Unilever to Build Advanced R&D Centre in New Haven Focused on Science-Led Beauty and Wellbeing Innovation

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(IN BRIEF) Unilever plans to invest $270 million in a new Global Innovation Centre in New Haven, Connecticut, scheduled to open by spring 2029. The facility will become a major R&D hub for the company’s personal care, beauty and wellbeing businesses in the U.S. and globally, replacing Unilever’s existing R&D site in Trumbull, Connecticut, which has operated since 1972. The centre will bring together formulation, fragrance, packaging, consumer insight, product testing and advanced scientific capabilities in one integrated location, helping Unilever accelerate product development and scale innovation more quickly. It will use AI and emerging quantum capabilities while drawing on New Haven’s strong biosciences ecosystem to advance work in skin biology, the microbiome, neuroscience, sensory science and wellbeing. Around 300 employees will work at the centre, which will include specialist facilities such as a global skin care and cleansing centre, a polycultural skin and hair centre of excellence, a human performance lab, the Unilever Fragrance House and a packaging innovation studio. The project builds on nearly $15 billion invested by Unilever in the U.S. over the past decade and supports the company’s strategy to become a more focused personal care, beauty and wellbeing business.

(PRESS RELEASE) LONDON, 29-May-2026 — /EuropaWire/ — Unilever has announced plans to invest $270 million in the development of a new Global Innovation Centre in New Haven, Connecticut, as part of its wider strategy to strengthen research and development across personal care, beauty and wellbeing. Scheduled to open by spring 2029, the facility will serve as a major hub for Unilever’s innovation work in the United States and globally, supporting the creation of next-generation products across some of the company’s most important consumer categories.

The new centre will deepen Unilever’s long-term investment in the U.S. market, where the company has invested nearly $15 billion over the past decade through acquisitions and capital projects. The New Haven project will include $50 million in capital expenditure, with total public and private investment linked to the centre expected to exceed $300 million. Around 300 employees will work at the site once it becomes operational.

The facility will succeed Unilever’s existing R&D operation in Trumbull, Connecticut, which has been active since 1972. The move marks a new stage in Unilever’s relationship with Connecticut and places the company’s U.S. innovation capabilities within one of the world’s fastest-growing biosciences clusters. New Haven’s access to universities, technology partners, emerging scientific talent and consumers is expected to strengthen Unilever’s ability to connect science, technology and culture in product development.

Designed as a digital-first and AI-powered R&D centre, the facility will bring together a wide range of research and innovation capabilities under one roof. These will include formulation, fragrance creation, packaging design, consumer insights and advanced product testing. By integrating each stage of the innovation process in one location, Unilever aims to shorten development timelines, improve collaboration and scale new products more quickly across global markets.

The centre is expected to support Unilever’s ambition to become a more focused personal care, beauty and wellbeing company. Its capabilities will help advance the science behind product performance while strengthening the aesthetic, sensory and emotional qualities that make brands distinctive. Unilever said the site will support innovation across brands that reach 95% of U.S. households and 3.7 billion people worldwide every day.

Advanced technologies will play a central role in the new facility. The centre will use AI to accelerate product development and is expected to benefit over time from emerging quantum capabilities supported by investment in Connecticut’s innovation ecosystem. Unilever said these tools could help speed up advanced materials discovery and create new opportunities for products that combine science-led performance with stronger consumer appeal.

The New Haven centre will also draw on the region’s bioscience strengths to deepen Unilever’s research in areas such as skin biology, the microbiome and the skin-brain axis. By combining neuroscience, sensory science and consumer insight, Unilever plans to explore how elements such as texture, fragrance and bioactives influence emotional, behavioural and wellness responses.

Several specialist capabilities will be housed at the centre. These include a global centre for skin care and cleansing, which will help drive the future of Unilever’s skin care and cleansing business, and a polycultural skin and hair centre of excellence focused on developing ingredients and products for underserved consumer needs. The site will also include a human performance lab to generate new data on physiology and support testing for ingestibles and wellbeing products.

Additional facilities will include the Unilever Fragrance House, where perfumists, chemists and packaging designers will collaborate from the earliest stages of product development, and a packaging innovation studio designed to use real-time consumer feedback to improve prototypes for both physical and digital retail environments.

Herrish Patel, President of Unilever USA and CEO of Personal Care North America, said New Haven will help the company reach the future faster by creating a place where science, technology and culture can come together for both the U.S. and global markets. He said the centre will connect with Unilever’s wider global network of innovation hubs, allowing teams to share technologies, insights and ideas at scale while strengthening the company’s growth ambitions in the United States and internationally.

Richard Slater, Unilever Chief Research & Development Officer, said the new facility will bring together the science, design, fragrance and sensory capabilities that sit behind Unilever’s products. He described the main shift as one of integration and speed, with AI and partnerships helping accelerate every stage of innovation.

Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont welcomed the investment, saying Unilever’s decision reinforces the state’s reputation as a global centre for innovation, research and discovery. He said the new facility will support New Haven’s growing technology and bioscience ecosystem while strengthening Connecticut’s wider innovation economy.

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SOURCE: Unilever