Product Development Chemist - Personal Care & Beauty

About AYO Labs

AYO Labs is an innovative and rapidly expanding personal care product manufacturer, specializing in OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturing) services for top-tier brands. We design and produce high-quality personal care products for a diverse client base, and we support emerging personal care brands through formulation, product development, and manufacturing. We are looking for an innovative and self-motivated Product Development Chemist to support the creation of high-quality personal care products from concept to scale.

Position Summary

The Product Development Chemist develops and refines formulations for Over-the-Counter (OTC) skincare, haircare, and body care products that deliver on specific benefits and market-driven needs. This includes researching ingredients, creating prototypes, ensuring compliance with regulatory standards, evaluating industry trends, and collaborating cross-functionally to scale products for manufacturing. The ideal candidate has deep knowledge of cosmetic chemistry, can work both independently and collaboratively, and thrives in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment.

Key Responsibilities

Formulation & Product Development

• Develop stable and effective formulations for natural and synthetic personal care products
• Create lab batches and scale formulations for pilot and production runs
• Modify and improve existing formulas based on performance, customer feedback, and/or compliance needs
• Perform product stability and compatibility testing
• Anticipate potential issues with formulations, and proactively propose and implement solutions
• Demonstrate critical thinking in building formulations, analyzing formula stability, setting specifications, and providing recommendations against project needs

Ingredient Research & Compliance

• Source raw materials and research innovative active ingredients
• Maintain proper documentation, including COAs, MSDS, INCI lists, and formula records
• Ensure formulas meet FDA, EU, and other relevant regulatory standards for clean beauty, vegan, cruelty-free, etc.

Lab Management & Documentation

• Maintain clean lab protocols, and manage raw material inventory
• Keep detailed formulation records, test results, and batch data
• Create and update SOPs for formulations and lab practices

Collaboration & Project Management

• Work directly with clients and the AYO Labs team to translate brand visions into viable products
• Coordinate with operations and production teams for seamless batch scaling and quality control
• Support packaging compatibility and manufacturing readiness

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Cosmetic Chemistry, Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or related field; advanced degree preferred
• 3-5 years of Product Development experience in the personal care or beauty industry
• Demonstrated experience in formulating liquid to semi-solid skin care products
• Knowledge of emerging product and technology trends in the cosmetics industry
• Understanding of formulation, ingredient chemistry, physical chemistry, and polymer and interface science
• Familiarity with GMP and FDA compliance for OTC and cosmetic products and with clean beauty standards and ingredient restrictions (e.g., EWG, Sephora, Credo)
• Strong problem-solving and decision-making skills
• Excellent communication skills and ability to work collaboratively across teams
• Experience using formulation software like ChemSketch, Cosmetri, or Formula Botanica systems
• Experience working in a contract manufacturing or private label facility strongly preferred

Why Join Us?

• We are a mission-driven organization charged to impact the world
• We give you the opportunity to contribute to product development strategy for a fast-growing startup in the personal care industry
• We provide a collaborative, innovative, and flexible work environment
• We offer competitive salary, excellent benefits, a flexible work environment, and career growth opportunities

Compensation

• $70,000 - $90,000 per year