L'Oréal Groupe today announced the opening of a new North America Research & Innovation (R&I) Center located in Clark, New Jersey. The $160 million facility spans nearly 250,000 square feet scientific research center is the company's largest outside of France, where the company is based.

The center is a significant, long-term investment in the U.S. and will complement L'Oréal's R&I hubs in France, Brazil, South Africa, India, China, and Japan. The facility employs more than 600 scientists, engineers, and researchers working across product innovation, development and testing to develop new beauty products.

The news is a bright spot for a beauty industry that, in Fall 2024, saw Estee Lauder, L'Oréal's top competitor, announce some 3,000 job cuts following declining sales.

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L'Oréal's new center partners with U.S. academics, biotech companies, and startups to discover, invent and scale-up new ingredients, and new product offerings that are more sustainable, inclusive and personalized.

The R&I Center includes a 26,000-square-foot modular laboratory, a consumer center for product testing, and an on-site mini factory to scale final formulations before full-scale production.

The building features 10,000 solar panels that meet 70% of the facility's energy needs, an eco-retention pond for stormwater management, and employee-led gardening and composting initiatives.

The R&I Center broke ground in 2022 and started hiring in mid-2023. Full operations began this month.

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