Unilever invests USD 270M in new innovation hub in Connecticut
The facility will connect closely with Unilever’s other global innovation hubs, sharing technology, insights, and breakthrough ideas at scale, and develop category-defining innovations in the U.S. that can be scaled globally.
USA – Unilever has announced a transformative USD 270 million investment to construct a new Global Innovation Centre in New Haven, Connecticut, which is scheduled to open by spring 2029.
This AI-powered facility will serve as the primary research and development hub for Unilever’s personal care, beauty, and wellbeing businesses, serving both the U.S. market and consumers worldwide.
The investment, which includes USD 50 million in capital expenditure and brings total public and private funding to over USD 300 million, deepens Unilever’s nearly USD 15 billion investment in the U.S. market over the past decade.
Richard Slater, Unilever Chief Research & Development Officer, said, “Our new Global Innovation Centre will bring these capabilities together to develop new, category-defining innovations in the U.S. and scale globally.”
“The real shift here is integration and speed: science, design and sensorials working as one, with AI and partnerships accelerating every stage of innovation.”
The Global Innovation Centre will house five distinct, world-class capabilities that work in integrated harmony.
The Global Centre for Skin Care and Cleansing anchors the site with advanced capabilities to power Unilever’s future skin care and cleansing business.
The Polycultural Skin and Hair Centre of Excellence develops ingredients and products that address the unmet needs of millions of diverse consumers worldwide.
The Human Performance Lab generates new data on human physiology, enables on-site testing of ingestibles, and accelerates the growth of wellbeing brands.
The Unilever Fragrance House brings together perfumists, chemists, and packaging designers to collaborate from the earliest stages of development, placing fragrance at the heart of the sensory experience.
Meanwhile, the Packaging Innovation Studio uses real-time consumer feedback to accelerate prototype development for both physical and digital shelves.
According to Unilever, they chose New Haven because it sits within one of the world’s leading bioscience, technology, and research ecosystems, with access to dozens of world-class universities, including Yale University, hundreds of companies in the biosciences cluster, and some of the brightest scientific minds globally.
This strategic location enhances Unilever’s expertise in skin biology, the microbiome, and the skin-brain axis, enabling scientists to use cutting-edge neuroscience to connect sensory attributes such as texture, fragrance, and bioactives with emotional, behavioural, and wellness responses.
This facility represents a long-term commitment to the future of Unilever’s R&D and science-led innovation across beauty, wellbeing, and personal care, building on the expertise of U.S. R&D teams already shaping innovation across major global brands, including Dove, Vaseline, and Liquid I.V.
The centre is set to employ approximately 300 people and replace Unilever’s existing R&D site in Trumbull, Connecticut, which has been operational since 1972, marking the next chapter in the company’s decades-long partnership with Connecticut’s scientific community.
The facility is designed as a digital-first, AI-powered innovation hub that integrates cutting-edge science with emerging quantum computing capabilities.
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