Product Development Intern – Spring 2026
To apply for this internship, you must complete the application form through Henkel’s career site.
At Henkel, you’ll be part of an organization that’s shaping the future through innovation, sustainability and collaboration. With our trusted brands like Persil®, ‘all®, Loctite®, Snuggle®, and Schwarzkopf® and our cutting-edge technologies, you’ll have countless opportunities to explore new paths and grow.
This position is with our Adhesive Technologies business unit – where we empower our people to transform industries and provide our customers with a competitive advantage through adhesives, sealants and functional coatings.
Dare to learn new skills, advance in your career and make an impact at Henkel.
What you’ll do
Join Henkel’s metal packaging business and gain hands-on experience in polymer compounding and sealant development. This internship offers exposure to a wide range of chemistries and sustainable innovation in a lab-based setting.
Key Responsibilities:
- Work in the can sealants development lab supporting Henkel’s metal packaging products
- Perform physical property testing and compounding of elastomer-based sealants
- Conduct research to identify new sustainable, biodegradable, and recyclable polymers for use in sealant formulations
- Gain hands-on experience with polymer compounding strategies and a broad range of chemistries
- Use the opportunity to learn and work with various chemistries, see how to bring them together to obtain the required properties
- Support ongoing lab activities through physical testing and data analysis
- Collaborate with R&D teams to contribute to product innovation and performance improvements
What makes you a good fit
- A senior or master’s / graduate student pursuing a degree in Chemistry
- Experience with analytical and physical property testing lab equipment and methodologies
- Comfortable conducting independent research and drawing conclusions
- Strong written and verbal communication skills
- Confident presenting technical work to large groups and cross-functional teams
- Ability to interpret data and connect material properties to formulation outcome
Some benefits of joining Henkel as an intern
- Exciting projects that allow you to make real impact and collaborate with Henkel colleagues worldwide
- Countless learning opportunities available through Henkel’s online learning platform with over 9,000 professional courses
- Networking events with Henkel business leaders, experts and sustainability ambassadors
- Ongoing feedback discussions throughout the internship that allow you to accomplish concrete goals
- In-person and virtual social events to connect with other Henkel interns across the country
Following your internship, you may be invited to join Henkel as a returning intern or full-time employee.
Additional information
- This internship is eligible for a housing stipend or relocation support.
- The anticipated start date for this internship is January 5, 2026, and the anticipated end date is August 14, 2026.
- Recruitment for our 2026 internships starts in late August 2025 and runs through early March 2026 or until all our positions are filled.
- If selected to move forward in our recruitment process, you will receive an email from our talent acquisition team.
- If a position you applied to is filled by another candidate, you will receive an email from our team alerting you that the position is closed.
The salary for this role is $22-$27/hour. This is the range that we in good faith anticipate relying on when setting wages for this position. We may ultimately pay more or less than the posted range and this range. This salary range may also be modified in the future.
Henkel is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, veteran status, genetic information, and other legally protected categories.