L’oréal Unveils New Research and Innovation Center in India

L’Oréal, one of the region’s fastest-growing beauty companies, accelerates product development for the Indian market thanks to state-of-the-art R&I facilities

Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, Thursday, January 10, 2013 — (Business Wire India) — L’Oréal inaugurated today its new Research & Innovation (R&I) Center to study Indian hair and skin specificities as well as the beauty routines and expectations of Indian consumers. L’Oréal plans to invest a total of INR 970 Crores in India from 2011 to 2016.

 

The R&I Center in India is the Group’s 6th R&I hub globally1. It includes both a Product Development Center in Mumbai and an Advanced Research Center in Bangalore, and will employ over 100 Indian researchers and scientists from the fields of Physical Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Analytical Chemistry, Biotechnology, Chemical Engineering, Physics and Biology by end 2013.

At the inauguration, Jean-Paul Agon, Chairman and CEO of L’Oréal, said, “With one of the highest growths of the Group in Asia Pacific, India is a key contributor to L’Oréal’s objective of reaching one billion new consumers. The R&I Center in India reflects our confidence in the great potential of the Indian market and our strong commitment to the country. It is in line with L’Oréal’s universalization strategy of adapting our global brands to each culture’s specific needs.”

State-of-the-art facilities

The Product Development Center is a 5,000 square meter facility located in Mumbai. Its activity relies on a unique and wide knowledge of Indian hair and skin specificities gathered through clinical studies and a deep understanding of consumers’ beauty expectations. Its mission is to translate needs into innovative products ranging from skin care, hair care, hair color, color cosmetics and personal hygiene. Cutting edge instruments are used daily to ensure a rigorous evaluation of the technical, functional and sensorial benefits of the products.

The Bangalore Advanced Research Center is a 2,000 square meter site in Whitefield. The scientific environment of Bangalore is favorable to the exploration of phytochemistry, biotechnologies and bioinformatics to screen active ingredients able to address pigmentation disorders, scalp concerns and hair breakage. A specific focus will be on decoding Ayurveda roots thanks to modern biological, chemical and analytical methods.

Innovating for the Indian consumer

L’Oréal was the first to introduce key categories to India such as the modern crème hair color, hair conditioners, the modern hair salon concept, the dermo-cosmetic category etc. For example, Garnier Men and Garnier Color Naturals were developed for the Indian market. L’Oréal also developed bridge products between traditional beauty routines and modern technology such as Garnier Shampoo + Oil, and Maybelline Colossal Kajal.

Thanks to the cutting-edge research facilities located in Mumbai and Bangalore, L’Oréal will accelerate innovations. Pierre-Yves Arzel, Managing Director of L’Oréal India, said, “Our R&I Center in India, will serve to accelerate the growth of innovative products tailored for the Indian market and will help us reach our target of Rs. 7000 crores in sales and 150 million consumers in India by 2020.”

Mohamed Kanji, Director of Research & Innovation for L’Oréal India, added “The R&I Center in India will help us to invent, in close cooperation with our brands, our factory and the excellence of the Indian innovation ecosystem, “star” products that meet local beauty needs.”

Present in India for 18 years, L’Oréal is one of the fastest-growing beauty companies in the country with a growth rate above +20% and sales which could reach INR 1580 crores in 2012. Its brands are distributed in approximately 750,000 points of sale.

About L’Oréal

L’Oréal, the world’s leading beauty company, has catered to all forms of beauty in the world for over 100 years and has built an unrivalled portfolio of 27 international, diverse and complementary brands. With sales amounting to 20.3 billion euros in 2011, L’Oréal employs 68,900 people worldwide. Regarding sustainable development, Corporate Knights, a Global Responsible Investment Network, has selected L’Oréal for its 2012 ranking of the Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World. L’Oréal has received this distinction for the 5th consecutive year. www.loreal.com.

About L’Oréal India

L’Oréal India has been present in the country as a wholly owned subsidiary of L’Oréal S.A. since 1994. Today L’Oréal India is present in all distribution channels with 15 international brands, available in mass market channels (L’Oréal Paris, Garnier, Maybelline New-York), in hair salons (L’Oréal Professionnel, Matrix, Kérastase, Kéraskin Esthetics), in selective distribution (Lancôme, Kiehl’s, Yves Saint Laurent, Giorgio Armani, Ralph Lauren, Diesel) and in pharmacies (Vichy, La Roche-Posay). L’Oréal India employs over 1 230 people across four regional offices, a factory in Chakan, Pune, Research and Innovation facilities, and the headquarters in Mumbai. www.loreal.co.in.

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Footnote: 1Other R&I hubs are located in Europe, USA, China, Japan , Brazil and also work in coordination with global R&I teams based in France

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Appendix – Key figures

L’Oréal Research and Innovation in 2011

— 721 million euros
— 613 patents
— 3,670 employees
— 55% of product raw materials of plant origin
— 45% of new raw materials used comply with green chemistry principles

CONTACT DETAILS
Snehhal Chitneni, Corporate Communications, L’Oréal India,, +91 9820158358, schitneni@in.loreal.com
Diya Nair, Fleishman Hillard, +91 7738770948, diya.nair@fleishman.com