L’Oréal’s nearly 250,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art scientific research center in Clark is more than just the company’s largest facility outside of France – it is a significant milestone in the company’s 70-year history in the U.S., one that reaffirms its economic and workforce commitment in the market, company officials said Thursday.
Barbara Lavernos, Deputy CEO of L’Oréal Groupe, in charge of research, innovation and technology, said the $160 million investment shows the company’s commitment to the Garden State and beyond.
“The U.S. plays a defining role in shaping the future of beauty,” she said. “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.”
As part of L’Oréal’s global R&I ecosystem, the center complements R&I hubs in France, Brazil, South Africa, India, China, and Japan and represents a significant, long-term investment in the U.S. and local market economy and workforce.
The R&I Center employs more than 600 highly skilled scientists, engineers, and researchers working across product innovation, development and testing to develop relevant, high-quality and safe beauty products.
The Center actively partners with leading academics, biotech companies and startups in the U.S. to discover, invent and scale-up new ingredients, new product offerings, and breakthrough innovations that are more sustainable, inclusive and personalized, tailored to varying consumer needs, skin tones, hair types and textures, and beauty expressions and aspirations.
Gov. Phil Murphy obviously was thrilled.
“I am excited that L’Oréal has chosen to continue investing in the future of New Jersey and is cementing the company’s presence in the Garden State with today’s grand opening — creating jobs that will boost our state’s economy,” he said – before making a sales pitch.
“New Jersey is a prime location for businesses seeking leading talent that will help them remain on the forefront of innovation.”
The North America R&I Center will continue to play a pivotal role in sustaining and growing L’Oréal’s portfolio of iconic American brands such as Maybelline, CeraVe, Redken and Kiehl’s, reinforcing the company’s long-standing presence in the U.S. market. Notable features include a 26,000-square-foot modular laboratory, a consumer center for product testing and co-creation (accommodating up to 400 consumers daily), and an on-site mini factory to scale final formulations before full-scale production.
“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,” David Greenberg, CEO of L’Oréal USA and President of the North America Zones, said. “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.”
In keeping with the company’s ‘L’Oréal for the Future’ sustainability commitments, environmental responsibility is a core element of the new R&I Center’s design. 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.
The North America R&I Center broke ground in 2022 and began welcoming employees in mid-2023. Full operations will commence in February 2025.
