Head of Product Development

Senior Formulation Scientist (Delivery Systems)

Permea | [Delhi - NCR] | Full-time

About Permea

Permea is an absorption-focused skincare brand. Our thesis is simple: efficacy is a function of actives and absorption, not actives alone. Roughly 90% of active ingredients never penetrate beyond the outermost layer of skin, which is why most products underdeliver. We formulate around delivery systems, including liposomal and exosomal encapsulation, so that the concentration on the label reaches the skin layer where it works.

We work with a Spanish delivery-science biotechnology partner on exclusive India rights to ingredients, and we build formulations in-house rather than relying on white-label bases.

The Role

We are hiring our first senior scientist to own the formulation and delivery strategy across our skin and hair pipeline. You will report to the founders and have direct ownership of what we develop.

Responsibilities:

• Lead formulation and encapsulation strategy across the product pipeline
• Determine which actives justify encapsulation and which do not. An unstable, poorly-penetrating retinoid warrants a delivery system; a cheap, stable, well-absorbed active does not. This judgment is central to the role.
• Evaluate delivery technologies against measurable criteria: active loading, encapsulation efficiency, penetration, stability, and cost in use
• Identify and assess novel actives and delivery systems, including through our international supplier and biotech relationships
• Build our in-house R&D and testing capability, including proprietary penetration data
• Set formulation standards and work with external labs through development and scale-up

Requirements:

• MSc or MTech in Chemistry, Pharmaceutical Sciences, or a related discipline. PhD welcome.
• 8+ years of experience in cosmetic or pharmaceutical formulation
• Strong working knowledge of lipid chemistry and peptide chemistry
• Hands-on formulation experience across development and scale-up
• Prior experience with encapsulation and delivery systems (liposomes, nanovesicles, SLN or NLC, cyclodextrins, or comparable) is strongly preferred
• Ability to read primary literature critically and distinguish published evidence from supplier claims

Who We Are Looking For:

Someone who checks encapsulation efficiency before accepting a "liposomal" claim. Someone who wants to build a delivery science platform rather than reformulate existing bases. You will have genuine ownership over the science, and the science will lead the product.

To Apply

Send your CV to [email protected], along with a short note on why you feel you're the right fit for the role.