Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between formulation scientists and chemists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a formulation scientist has an average salary of $90,067, which is higher than the $64,961 average annual salary of a chemist.
The top three skills for a formulation scientist include dosage forms, scale-up and GMP. The most important skills for a chemist are chemistry, lab equipment, and test results.
| Formulation Scientist | Chemist | |
| Yearly salary | $90,067 | $64,961 |
| Hourly rate | $43.30 | $31.23 |
| Growth rate | 17% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 45,763 | 20,221 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 80% |
| Average age | 41 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | - |
A formulation scientist specializes in conducting different scientific experiments to create new products and enhance existing formulations. They usually work at laboratories to establish plans and objectives, conduct extensive research and analyses to design and develop a formula, create test structures to evaluate products, and set strategies to meet budgets, goals, and timelines. They also assess existing products to determine their weaknesses and strengths, developing solutions against potential issues and existing problems. Additionally, a formulation scientist maintains records of all procedures and implements protocols and safety regulations.
Chemists are generally responsible for observing and investigating chemical substances to create new and safe compounds essential for practical applications. They are often grouped depending on a particular area of specialization to focus and understand the complexities of the matter. A chemist usually takes time performing research and conducting experiments to test and further improve the quality and usage of a specific chemical substance. Chemists are expected to write on their observations and findings to establish scientific results.
Formulation scientists and chemists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Formulation Scientist | Chemist | |
| Average salary | $90,067 | $64,961 |
| Salary range | Between $63,000 And $126,000 | Between $46,000 And $90,000 |
| Highest paying City | Novato, CA | Wilmington, DE |
| Highest paying state | California | Delaware |
| Best paying company | BioMarin | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Agriculture | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a formulation scientist and a chemist in terms of educational background:
| Formulation Scientist | Chemist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 80% |
| Most common major | Pharmacy | Chemistry |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between formulation scientists' and chemists' demographics:
| Formulation Scientist | Chemist | |
| Average age | 41 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 61.6% Female, 38.4% | Male, 59.6% Female, 40.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.1% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 9.3% Asian, 32.9% White, 47.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.1% | Black or African American, 7.8% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 9.4% Asian, 18.2% White, 59.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 5% |