic products, including shampoos, conditioners, treatments, styling products, scalp care, and other personal care products.
• Drive innovation initiatives by identifying emerging technologies, ingredients, consumer trends, and market opportunities.
• Develop product concepts that meet performance, stability, safety, and cost objectives.
• Optimize existing formulations to improve product quality, performance, and manufacturability.
• Manage multiple R&D projects from concept through commercialization.
• Provide technical guidance and mentorship to scientists, chemists, and formulation specialists.
• Establish development timelines, project priorities, and resource plans.
• Collaborate with global and regional stakeholders to align innovation strategies.
• Partner with Marketing, Regulatory Affairs, Quality, Manufacturing, Packaging, Procurement, and Supply Chain teams.
• Support claims substantiation and product positioning activities.
• Provide technical expertise during customer meetings, product reviews, and commercialization activities.
• Ensure product formulations comply with applicable cosmetic regulations and industry standards.
• Support preparation of technical documentation and product registration requirements.
• Maintain compliance with GMP, safety, and environmental guidelines.
• Monitor industry trends, competitor products, and emerging ingredients.
• Identify opportunities to improve formulation efficiency, development speed, and product performance.
• Support intellectual property evaluations, patents, and innovation projects where applicable.

Required Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor's degree in Chemistry, Cosmetic Science, Chemical Engineering, Pharmaceutical Sciences, Biology, or a related scientific discipline. Master's degree preferred.
• Experience: Minimum 7 years of experience in cosmetic or personal care product development. Minimum 2 years of people management or project leadership experience.
• Proven experience in formulation development and commercialization of hair care and/or cosmetic products.
• Experience working in a manufacturing or commercial product development environment.
• Technical Knowledge: Cosmetic Formulation Science, Hair Care Product Development, Emulsions, Surfactants, Polymers, and Conditioning Technologies, Product Stability and Compatibility Testing, GMP and Cosmetic Regulatory Requirements, Experimental Design and Data Analysis, Project Management, Product Commercialization and Scale-Up.

Preferred Qualifications

• Strong experience in hair care product development including shampoos, conditioners, hair masks, styling products, scalp care products, and treatments.
• Experience in multinational cosmetic or personal care companies.
• Knowledge of cosmetic regulations in North America, Europe, and Asia.
• Experience working with contract manufacturers and ingredient suppliers.
• Familiarity with sustainability initiatives, clean beauty concepts, and natural ingredient technologies.
• Experience supporting patent development and intellectual property strategies.