Bench chemist vs formulation chemist

The differences between bench chemists and formulation chemists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a formulation chemist has an average salary of $66,678, which is higher than the $57,401 average annual salary of a bench chemist.

The top three skills for a bench chemist include analytical methods, HPLC and wet chemistry. The most important skills for a formulation chemist are scale-up, R, and product development.

Bench chemist vs formulation chemist overview

	Bench Chemist	Formulation Chemist
Yearly salary	$57,401	$66,678
Hourly rate	$27.60	$32.06
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	3,038	3,011
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 72%	Bachelor's Degree, 79%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	-	-

Bench chemist vs formulation chemist salary

Bench chemists and formulation chemists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Bench Chemist	Formulation Chemist
Average salary	$57,401	$66,678
Salary range	Between $39,000 And $84,000	Between $46,000 And $94,000
Highest paying City	-	Frederick, MD
Highest paying state	-	Washington
Best paying company	-	Apple
Best paying industry	-	Manufacturing

Differences between bench chemist and formulation chemist education

There are a few differences between a bench chemist and a formulation chemist in terms of educational background:

	Bench Chemist	Formulation Chemist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 72%	Bachelor's Degree, 79%
Most common major	Chemistry	Chemistry
Most common college	University of California, Berkeley	University of Southern California

Bench chemist vs formulation chemist demographics

Here are the differences between bench chemists' and formulation chemists' demographics:

	Bench Chemist	Formulation Chemist
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 58.2% Female, 41.8%	Male, 60.6% Female, 39.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 18.2% White, 59.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 7.8% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 18.6% White, 59.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	5%	5%

Differences between bench chemist and formulation chemist duties and responsibilities

Bench chemist example responsibilities.

Test developmental compounds to ASTM standards and manage certification submissions.
Prepare ASTM samples and test physical properties.
Perform USP testing on a wide variety of pharmaceuticals to guarantee product quality.
Analyze intermediates and products through analytical data such as LCMS, NMR, etc.
Maintain detailed notebooks containing results and transmit those results via LIMS to the proper plant personnel.
Perform final release testing on batch samples to establish conformance to company, third party, or FDA specifications.

Formulation chemist example responsibilities.

Utilize Citrix LIMS to register, manage, enter and release sample results for supervisor review.
Provide key data in GLP testing of in-house samples using GC, AA, and UV-Vis.
Follow ASTM procedures and criteria for analyzing products.
Create internal sensory training according to the ASTM method.
Help to aid the plant in becoming compliant with EPA standards.
Perform analysis of pharmaceutical drug products in compliance cGMP and GLP procedures.

Bench chemist vs formulation chemist skills

Common bench chemist skills

Analytical Methods, 12%
HPLC, 10%
Wet Chemistry, 10%
Method Development, 9%
GC, 8%
GMP, 8%

Common formulation chemist skills

Scale-Up, 8%
R, 7%
Product Development, 6%
Lab Notebook, 6%
Formulation Development, 5%
QC, 4%

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Bench Chemist vs Formulation Chemist

Updated January 8, 2025

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