Scientist, Personal Care Formulation

Keep Growing with Nutrafol

We’re a growing company. Everything we do, we do to help people grow into the best version of themselves. As the pioneers of hair wellness, we create clinically tested products for hair growth and provide support for people at every step of their hair journey.

Our multi-factorial approach targets key root causes of hair thinning using a patented blend of standardized vitamins, minerals and natural ingredients -- and is recommended by over 7,500 physicians and hair professionals for trusted, reliable results. We never settle, and are continuously challenging existing treatments and methodologies to advance the frontier of hair science. As we help our customers grow, we grow too -- by embracing individuality and differences, leading by example, and empowering ourselves and others with our passion for wellness and innovation.

Keep growing. It’s our mantra. Our commitment to helping anybody and everybody committed to realizing their own potential to grow.

About You:

We are seeking an experienced hands-on personal care formulator to join our Formulation team, reporting to the Director of Personal Care R&D Formulation (Topicals). This is a bench-forward role at the center of a growing topicals portfolio; you will formulate across both leave-on and rinse-off products designed to support scalp health and hair strand performance.

You will develop novel, proprietary formulas in-house, evaluate them against consumer and clinical performance targets, and carry them through scale-up with our contract manufacturing partners. You will also help unlock Unilever's science and technology capabilities for Nutrafol, building the processes and infrastructure that accelerate our upstream formulation work.

The right person is highly organized, proactive, and a strong collaborator who can operate autonomously against key project initiatives. You will serve as a formulation subject matter expert for personal care initiatives, partnering across Product Development, Clinical, QA/RA, Supply Chain, Marketing, and Creative.

Location:

Hybrid: Trumbull, CT three days per week on site, two days remote (depending on business needs)

Because this role requires regular on-the-bench formulation work, candidates must be within commuting distance of the Unilever facilities in Trumbull, CT and New Haven, CT.

Responsibilities:

Formulation Development & Innovation

Design, benchmark, and optimize novel proprietary formulations for scalp and hair across leave-on formats (scalp serums, masks, treatments, detanglers, leave-in conditioners, etc) and rinse-off formats (shampoos, conditioners, scalp cleansers, treatment masks, etc).

Select optimal functional and active ingredient systems to deliver target consumer experience, sensory profile, performance, and scalp and hair health benefits.

Translate product and marketing briefs into technically sound formulation strategies, including prototype iterations, benchmarking against competitive products, and clear rationale for ingredient selection.

Troubleshoot formulation challenges spanning stability, compatibility, rheology, preservation, fragrance, and sensory performance.

Track and evaluate emerging personal care and cosmetic science innovations, raw materials, and technologies, and assess their fit for the Nutrafol portfolio.

Testing, Evaluation & Substantiation

Design and execute prototype evaluation programs including stability, compatibility, preservative efficacy, and preclinical scalp and hair performance testing.

Conduct hands-on preclinical performance assessments (e.g., tress work, combing and tensile measures, deposition, scalp models) and analyze and interpret the resulting data.

Coordinate with contract research organizations, external laboratories, and partner testing groups to plan, execute, and interpret preclinical and consumer studies.

Partner with Clinical and Regulatory colleagues to generate the formulation-side data needed to support product claims.

Organize and track prototype and retain samples from contract manufacturers, including receipt, storage, retrieval, and shipping.

Scale-Up, Commercialization & Lifecycle

Partner with contract manufacturers through scale-up, pilot batching, and first production, ensuring formula intent and performance are preserved.

Own formulation integrity across the full product life cycle in coordination with Product Development, QA/RA, and Supply Chain, including reformulations, raw material substitutions, and continuous improvement.

Support packaging compatibility assessments and partner with Packaging and Supply Chain on component selection and fill considerations.

Develop formulas with cost of goods targets in mind, balancing performance, consumer experience, and formula cost.

Incorporate sustainability considerations — responsibly sourced and naturally derived ingredients, biodegradability, water and energy footprint, and concentration or format efficiency — into formulation decisions.

Quality, Regulatory & Claims Partnership

Partner with QA/RA to ensure formulas meet U.S. and applicable international cosmetic regulatory requirements, including MoCRA obligations, ingredient restrictions, and safety substantiation.

Support the development and technical substantiation of product claims in collaboration with Regulatory, Legal, Clinical, and Marketing.

Maintain awareness of OTC monograph requirements where relevant to scalp and hair products, and flag implications early in development.

Ensure formulation documentation, specifications, and technical records meet internal quality and audit standards.

Lab Operations & Capability Building

Maintain the Nutrafol lab bench, including equipment calibration and maintenance, raw material ordering and restocking, inventory management, and safety compliance.

Help establish and run the processes that give Nutrafol access to Unilever capabilities — stability, analytical testing, microbiology, consumer research, and sensory — and drive the logistics through to results.

Contribute to building internal formulation infrastructure: formula databases, raw material libraries, testing protocols, and standard operating procedures.

Communication, Documentation & Intellectual Property

Prepare and deliver clear technical presentations and data summaries to audiences at all levels of the organization, from bench scientists to executive leadership.

Maintain rigorous, timely records and data management for reports, laboratory notebooks, NDAs/CDAs, supplier and external materials, and internal presentations.

Work with patent attorneys to provide scientific content supporting new patents for novel personal care formulations and technologies.

Requirements:

Education & Experience

Bachelor's and/or Master's degree in cosmetic science, chemistry, biology, chemical engineering, or a related field.

3–5 years of hands-on experience in cosmetic or personal care formulation. Bench experience is required: making prototypes, evaluating stability, and performing or interpreting preclinical performance measures.

Demonstrated experience formulating across multiple formats, including surfactant systems (shampoos, cleansers), emulsions (conditioners, creams, masks), and aqueous or hydroalcoholic systems (serums, tonics, sprays).

Experience formulating prestige or premium personal care products, with familiarity with clean beauty standards and naturally derived ingredients.

Technical Skills & Knowledge

Well versed in preclinical methods used to evaluate hair and scalp product performance, and able to select the right method for a given benefit.

Solid understanding of clinical and consumer research methods used to evaluate product performance.

Familiarity with functional and active ingredients for scalp health and hair strand health, and how delivery system and format affect their performance.

Working knowledge