THE WHAT? Unilever has announced a €35 million investment to expand its research and development facilities in Mumbai and Bangalore, strengthening its global capabilities in cosmetics innovation, biotechnology, artificial intelligence and advanced manufacturing.
THE DETAILS The investment builds on more than €20 million spent over the past five years developing Unilever’s Indian R&D infrastructure. The Mumbai facility will become an integrated Product Innovation Centre, combining formulation science, fragrance development, packaging design, rapid prototyping and manufacturing scale-up. Bangalore will expand its role as a global science and technology hub, including a €5 million Bio-Futures Partnership focused on microbiome science, biotechnology and biomanufacturing. Both facilities will incorporate AI, predictive modelling, automated experimentation and digital twins to accelerate product development across Unilever’s Beauty & Wellbeing, Personal Care and Home Care businesses.
THE WHY? The investment highlights India’s growing strategic importance as a global research and innovation hub for the cosmetics and personal care industry. By integrating advanced scientific capabilities with digital technology and manufacturing expertise, Unilever aims to shorten product development cycles, strengthen formulation innovation and improve its ability to scale new technologies across international markets.
Source: Unilever
