Innovation Chemist (Personal Care & Beauty)

We are thrilled to announce the expansion of Garcoa’s Innovation Foundry at our Calabasas

headquarters! We are not just expanding a department; we are building a dedicated space for

Applied Innovation to redefine personal care and beauty standards. To support this growth, we

are seeking a highly skilled and passionate Innovation Chemist—a creative builder who thrives

at the intersection of bench science and emerging consumer trends.

The ideal candidate will have a strong, hands-on background in cosmetic chemistry, with a

focus on technology in skincare, haircare, body care, hot pours, and home goods. You will play a

critical role in executing new formulations, developing innovative products, and translating

forward-thinking trends into physical prototypes.

Key Responsibilities:

- Execute Innovative Formulation: Design, develop, and bench-test high-performance

& head-to-toe formulations across multiple personal care categories.

- Balance Creativity and COGS: Collaborate on turning blue-sky innovation concepts into

mass-market viable products, respecting Cost of Goods Sold (COGS) targets during

development.

- Support Daily Lab Operations: Perform daily lab activities, including precise sample

processing, raw material evaluations, and processing product development requests.

- Testing & Quality Control: Conduct rigorous stability, compatibility, and QA/QC testing

on new formulations, making technical adjustments to meet strict quality and shelf-life

standards.

- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner closely with Management, Product

Development, Regulatory, and Production teams to ensure accurate product

specifications and seamless manufacturing scale-up.

- Apply Green Chemistry Concepts: Incorporate emerging technologies, sustainable

ingredients, and green chemistry initiatives into everyday formulation tasks.

- Rigorous Documentation: Maintain highly organized laboratory notebooks,

documenting all phases of R&D including exact formulation procedures, test reports,

and raw material data.

- Technical Communication: Provide clear communication and technical feedback to

internal departments and support client requests as needed.

Requirements & Qualifications:

- Experience: Minimum of 3 to 5 years of hands-on experience in head-to-toe

formulation, with a track record of supporting products from bench concept to a high-

volume marketplace.

- Education: Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry or a related scientific discipline is preferred,

but a proven ability to create without limits at the bench is highly valued.

- Technical Proficiency: Deep expertise in cosmetic laboratory techniques, safety

protocols, and standard laboratory instrumentation.

- Industry Knowledge: Familiarity with cosmetic regulatory standards, OTC guidelines,

and industry software tools (such as The Good Face Project platform).

- Problem Solving: Strong analytical skills with the ability to work independently on

formulation projects while remaining highly collaborative in a fast-paced environment.

- Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills to effectively share

technical findings with internal teams and stakeholders.