New Product Development Specialist

Job location: Mumbai Type: Fulltime Working Structure: Hybrid (4 days in office + 1 day WFH) About Us: Join our dynamic and innovative startup skincare brand that is committed to redefining beauty standards with clean, effective, and sustainable products. Founded by beauty influencer Diipa Büller-Khosla, the brand emphasizes authenticity, and transparency, offering vegan and cruelty-free products that cater to diverse skin types while celebrating cultural heritage. We believe in empowering our customers with science-backed skincare solutions, and we’re looking for a visual storyteller with a passion for creating captivating content to help us take our brand to the next level. Brand: https://india.indewild.com/ Primary Objective To develop and optimize innovative, high-performance, IP-ownable cosmetic formulations that meet brand standards for sensorial experience, performance, safety, and efficacy — validated through clinical and consumer testing. Key Deliverables Formulation Development - Create and optimize unique formulations aligned with brand positioning (clean, clinical, sustainable, high-performance, etc.). - Develop bench samples with clear documentation of ingredient rationale, concentration ranges, and formulation stability parameters. - Ensure formulas are IP-ownable, differentiated through actives, composition, or delivery systems. - Provide alternative formulations or texture variants (e.g., cream vs gel, serum vs emulsion) to support sensory and performance preferences. Ingredient & Supplier Strategy - Identify and recommend best-in-class raw materials, actives, and functional ingredients from reputable global suppliers. - Build a preferred supplier matrix with contacts, lead times, and MOQs to support seamless scale-up. - Suggest innovative ingredients with proven clinical data and consumer resonance (trend-forward but scientifically backed). - Evaluate ingredient synergies to enhance efficacy, bioavailability, or texture. Texture, Sensorial & Performance Optimization - Develop texture prototypes tailored to brand sensorial goals (lightweight, rich, fast-absorbing, silicone-free slip, etc.). - Lead sensory evaluation sessions internally to refine skin feel, spreadability, and absorption profile. - Optimize formulas for stability, viscosity, and compatibility with selected packaging. Efficacy & Claims Support - Design formulations with clear claim potential (hydration, barrier repair, oil control, radiance, anti-aging, etc.). - Recommend active levels and combinations to achieve measurable outcomes in clinical or consumer studies. - Support claims substantiation dossiers, providing scientific references, ingredient white papers, and formulation data. Factory Liaison & Scale-Up Support - Partner with manufacturing sites and contract labs to ensure lab-to-plant transfer is smooth. - Review and validate batch records, pilot batch results, and stability testing at scale. - Troubleshoot any scale-up deviations in texture, color, viscosity, or performance. - Conduct or supervise pre-production trials (PPT) and final approval batches. Cross-Functional Collaboration - Work closely with NPD, Brand, Packaging, and Regulatory teams to align formula design with product concept, claims, and compliance. - Provide inputs for pack compatibility testing and sensory interaction with applicators (pumps, droppers, etc.). - Support Regulatory documentation for PIF, INCI, safety assessments, and claims validation. - Collaborate with Clinical Testing partners to define testing protocols, expected outcomes, and performance benchmarks. Documentation & Reporting - Maintain comprehensive formulation records, batch sheets, and test reports. - Deliver stability and compatibility reports at predefined checkpoints (1M, 3M, 6M, accelerated). - Submit final formulation dossier including rationale, ingredient specs, safety data, supplier references, and recommended manufacturing SOPs. - Provide formulation IP documentation highlighting novelty and distinctiveness for trademark/patent purposes. Innovation & Continuous Improvement - Stay updated on market trends, new actives, and formulation technologies across relevant categories. - Recommend next-gen actives or formats (e.g., biomimetic peptides, fermented extracts, encapsulated systems). - Identify sustainability improvements — waterless formats, biodegradable bases, or circular ingredient sourcing. Roles & Responsibilities - Concept-to-Launch Ownership: Drive the end-to-end formulation process from ideation to first commercial batch sign-off. - - Technical Leadership: Provide scientific input and decision-making support on formulation strategy and raw material selection. - Team Liaison: Act as the technical bridge between NPD and OEM factories to create technically viable formulas. - Timeline Adherence: Develop and maintain a formulation Gantt chart or timeline — ensuring milestone completion (brief → prototype → pilot → validation → production). (2 months from date of starting the project the formulation should be locked in) - Quality & Compliance: Ensure formulations meet UK/EU/US regulatory standards, including safety, labeling, and claim substantiation.All complainces for Clean @Sephora, non endocrine disrupting, vegan and high natural %, that are a part of the IW ethos for building products. - Confidentiality & IP Ownership: All formulations, data, and supplier connections generated under this project remain intellectual property of the brand. Performance Metrics - % of formulations meeting clinical efficacy benchmarks. - Texture and sensorial satisfaction scores from consumer panel studies. - Timeliness of sample and documentation delivery against NPD schedule. - Number of unique IP-worthy formulations developed per category. - Level of supplier innovation integration and scalability feasibility. What You Get - Join a fast growing D2C beauty brand where you will have a direct and measurable impact on our profitability and growth. - Competitive salary and performance based incentives. - Opportunity to build the retention function from the ground up and experiment with cutting edge marketing technologies. - A collaborative and dynamic work environment and generous product allowances. Why Join Us? - Own the short-form engine for a high-potential skincare brand. - Creative, collaborative team with room to experiment and grow. - Competitive salary. - Access to new launches and industry insights. If this sounds like you – please share your updated resume on sidharth@indewild.com