L'Oréal USA has kicked off construction of a $140m research and innovation (R&I) centre in Clark, New Jersey.
The around 250,000 square-foot facility will bring together more than 550 employees across all areas of the company's North America R&I division, from advanced research to evaluation and product development, under one roof.
Due to be fully operational in 2024, the R&I centre will focus on beauty innovations across the spectrum of hair, skin, and makeup categories while pioneering research through strategic scientific fields such as green sciences and beauty tech.
Agile workspaces and modular labs will be designed to strengthen internal partnerships, creating a comprehensive ecosystem that allows for greater interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation.
The site will also house the capacity to scale formulations through a dedicated team, which will accelerate the creation and development of new products.
The R&I centre will also be the home for external partnerships and scientific collaborations under L'Oréal's Open Innovation strategy.
"Our new campus will serve as the Research & Innovation epicentre for our North America scientific teams across product innovation, development, and testing," said Sanford Browne, North America President of Research and Innovation at L'Oréal.
"With cutting-edge science and technology, advanced digital tools and data, and a focus on green chemistry, we will continue to invent the future of beauty,” he added.
The new R&I centre will replace L'Oréal’s existing facilities that it has occupied in the area for more than 60 years.
“This historic investment in our new Research & Innovation Centre is an important milestone for L'Oréal USA as we continue to put science at the heart of all that we do to serve our American consumers with more innovative, inclusive, and sustainable beauty products," said L'Oréal USA. president & CEO David Greenberg.
"New Jersey has served as our scientific hub here in the US for over six decades, and we are excited to expand our footprint in the state and bring all our scientific teams together in a beautiful and modern new research facility,” he added.
Reinforcing the company's L'Oréal for the Future sustainability commitment, the new facility will be designed to the highest sustainability standards by reducing energy use, resource consumption, and waste production while developing multi-purpose indoor and outdoor green space to support the area's ecology and biodiversity.
