QC & Development Chemist — Skincare

Kass Cosmetics, a well-established manufacturer of skincare, personal care, and henna products since 2005, is seeking a dedicated Quality Control and Product Development Specialist to join their team at SITE Metroville, Karachi. This full-time, on-site role involves hands-on laboratory work within the factory, focusing on ensuring product quality and supporting the development of new formulations. Kass Cosmetics exports its diverse product range, including creams, lotions, serums, sunscreens, facewashes, soaps, and henna, to over 17 countries, offering a unique opportunity to contribute to products that reach international markets.

Key Responsibilities

- Oversee quality control for daily production by testing each batch against approved specifications such as pH, viscosity, specific gravity, appearance, odor, and spreadability before release. Approve or reject batches with proper documentation, ensuring no product ships without your sign-off.
- Maintain detailed batch testing records, retain samples, and manage certificates of analysis.
- Inspect and test incoming raw materials against supplier Certificates of Analysis (CoAs) to ensure compliance before production. Reject any non-conforming materials and coordinate with purchasing for resolution.
- Verify packaging components for defects and compatibility with products.
- Develop and bench-trial new formulations from initial brief through pilot batch stages. Conduct stability trials, record results over time, and scale lab trials to production batch size while troubleshooting any issues that arise during scaling.
- Maintain and update Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), specification sheets, master formula records, and test logs.
- Support regulatory and export documentation requirements, ensuring compliance with industry standards.
- Follow and contribute to improvements in Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) on the production floor.

Required Qualifications

- Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Chemistry, Applied Chemistry, Biochemistry, Chemical Engineering, or Pharmacy.
- Two to four years of experience working in a cosmetics, pharmaceutical, or personal care manufacturing laboratory.
- Hands-on experience with routine physical and chemical testing of emulsions, creams, lotions, or similar products.
- Strong understanding of GMP, batch documentation, and specification control.
- Ability to interpret formulas, scale them appropriately, and analyze reasons for batch failures.
- Proficiency in English for written documentation purposes.

Preferred Qualifications and Benefits

- Experience troubleshooting emulsion issues such as separation, viscosity changes, and phase instability.
- Familiarity with stability testing protocols.
- Knowledge of export documentation processes or DRAP regulatory requirements.
- Experience with microbiological testing or managing third-party laboratory testing.

This role offers the rewarding experience of seeing your formulations progress from a 500g lab trial to full production batches and ultimately to shelves in international markets. Kass Cosmetics manufactures all products in-house, ensuring that your developments remain authentic and uncompromised by external factories.

Compensation: Monthly salary ranges from Rs23,000 to Rs150,000, commensurate with experience and qualifications.

Candidates should be prepared to commute daily to the SITE Metroville facility in Karachi. Applicants will be asked about their years of experience in cosmetics or pharmaceutical QC labs, independent formulation development, commuting ability, and salary expectations during the application process.