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:

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.

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