We are hiring! Formulation Chemist (June 2025)

 
 
 
 

Formulation Chemist

Full-time, mostly on-site role (mixed laboratory & office based with some scope for partial remote working). Competitive salary (dependent on experience) and benefits package.

Are you a spectacular cosmetic scientist with 4+ years of formulating experience who is looking for an exciting new challenge? We are currently looking for a technical and creative Formulation Chemist to join our brilliant team!

Enkos Developments is a consultancy that designs bespoke skincare and haircare formulations for the beauty and personal care markets. We work closely with our clients to understand their specific requirements and help them to create products that stand out from the crowd. We provide guidance and support throughout the product development process. Our strong technical knowledge and creative thinking enable us to develop high quality formulations that are safe, stable, effective and that delight consumers. Our formulations have won over 80 awards and counting!

We are a hard-working team with a vision to create innovative products for skin and hair that can help to improve the wellbeing and health of end consumers. We are very active within the beauty industry, and we have a reputation for combining science with creativity to create novel formulations that are at the forefront of cutting-edge technology and market trends. We are therefore looking for a self-motivated and inquisitive Formulation Chemist to join our outstanding team and help us to keep providing extremely high quality services and products to our clients.

This role is for an enthusiastic scientist who is already a confident formulator for skincare and/or haircare products, who would relish the opportunity to work directly with our clients and develop novel formulations for them. This is an interesting and varied role, which includes:

  • Brainstorming and designing new formulations in response to client briefs.

  • Taking on responsibility for the technical aspects of bespoke client projects and collaborating with other team members to successfully manage and deliver a high quality customer service.

  • Working with team members to make batches of trial formulations in the lab as well as monitoring stability.

  • Researching and evaluating interesting technologies to characterise and determine their applicability to personal care products.

  • Developing a deeper understanding of cosmetic regulations and running ingredient compliance checks.

  • Helping to collate raw material data and upload it onto our formulation software.

  • Communicating complex technical information clearly and concisely.

  • Regular contact with clients, suppliers, manufacturers and other project collaborators.

  • Travelling to attend seminars, meetings and exhibitions.

We are looking for an exceptional individual who:

  • Is fully fluent in English with excellent verbal and written communication skills.

  • Already has at least 4 years of relevant cosmetic formulation experience (please see our other opportunity for a Junior Formulation Chemist if you do not yet have this level of experience).

  • Has a strong scientific education, ideally including a master’s degree in chemistry, bio-chemistry or a related subject.

  • Enjoys working with innovative brands to develop novel formulations and has a proven track record for successfully scaling up formulations from lab to production scale.

  • Has relevant experience in providing great customer service.

  • Is confident in developing a wide variety of cosmetic formulations, for example across skin care, sun care, body care, hair care and hair styling.

  • Has a solid understanding of cosmetic regulations with up-to-date knowledge.

  • Is already familiar with raw materials and suppliers that are available on the UK personal care market but is also eager to continue learning about new technologies and applying this knowledge to formulations.

  • Has a methodical approach to problem solving and excellent attention to detail.

  • Is self-motivated and keen to take on responsibility.

  • Enjoys working in a team and providing support.

  • Enjoys working on a variety of tasks, both on their feet (in the lab) and at their desk (in the office).

  • Is highly organised, able to prioritise tasks and manage their time effectively across multiple projects.

This opportunity will be based in our modern laboratory and office in Leatherhead and provides great scope for creativity and personal development. The successful candidate will report into our Head of Research & Innovation, and will be supported by our enthusiastic team, extensive training, and a fully equipped laboratory.

If you are looking for a role where you can quickly feel like an integral member of our team, and benefit from the exciting opportunities that Enkos can offer, then we want to hear from you!

 

Do you think you are the perfect person for this opportunity? Then please send your CV and a personalised cover letter (explaining who you are, why you are interested in the role, and what you think you can bring to Enkos) to recruitment@enkosdevelopments.com. There is no specific application deadline, but we are looking to fill the role as soon as possible.

We know that applying for a new job can be pretty daunting, and job adverts often don’t give much away about the company itself or the culture of the team that you could be joining and spending a lot of your time with.

To help give you a better feel for who we are at Enkos, we have recorded a short video series, available on YouTube to tell you more about us:

 
Lorna Radford