Research & Development

The Science in Beauty

Our multidisciplinary expertise includes basic science and advanced technologies; the intersections of physics, chemistry, biology and engineering; and state-of-the-art technology and how products are manufactured. Thus we enable all brands to benefit from the latest scientific breakthroughs, while ensuring the highest safety, quality and performance standards. We have approximately 800 employees engaged in research and development activities in the following areas:

A Global Network

With technical laboratories around the world, and creative and trend labs in Korea, California and other locations, we access the scientific and cultural strengths of each region — leveraging novel ideas from thought leaders, universities and innovators. Our multicultural teams bring varied problem-solving approaches to their work. This diversity of thinking is critical in developing locally relevant products and experiences for the most discerning consumers, regardless of age, ethnicity, culture or geography.

Centers of Excellence

By design, the global footprint of our R&D and innovation sites is built on category expertise and key regional presence. Whether it’s makeup formulation in Markham, Canada, the birthplace of M·A·C, biotechnology in Melville, New York, skin care development in Shanghai, China, package innovations in New York City or natural organic products for Aveda in Blaine, Minnesota, we leverage our deep institutional knowledge and expertise throughout the organization.

“Our R&D organization continually evolves to be the most agile, effective and efficient in our industry — from patents to products, ideas to innovation, benefits to brands, local to global,” says Carl Haney, Executive Vice President, Global Research and Development, Corporate Product Innovation, Package Development. “We are always building internal and external capabilities to deliver superior quality products that consumers love — with improved innovation success rate, value creation and speed to market. We want to deliver breakthrough products that benefit the consumer in the near term and over time and continue to invent the unexpected.”

We are broadening our capabilities through scientific and technology partnering with universities and institutes — which grants us access to areas of science that are developing at logarithmic speeds, such as genomics and the microbiome. Growing these relationships with universities is part of our R&D strategy. Partnering directly with academia and fast-moving research is critically important, because science and technology are accelerating.