On May 28, 2026, Unilever unveiled its plans to develop a new Global Innovation Center in New Haven, Connecticut. The new center, set to open in the spring of 2029, will be a hub for the company’s research and development in its personal care, beauty and well-being businesses.
According to the company’s press release, the new innovation center will be a digital-first and AI-powered facility to deliver deeper consumer insights and drive scientific innovation. The facility will include end-to-end integration of the R&D process, including formulation, fragrance creation and packaging design. Further, the new center is located in the heart of New Haven’s biosciences ecosystem, giving access to dozens of world-class universities and hundreds of companies.
“Our Global Innovation Center is where we’ll innovate at the intersection of science, technology and culture — for the US and for the world,” said Herrish Patel, president of Unilever USA and chief executive officer of the company’s North American personal care division. “We will build on our deep heritage of innovation to develop the next generation of brands and products that people love. As part of Unilever’s global network of innovation hubs, the center will connect closely with our other leading locations worldwide, sharing technology, insights and breakthrough ideas to accelerate innovation at scale. As the US becomes a center of gravity for Unilever, we’re harnessing the best American innovation to match our growth ambition here in the US and around the world.”
The $270 million center will house specific capabilities, including a global center for skin care and cleansing, a polycultural skin and hair center of excellence, a human performance lab, Unilever’s fragrance house and a packaging innovation studio.
“Behind every Unilever product is world-leading science that delivers superior performance, combined with design, fragrance and sensory experiences that make our brands distinctive,” said Richard Slater, chief research and development officer. “Our new Global Innovation Center will bring these capabilities together to develop new, category-defining innovations in the US and scale globally. The real shift here is in integration and speed: science, design and sensorial working as one, with AI and partnerships accelerating every stage of innovation.”
