Senior Formulation Scientist, Plant Extract Applications

Kimberly-Clark is seeking a Senior Formulation Scientist, Plant Extract Applications to lead the development of formulations that use value-added plant-extract ingredients across agriculture, personal care, household care, and related markets.

This role owns the application of defined extract forms, fractions, and ingredients in product systems. You will translate customer, consumer, and market needs into formulation requirements, design and execute experiments, troubleshoot performance issues, and develop products that are stable, safe, effective, manufacturable, and commercially relevant.

Your role is to determine how the plant extract ingredients perform in real product systems and to provide clear application requirements and feedback to both partners.

In this role, you will:

• Design and develop formulations containing plant-derived ingredients for personal care, household care, industrial or natural surfactant applications, agriculture and other priority markets.
• Translate market, customer, consumer, and technical needs into formulation requirements, ingredient attributes, performance targets, testing plans, and development priorities.
• Screen and evaluate plant-extract forms, fractions, concentrates, and value-added ingredients for compatibility, functionality, stability, efficacy, aesthetics, and manufacturability.
• Lead formulation work involving botanical actives, surfactant systems, emulsions, dispersions, gels, concentrates, sprays, and other relevant delivery formats.
• Evaluate ingredient interactions and optimize pH, solubility, rheology, preservation, phase stability, fragrance, color, texture, sensory performance, and application performance.
• Plan and execute laboratory experiments, designed experiments, stability studies, prototype evaluations, and technical trials. Interpret data and document findings clearly.
• Troubleshoot formulation challenges related to compatibility, viscosity, foaming, cleansing or treatment performance, deposition or delivery, preservation, phase separation, appearance, and sensory attributes.
• Work with the Principal Technical Expert to refine extract composition, ingredient specifications, processing form, and functionality requirements based on formulation results.
• Work with the Technical Project Leader, Process Engineering to confirm that promising formulations and ingredient forms can be manufactured consistently and transferred to pilot or commercial operations.
• Support pilot batches, technology transfer, manufacturing trials, product safety reviews, regulatory assessments, claims support, and customer or commercial evaluations.
• Partner with R&D, analytical, regulatory, quality, marketing, procurement, manufacturing, and commercial teams to advance projects efficiently.
• Maintain awareness of market trends, competitive products, customer needs, and emerging technologies in botanical ingredients, surfactants, personal care, household care and agriculture.
• Mentor junior scientists or technicians as needed and contribute to a collaborative, innovation-driven team environment.

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To succeed in this role, you will need the following qualifications:

• Advanced degree preferred in chemistry, formulation science, cosmetic science, chemical engineering, materials science, or a closely related field.
• At least 3 years of hands-on experience developing formulations containing botanicals, surfactants, or other specialty ingredients.
• Strong knowledge of formulation principles for emulsions, surfactant systems, rheology modification, preservation, ingredient compatibility, botanical functionality, and product stability.
• Experience designing experiments, analyzing results, and solving technical formulation problems.
• Familiarity with laboratory equipment, formulation testing methods, stability studies, and product evaluation techniques.
• Ability to translate technical findings into practical recommendations for research, manufacturing, commercial, and customer teams.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills and the ability to manage multiple projects in a fast-paced, cross-functional environment.
• Creative, solution-oriented, and detail-focused approach to applied chemistry and product development.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Skin care, hair care, body wash, facial cleansers, shampoos, conditioners, household cleaners, industrial cleaners, agricultural products, or related categories.

• Natural or plant-based ingredients, botanical extracts, plant-derived surfactants, and claim-supporting formulation strategies.

• Scale-up, pilot batches, manufacturing troubleshooting, and technology transfer for formulated products.

• Global or regional regulatory expectations for cosmetic, personal care, agricultural, animal-health, or household formulations.

• Stability studies, preservative efficacy, sensory evaluation, customer samples, or application-performance testing.

What success looks like:

Within the first 12 to 18 months, you will have:

• Established a clear application-development strategy for priority markets and product concepts.
• Developed and evaluated formulations that demonstrate the performance, stability, safety, and manufacturability of value-added plant-extract ingredients.
• Defined formulation requirements and application feedback that improve extract forms, ingredient specifications, and process targets.
• Generated prototypes, test data, and technical recommendations that support customer engagement, claims development, commercialization, and go/no-go decisions.
• Built productive working relationships across extract research, process engineering, manufacturing, regulatory, quality, and commercial teams.
• Created a repeatable pathway for translating plant-extract ingredients into market-relevant products.

Location and Travel:

This role will be based in Summit, New Jersey. Travel to research, pilot, manufacturing, supplier, technology-partner, customer, and commercial locations may be required as projects develop.

Total Benefits

Here are just a few of the benefits you’d enjoy working in this role for Kimberly-Clark. For a complete overview, see www.mykcbenefits.com.
 

Great support for good health with medical, dental, and vision coverage options with no waiting periods or pre-existing condition restrictions. Access to an on-site fitness center, occupational health nurse, and allowances for high-quality safety equipment.

Flexible Savings and spending accounts to maximize health care options and stretch dollars when caring for yourself or dependents.

Diverse income protection insurance options to protect yourself and your family in case of illness, injury, or other unexpected events.

Additional programs and support to continue your education, adopt a child, relocate, or even find temporary childcare.

To Be Considered
Click the Apply button and complete the online application process. A member of our recruiting team will review your application and follow up if you seem like a great fit for this role.

In the meantime, please check out the careers website.