How To Become A Formulation Technician: What It Is and Career Path

What is a formulation technician and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Dr. Betsy Smith

A formulation technician gathers various samples for different formulations. He/She or she tests and weighs solutions and prepares the laboratory for experiments. To fill this role, you have to wash and purify the materials that will be used in the laboratory. You also have to check and keep records of various laboratory equipment and ensure that solutions are well formulated before they are used.

A formulation technician follows laid down rules and regulations given by the formulation team leader. He/She ensures that laboratory equipment is set up to meet up standards, and they ensure that people who make use of the laboratory for experiments follow laid down procedures.

To be successful in this field, you need a Bachelor's degree or high school diploma degree in laboratory technology. You also need to possess good organizational skills and supervisory skills. Formulation technicians are also expected to be swift to understand principles and have good verbal communication skills. A formulation technician earns up to $41,000.

What general advice would you give to a formulation technician?

Dr. Betsy Smith

Assistant Professor of Chemistry, Elmira College

I would advise students just graduating to be flexible and open-minded in their job search. Chemistry is a challenging major, and students who succeed in it have learned how to learn, so they shouldn't assume that pure chemistry is the only thing they can do. One growing field is biomedical research, and chemistry majors are often qualified for jobs in that area. If you have other strengths like writing, there are often jobs that can combine them as a technical writer or work for a science journal. There are jobs out there that might be perfect for you that you haven't heard of until you see an ad for it, so be open to different possibilities.

ScoreFormulation TechnicianUS Average

Salary

3.8

Avg. Salary $48,107

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

6.9

Growth rate 4%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

8.3

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.41%

Asian 9.45%

Black or African American 7.31%

Hispanic or Latino 16.55%

Unknown 4.28%

White 62.00%

Gender

female 34.07%

male 65.93%

Age - 44

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 44

Stress level

6.9

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

7.5

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.6

Work life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a formulation technician

Explore formulation technician education requirements

Most common formulation technician degrees

Bachelor's

60.6 %

Associate

18.8 %

High School Diploma

9.6 %

Start to develop specific formulation technician skills

Skills	Percentages
Lean Manufacturing	13.12%
FDA	6.80%
Troubleshoot	6.60%
Lab Equipment	4.62%
PPE	4.29%

Complete relevant formulation technician training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-2 years on post-employment, on-the-job training. New formulation technicians learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a formulation technician based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real formulation technician resumes.

Research formulation technician duties and responsibilities

Manage daily production schedule, monitor machine operation, addressed any etching machinery problems.
Conduct extensive research and product development in extrusion and flavor sciences, specializing in glass encapsulation technology for the flavor industry.
Perform internal ISO audits and maintain documentation to preclude violations.
Perform waste operations according to GMP, FDA and EPA regulations.

Prepare your formulation technician resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your formulation technician resume.

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