Lucy Pilgrim is an in-house writer for North America Outlook Magazine, where she is responsible for interviewing corporate executives and crafting original features for the magazine,...
- Deputy Head of Editorial
Share
Unilever has announced an investment of $270 million for a digital-first, artificial intelligence-powered R&D facility in North America. The global innovation center will advance growth and discovery for the organization’s beauty, well-being, and personal care Power Brands.
Unilever is reinforcing its long-term commitment to innovation in the US with plans to establish a new $270 million Global Innovation Center in New Haven, Connecticut.
Scheduled to open in spring 2029, the facility will serve as a major R&D hub for the company’s beauty, well-being, and personal care businesses. The center forms part of Unilever’s broader strategy to accelerate growth in high-performing categories while strengthening its presence in key global markets.
Designed as a digital-first and artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled campus, the center will bring together scientific expertise, advanced technologies, and consumer insights under one roof. Unilever believes the investment will enhance collaboration across teams and support faster product innovation cycles.
The move represents one of the company’s largest US R&D investments in recent decades and reflects the increasing strategic importance of the North American market to its long-term growth ambitions.
DRIVING NEXT-GENERATION DEVELOPMENT
Located within New Haven’s expanding biosciences and technology ecosystem, the facility will focus on advancing product innovation across skin care, cleansing, and well-being categories.
According to Unilever, the center will utilize AI and emerging quantum computing capabilities to accelerate scientific discovery and support the development of new materials and formulations. The company expects these technologies to help streamline innovation processes and improve responsiveness to changing consumer demands.
The site will also include a dedicated “human performance lab” for on-site testing of ingestible products, further strengthening the company’s research capabilities in the well-being sector.
Approximately 300 employees are expected to work at the facility, with many relocating from Unilever’s existing R&D site in Trumbull, Connecticut. Additional hiring is also anticipated as the project progresses.
By bringing together marketing, technology, and scientific teams in one location, Unilever aims to create a more agile innovation environment capable of moving products from concept to market more efficiently.
STRENGTHENING GLOBAL GROWTH
Herrish Patel, President of Unilever USA, emphasized the strategic significance of the investment and the company’s growing focus on the US market.
“This new centre is where we’ll innovate at the intersection of science, technology and culture. As the US becomes a centre of gravity for Unilever, we’re harnessing the best of American innovation to match our growth ambition here in the US and around the world.”
The company believes the new center will help position it more effectively within rapidly evolving consumer sectors, particularly as trends increasingly emerge and spread through digital and social media channels.
“If something’s trending on social, we can make a dash to New Haven and figure out how we can quickly put something out there,” Patel added.
The investment also reflects Unilever’s ongoing transformation into a more focused beauty, wellbeing, and personal care business, following a number of portfolio changes in recent years.
As consumer expectations continue to evolve, the company sees innovation, speed, and technology integration as critical to maintaining competitiveness in the global marketplace.
“Behind every Unilever product is world-leading science designed to deliver superior performance, combined with design, fragrance and sensory experiences that make our brands stand out,” says Richard Slater, Unilever Chief R&D Officer.
“The centre will bring these capabilities together to create products that are developed in the US and built to scale globally. The step change here is integration and speed: science, design and sensorials working as one, with AI accelerating every stage of the cycle.”
The investment supports Unilever’s strategy to become a more focused beauty, personal care, and well-being company, leveraging shared capabilities in science-led innovation, demand creation, and operational execution.
This article was produced by the editorial team at North America Outlook and published as part of the Outlook Publishing global network of B2B industry magazines.
Outlook Publishing delivers industry insights, company stories, and sector coverage across manufacturing, mining, construction, healthcare, supply chains, food production, and sustainability.
North America Outlook provides ongoing coverage of organisations and developments shaping industries across North America.
Lucy Pilgrim is an in-house writer for North America Outlook Magazine, where she is responsible for interviewing corporate executives and crafting original features for the magazine, corporate brochures, and the digital platform.
