Open Ego is a fragrance technology company that aims to bring ancient wisdom and modern science together to bring back the glory of fragrance heritage of India. The design studio works in digital and physical spaces and will have a wide range of opportunities to be creative and experiment. We are looking for people who are comfortable in a fast-paced environment, have a belongingness to the cultural heritage of India and willing to be part of our nation building efforts.

Role Overview

We are seeking a hands-on Research Chemist who shapes olfactory experiences. You will be embedded in delivery teams working alongside business enterprise leaders, product developers, brand teams, and client teams to design scents, formulations, and sensory experiences that are distinctive, wearable, and built to work in the real world.

Key Responsibilities

Note: If you do not have fragrance domain experience it is still ok, if there is experience in related areas.

- Be an original works creator in Fragrance design or a related area where a good understanding of organic chemistry and molecular chemistry is critical. Ability to translate briefs into original fragrance concepts with a highly evolved olfactory taste. Knowledge of fragrance families, raw materials, and the historical evolution of perfumery, and able to deliver across multiple olfactory styles.
- Deliver end-to-end fragrance design across client engagements: consumer research, scent mapping, accord development, formulation, and prototyping.
- Apply a strong grounding in organic and molecular chemistry to understand raw material behaviour, structure-odour relationships, and formulation stability.
- Develop high-fidelity fragrance mockups (mods) and sample batches using industry-standard tools and materials.
- Conduct field research, consumer panels, and sensory evaluation before finalising a single output. Collaborate with chemists, evaluators, and production teams to ensure faithful translation of concepts into finished formulations.
- Build and maintain scalable scent libraries and accord systems with reusable bases and building blocks.
- Design category-specific olfactory patterns: fine fragrance, personal care, home and ambient, and functional/industrial scent applications.
- Work directly with clients across industries (FMCG, hospitality, manufacturing, personal care) to translate real use-cases into fragrance solutions.




- Develop and execute scent identities that hold across product lines, packaging, and time — from raw concept to signature scent systems.
- Design for fine fragrance, personal care, and functional products is an important part of this role — the same research-grounded rigour applies to mass-market as it does to bespoke work. Every application matters.
- Ensure formulations meet IFRA compliance and relevant regulatory safety standards.
- Champion green chemistry principles — sustainable sourcing, biodegradable materials, and reduced-impact formulation approaches — as a core part of the design process.
- Contribute to OpenEgo’s olfactory thinking, frameworks, and IP that reflect how we approach sensory experience design.
- Good understanding of designing for retail, digital marketing, and brand storytelling around scent. Excellent communication of fragrance concepts to non-specialist audiences.
- Operate effectively in a fast-paced, multi-project environment with tight timelines and shifting priorities.

Required Qualifications

- 1-3 years of research in organic/molecular chemistry, fragrance design/perfumery experience across fine fragrance, personal care, or functional product categories.
- Bachelor's or Master's degree in Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Cosmetic Science, Perfumery, or a related field; formal perfumery/fragrance school training is a strong plus.
- Extremely good understanding of organic chemistry and molecular chemistry — structure-odour relationships, functional groups, and raw material synthesis/behaviour.
- Working knowledge of green chemistry principles and sustainable formulation practices.
- Strong portfolio with demonstrable experience — end-to-end development process, formulation work, and launched products across categories.
- Solid understanding of principles — accord structure, raw material characteristics, olfactive families, and brand scent guidelines.
- Experience with IFRA standards, regulatory compliance, and material sourcing considerations is a plus.




- Experience developing products for varied applications (fine fragrance, personal care, home care, functional products).
- Proficiency conducting consumer research, sensory panels, and synthesising qualitative and quantitative feedback.
- Solid understanding of architecture, modular accord systems, and formulation libraries.
- Knowledge of relevant safety and regulatory standards for ingredients.
- Excellent communication skills — able to present and defend olfactory decisions clearly to both technical teams and non-technical client stakeholders.
- Comfortable working at pace, with minimal supervision, taking ownership of the fragrance development process end to end and driving work forward independently.
- Comfortable in a consulting/studio environment — multi-client, fast-context-switching, outcome-focused. Ability to take on stretch goals.

Preferred Qualifications

- Valuable grasp of organic and molecular chemistry and modern technologies
- Experience designing scent for AI-driven or smart-home/ambient product categories is a plus.
- Familiarity with fragrance encapsulation and delivery-system technologies is a plus.
- Advanced coursework or specialisation in green/sustainable chemistry.
- Exposure to service design and consumer field research methodologies.
- Experience in product or packaging design — physical objects designed with the same rigour as scent.
- Background in Agile or iterative delivery environments; comfortable with short cycles and visible progress.
- Experience working in or alongside GCC or embedded team models.
- Exposure to industrial/functional fragrance (cleaning, industrial, OT-adjacent applications) is a big plus.

If you are in South Bangalore, you have a locational advantage.

Why This Role

We are seeking a hands-on chemists who shapes scents that earn their place with the people who wear and use them. You will help move clients forward on their sensory journey, from mapping how consumers actually experience products to shipping formulations that people choose to buy again, bringing both olfactory craft and the judgment to know what actually needs to be built. This role has scope to experiment across all aspects of scent design — from research to seeing your fragrance implemented in a finished product, from concept development to seeing it drive sales at retail.

📌 Research And Development Chemist (Bengaluru)
🏢 Open Ego
📍 Bengaluru