New Product Development & Innovation Chemist

Natural Beauty Care (NBC) is one of Australia’s most versatile contract manufacturers, proudly developing high‑quality, innovative natural beauty products for some of the country’s most iconic brands. Our customers span grocery, private label, mass market, prestige, premium direct selling, and export channels, with NBC‑manufactured products available across all major Australian retail and professional outlets including grocery, pharmacy, salons, spas, and skin clinics.

We are seeking an experienced NPD & Innovation Chemist to join our growing R&D team and play a key role in developing innovative cosmetic products for leading Australian and international brands.

About the Role

Reporting to the Head of R&D & Innovation, you will take ownership of a diverse portfolio of customer and innovation projects from concept through to commercial manufacture. Applying your formulation expertise, you will develop robust, manufacturable and commercially successful products while solving complex technical challenges and driving innovation across our business.

This is a technical role suited to someone who enjoys designing new formulations, working directly with customers and collaborating with Manufacturing, Regulatory, Procurement and Sales to deliver outstanding products.

A key focus of this role will be supporting the development of our secondary sunscreen portfolio, so previous hands‑on experience formulating SPF products is highly desirable.

Key Responsibilities:

Develop, optimise and commercialise innovative formulations across skincare, haircare, surfactant-based products, tanning, SPF and other assigned product categories.

Manage a portfolio of customer and innovation projects, balancing business priorities to deliver projects on time.

Design robust, manufacturable and commercially viable formulations that meet customer, regulatory and manufacturing requirements.

Investigate and resolve formulation, manufacturing and quality issues using sound scientific principles.

Drive innovation through new ingredients, technologies, formulation platforms and master bases.

Develop and optimise sunscreen formulations and support the company's secondary SPF innovation program.

Plan, execute and evaluate laboratory, pilot and production trials to ensure successful commercialisation.

Mentor and support chemists by sharing technical knowledge and best practices.

Build strong technical relationships with customers, suppliers and internal stakeholders.

Maintain accurate technical documentation within Coptis and other business systems.

What we are looking for:

Educational Background: Bachelor's Degree, Cosmetic Science, Pharmaceutical Science or a related scientific discipline.

Proven experience developing and commercialising skincare, haircare, surfactant-based, tanning, and SPF/sunscreen formulations from concept to manufacture.

Strong knowledge of formulation science, ingredient technologies, manufacturing processes, scale‑up, cosmetic regulations, and GMP/GLP requirements.

Experience evaluating raw materials, suppliers, and emerging technologies to drive innovation and continuous improvement.

Proficiency with Coptis or similar formulation management systems is advantageous.

Strong technical problem‑solving, project management, communication, and stakeholder engagement skills.

Ability to collaborate across cross‑functional teams, manage multiple priorities, and mentor junior chemists.

Proactive and innovative mindset with a commitment to technical excellence and high-performance team culture.

Competencies: Safety‑oriented, agile, resourceful, accountable, and innovative. Must be capable of working independently as well as collaboratively.

Why Join Us?

Innovative Environment: Brand-new world‑class facilities supported by a team of like‑minded professionals striving to create the next generation of cutting‑edge products.

Career Growth: Enjoy opportunities for professional development and career advancement within a dynamic and supportive organisation.

Collaborative Culture: Work alongside dedicated professionals in a collaborative and engaging environment.

Employee Benefits: Onsite gym and yoga room, outdoor terrace, modern state of the art facilities and generous staff discounts.

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