Also called: Formulation Chemist, Skincare Formulator
Invents and improves makeup, skincare, sunscreen and hair products, then helps scale them up for production.
You're making a lip gloss that's shiny but not sticky. You weigh oils and waxes, heat and mix them, then swipe test samples on your arm and leave jars in hot and cold ovens to see if they separate. When it works, you help the factory make it in a 2,000-pound batch.
Estimate; based on chemists.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Bachelor's in chemistry or chemical engineering; some cosmetic science master's programs.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Cosmetic Science.
Growing about average.
Medium risk for 10 years. AI suggests formulas and predicts stability, cutting some lab work; testing feel, safety and scale-up stay human.
Classes: AP Chemistry, AP Biology, Art.
Official data: O*NET occupation 19-2031.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.