R&D Chemist – Operations
Manufacturing
Cape Town – Western Cape – South Africa
A well-established South African manufacturer of professional personal care products seeks a technically strong R&D Chemist to join its expanding R&D team. This role focuses on maintaining, refining, and optimising existing formulations while supporting the successful transition of products from laboratory development to full-scale manufacturing.
This position suits a scientifically rigorous formulation chemist who combines strong laboratory capability with disciplined documentation, regulatory awareness, and cross-functional collaboration across production, quality, and regulatory teams.
Essential Requirements
- BSc in Chemistry or related scientific discipline (Cosmetic Science advantageous).
- 2–5 years’ formulation experience within the personal care or cosmetics sector.
- Proven experience developing and troubleshooting emulsions and related formulation systems.
Strong documentation, analytical, and project coordination capability.
Key Responsibilities
- Optimise and refine existing personal care formulations to improve performance, stability, and cost efficiency.
- Evaluate and qualify alternative raw materials and suppliers to ensure continuity of supply, regulatory compliance, and sustainability.
- Conduct laboratory batching and scale-up activities, working closely with production to transition formulations to manufacturing.
- Manage formulation testing, including stability, compatibility, and packaging interaction.
- Support investigation of out-of-specification results and product reworks with QC and production teams.
- Maintain accurate formulation records, technical documentation, and standard operating procedures.
- Liaise with suppliers and regulatory teams to ensure compliance with target markets.