The India facility is the third global hub and represents the latest investment under Unilever’s overall programme to advance in-house, digitally enabled fragrance creation capabilities
Marking a key step in Unilever’s global innovation journey and reinforcing India’s role as a key growth market and research and development hub, Hindustan Unilever or HUL has set up a new Unilever Fragrance Hub (UFH) in Mumbai.
The hub, set up at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay campus, combines consumer insight, advanced science and AI to accelerate innovation, enhance product experience and support premiumisation across categories, the company said in an exchange filing.
“India is one of Unilever’s most important growth markets and a critical engine of innovation for our global business. 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,” stated Vivek Sirohi, Head, Unilever Fragrance House.
Unilever’s Focus On Fragrance Creation Capabilities
The India facility is the third global hub, following the United Kingdom and United States and represents the latest investment under Unilever’s overall 100 million Euro programme to advance in-house, digitally enabled fragrance creation capabilities.
The company says that the colocation at IIT creates opportunities to collaborate with academia, particularly in areas of science and technology, data and digital-first fragrance innovation.
“Fragrance plays a critical role in elevating the consumer experience and performance of everyday products, from shampoos and body washes to deodorants and laundry detergents. The India lab is a fully integrated fragrance creation, application and evaluation facility, combining proprietary creation software, real-time evaluation data capture and advanced compounding technologies,” stated Vibhav Sanzgiri, Executive Director, R&D, Hindustan Unilever.
The company added that fragrance is an increasingly important driver of product desirability, premiumisation and brand preference across many of Unilever’s categories. Noting that India’s expanding consumption base offers rich and diverse insights, HUL added that the Mumbai hub will harness these insights to design fragrances that can scale globally and drive growth.
