China: Henkel opens Asia R&D centre

Henkel, the Germany-based personal and household care giant, has officially inaugurated a new research & development (R&D) centre in Shanghai, China to serve the Asian market.

The facility will draw on insights from 11 markets and aims to facilitate flexible product innovation for brands such as Schwarzkopf and Syoss.

Covering an area of more than 2,500 sq m, the hub includes functions such as consumer insights, technology research, product formulation development, packaging design, physicochemical analysis and product performance evaluation.

Commenting on the move, David Tung, regional president of Henkel Consumer Brands Asia, said: “This investment represents a pivotal milestone as the first Asia-based R&D center supporting product development and ingredient formulation for both business categories. Leveraging unique research synergies, the center is set to shape our portfolio for higher growth, adding substantial value to the Asian market and propelling Henkel Consumer Brands to new heights”.

The company said the centre would help it better observe Chinese consumers and their unique focuses and needs, noting that Asians are “highly concerned” about scalp care, and are increasingly adopting a “skincare approach” to scalp treatment.

Source: Henkel / China Daily