Unilever, the UK-based consumer goods company, is opening a new fragrance hub in Mumbai, India, to strengthen its global network of fragrance innovation capabilities across key growth markets. The new 200 sq m facility, known as the Unilever Fragrance House (UFH) hub, is located at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Powai.
The centre features fully integrated fragrance creation, application and evaluation spaces, which combine proprietary creation software, advanced compounding technologies and real-time evaluation data capture. Teams of experts will utilise neuroscience techniques to understand how fragrances impact emotional wellbeing, such as a person’s mood or confidence, while using artificial intelligence (AI), digital modelling, robotics and real-time data analytics to speed up fragrance development.
The opening represents the latest milestone in the company’s €100 million ($107 million) global investment to advance its in-house, digitally enabled fragrance capabilities. According to Unilever, the hub will bring fragrance design closer to one of the world’s fastest-growing consumer markets, driving product desirability and supporting premiumisation across its portfolio.
Vivek Sirohi, head of Unilever Fragrance House in India, said: “The inauguration of the Unilever Fragrance Hub in Mumbai reflects our continued investment in cutting-edge capabilities that bring together science, technology and deep consumer insights. It enables faster local response, deeper market understanding, improved self-reliance in application and evaluation, and a greater ability to design fragrances from the product and consumer context outward”.
Vibhav Sanzgiri, chief R&D Officer, Hindustan Unilever Limited, added: “This new capability helps us stay closer to our consumers, move faster from insight to innovation and create fragrances that make our brands more distinctive, desirable and relevant”.
Recently, Unilever also announced plans for a new Global Innovation Center in Conneticut, USA.
Source: Unilever
