French conglomerate L’Oréal Groupe has held a strong, respectable presence in North America for 70 years, which continues to evolve as it reaches new milestones in the region. Recently, the beauty giant ticked another goal of its North American to-do list, announcing the completion and grand opening of its new 250,000-square-foot scientific research and innovation (R&I) center, located in Clark, New Jersey.
Plans for the center—which required $160 million investment to complete—were initially revealed in 2022, and by mid-2023, the space began welcoming employees. Now, full operations are ready to commence, as L’Oréal partners with leading academics, biotech companies, and start-ups across the US to discover, invent, and scale-up new ingredients, product offerings, and breakthrough innovations with a focus on sustainability, inclusivity, and personalization. The center will tailor its outcomes to meet varying consumer demands, as well as requirements for different skin tones, hair types, and textures, while exploring future beauty expressions and aspirations.
“The US plays a defining role in shaping the future of beauty. With its diverse and demanding consumers and world-leading innovation ecosystem, it is the ideal environment to drive our vision forward,” commented Barbara Lavernos, Deputy CEO of L’Oréal Groupe, in charge of research, innovation, and technology. “This Center embodies L’Oréal’s uniquely end-to-end innovation model, from upstream advanced research on new breakthrough ingredients to the downstream development of formulas ready for scale-up to deliver high-performance, safe, and responsible beauty solutions.”
The North American R&I center joins the rest of the group’s R&I ecosystem, which hosts centers in France, Brazil, South Africa, India, China, and Japan, and is the second-largest R&I space aside from France. The center will play a pivotal role in sustaining and progressing L'Oreal's pre-existing roster of iconic American brands, including Maybelline, CeraVe, Redken, and Kiehl’s.
“The grand opening of our research center in New Jersey represents a transformative new chapter in L'Oréal’s storied history in the United States," said David Greenberg, CEO of L'Oréal USA and President of the North America Zones. "This investment will enable us to pioneer groundbreaking product innovations for American consumers that anticipate global market needs. And we're not simply creating products; we're building a prosperous future of economic growth, powered by American talent."
Noteworthy features of the newly opened center include a 26,000-square-foot modular laboratory, a consumer center for product testing and co-creating (which can accommodate up to 400 consumers daily), and an on-site mini factory to scale final formulations before full-scale production.
Aside from the benefits of providing jobs and encouraging consumer connections, the center aligns with the companies “L’Oréal for the Future” sustainable commitment plan, aimed at driving environmental and social progress by 2030. The pledge focuses on reducing carbon emissions, promoting sustainable sourcing, and improving water and biodiversity conservation across the business. At the center, sustainability highlights include 10,000 solar panels, which meet 70% of the facility’s energy needs; an eco-retention pond for stormwater management; and employee-led gardening and composting initiatives that create a green workspace.
In other efforts aligning with L’Oréal for the Future, the company revealed a partnership with global technology innovator IBM at the start of the year. The collaboration leverages IBM’s GenAI technology and expertise to uncover new insights in cosmetic formulation data, facilitating L’Oréal’s use of sustainable raw materials for energy and material waste reductions. The partnership will see the duo develop a custom AI foundation model—a type of AI model trained on a broad set of unlabeled data, capable of performing various tasks and applying information from one situation to another. The model is believed to be a first-of-its-kind in the beauty industry, redefining AI innovation by combining beauty, chemistry, and technology.
With its cutting-edge facilities, commitment to sustainability, and partnerships with leading innovators, the new North American R&I center is set to redefine beauty through advanced research, inclusivity, and innovative product development. As L’Oréal continues to push the boundaries of science and technology through various initiatives, the R&I investment reinforces its dedication to shaping the future of beauty—one that is more personalized, responsible, and forward-thinking.
