On February 27, L’Oréal Groupe announced the official opening of its North America Research & Innovation (R&I) Center in Clark, New Jersey, following a $160 million investment. Spanning approximately 250,000 square feet (23,000㎡), this state-of-the-art facility is now L’Oréal’s largest R&I hub outside of France, reinforcing the company’s commitment to innovation in the global beauty industry.
A New Research Hub Shaping the Future of Beauty
This new research hub will play a comprehensive role in the entire product development process, from early-stage research on new ingredients to formulation development and scaling up for mass production. Additionally, it will serve as a key innovation center supporting L’Oréal’s U.S. brands, including Maybelline, CeraVe, Redken, and Kiehl’s.
The facility includes a 26,000-square-foot (2,400㎡) modular laboratory, designed to enhance flexibility in research and experimentation. It also houses a consumer center capable of accommodating up to 400 participants, where product testing and co-creation take place to ensure that innovations align with diverse consumer needs. Furthermore, the site features an on-site mini factory, enabling pre-production prototyping before full-scale manufacturing, ensuring greater precision in product development and accelerating time-to-market. With these advanced capabilities, L’Oréal continues to push the boundaries of beauty innovation, reinforcing its leadership in the industry.
Barbara Lavernos, Deputy CEO of L’Oréal Groupe, emphasized the significance of the center in L’Oréal’s global R&I strategy, stating, “The U.S. 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. 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.”
David Greenberg, CEO of L’Oréal USA, also highlighted the company’s long-term commitment to the U.S. market, stating, “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.”
A Next-Generation Research Facility Driven by Sustainability
L’Oréal is not only aiming to establish a sustainable business model through this center but is also positioning itself to lead industry-wide transformation in sustainability.
Aligned with the company’s “L’Oréal for the Future” sustainability vision, the center has been designed with a strong focus on minimizing environmental impact. Approximately 70% of the facility’s energy needs are met by 10,000 solar panels, significantly reducing CO₂ emissions. Additionally, the center features an eco-retention pond to enhance sustainable water resource management. To further support environmental responsibility, employee-led gardening and composting initiatives have been introduced, fostering a work environment that is harmonized with nature.
The North America Research & Innovation (R&I) Center broke ground in 2022 and began welcoming employees in mid-2023. As of February 2025, it has become fully operational, positioning itself at the forefront of L’Oréal’s next-generation beauty innovation.
With sustainability and innovation at its core, L’Oréal is committed to leading the future of the beauty industry while strengthening its ability to anticipate and meet the evolving needs of consumers worldwide.
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