Research & Development Toxicologist

Diversity matters

We are building a brand that represents the people of the world. It’s what you do that counts, and we are always looking to expand perspectives and voices to shape our future.

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Who we are You might know us as the inventors of the bath bomb, but there’s more to this great-smelling, partly employee-owned, family-run company than pioneering cosmetics. We believe our business should put more back into the world than it takes and demonstrate that capitalism can be a force for good.

The Living Wage Foundation’s statement 'a hard day's work deserves a fair day's pay' is one that we are proud to commit to in the UK. As an accredited Living Wage employer, we put our people first and fight cruel practices like animal testing, promote regeneration, and show that it is what’s inside that counts - whether that’s an ingredient in a product, or the minerals in a smartphone.

Role Overview Cosmetic Warriors is the central research, formulation, and IP entity behind the Lush brand. It pioneers product invention, upholds our strict non-animal testing standards, and ensures every ingredient and formula is safe and viable for global distribution.

We have always campaigned fiercely against animal testing and are committed to innovation without animal testing. Alongside our human volunteer testing, we commission and lead our own human cell culture (in vitro) testing programs for both raw materials and finished products. We are looking for an experienced Research & Development Toxicology Support to join our team to support product safety sign-offs, manage ingredient data, and champion non-animal safety science alongside our R&D and Regulatory Affairs teams.

As part of the Cosmetic Warriors Scientific Safety function, this role bridges creative R&D, fragrance invention, and global regulatory compliance. You will work directly at the source of product creation, providing the toxicological data and scientific backing needed to prove that Lush products are safe, innovative, and ethically sound.

As part of the broader Cosmetic Warriors function, you will play a key hands-on role in ensuring all products created for the Lush Brand are safe, viable, and compliant. You will advise in-house formulation teams, manage raw material data, and liaise directly with external testing partners, such as XCellR8, to interpret and act on non-animal test results.

Want to see where a career at Lush could take you? Head over here to explore real stories of growth and development across the business.

Please note: We may close this vacancy early if we receive an overwhelming response or our business requirements change.

Key Responsibilities

• Formulation Advisory & R&D Support

• Advise in-house Research & Development (R&D), fragrance development, and product inventing teams on the safety profiles of fragrance materials, essential oils, and raw cosmetic ingredients.

• Provide clear guidance on safe usage levels, exposure limits, and concentration thresholds for new formulations to ensure products are both effective and safe for consumers.

• Act as a core member of the Cosmetic Warriors safety function, contributing to wider risk assessments and safety studies required to prove product viability for the Lush brand.

• In-Vitro Testing & Partner Liaison (XCellR8)

• Act as a primary technical contact for XCellR8 (and other animal-free testing partners), managing sample pipelines and test schedules.

• Analyse, interpret, and feed back on in vitro test results received from XCellR8 to inform formulation adjustments and internal safety records.

• Conduct bibliographic literature searches and systematic reviews on raw materials, botanicals, and new cosmetic ingredients to build robust, human-relevant safety profiles.

• Act as the primary technical R&D contact.

• Safety Assessments & Product Compliance

• Assist in conducting human health safety assessments for raw materials, fresh ingredients, essential oils, and finished cosmetic formulations.

• Support the preparation, reviewing, and maintenance of documentation for Cosmetic Product Safety Reports (CPSRs) and global compliance dossiers.

• Perform toxicological calculations, including Systemic Exposure Doses (SED), Margin of Safety (MoS), and Natural Origin Content calculations.

• Generate and maintain Safety Data Sheets (SDS) across global business markets (UK, Australia, EU).

• Supplier & Raw Material Data Management

• Gather, audit, and analyse technical data provided by raw material and fragrance suppliers (e.g., IFRA certificates, allergen breakdowns, impurity profiles, heavy metals).

• Classify raw materials based on chemical hazard profiles and determine requirements for internal routine or ad-hoc testing.

• Maintain internal chemical, biological, and toxicology databases to ensure accurate data management across the business.

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Toxicology, Chemistry, Biological Sciences, Pharmacology, or a closely related scientific discipline.
• 3 years plus of practical experience working as a Toxicologist, Safety Assessor, or Regulatory/Safety Scientist (preferably within cosmetics, personal care, or household chemicals).
• Solid understanding of non-animal (in vitro / in silico) testing methodologies and safety assessment principles.
• Familiarity with UK/EU Cosmetic Regulations (EC 1223/2009), IFRA standards, and SDS/GHS guidelines.
• Proven ability to communicate scientific concepts and safe usage limits clearly to creative perfumers, inventors, and non-technical stakeholders.

Benefits

• 25 days holiday plus bank holidays

• 6 months of full pay for parental leave (primary caregiver must qualify for SMP)*

• Enhanced paternity leave*

• Bonus scheme

• Day off for weekday birthdays

• Holiday purchase scheme

• 50% discount on Lush products and spa treatments

• Cycle to work scheme

• Discounted rail and bus season tickets

• Employee assistance programme

• There’s a big difference between "Flexible Working " (the legal minimum) and working flexibly. What that looks like varies from role to role and location to location. We actively welcome conversations about what working flexibly could mean and look like for you.

• We’re 10% Employee Owned - all colleagues play a role in protecting our ethics, our independence, contributing ideas for the future and share in the rewards of success when the company is doing well.

• Wellbeing & mindfulness sessions

• Access to employee-led Community Networks, including Disability and Chronic Illness, Family Support, Global Majority (Race and Ethnicity), LGBTQIA+, Menopause and Neurodiversity communities.

• Tailored gender affirming care*

• Qualifying period/hours required*

• We believe that your information is yours and that it is Lush's responsibility to process your personal information in a secure, fair and accurate manner. Every individual processed by LUSH has certain rights over their data, which are detailed in our Privacy Notice here.