L’Oréal was founded by Eugène Schueller, a chemist, in 1907. Our commitment to
science go back to the very beginnings of the company.
Today we draw our expertise of some 3,100 R&D employees of 61 different nationalities
working in 14 research centers on 3 continents.
L'Oréal dedicated €496 million ($625 million) to cosmetic and dermatological research in
2005 investing more than 3% percent of sales each year in Research and Development
- 1/3 of investment goes to basic research
- 120 molecules have been developed over the last 40 years (among them the Mexoryl™ SX for sun protection and the Ceramide R rebuilding strong hair fibers); 4,000 formulas are developed each year,
- 529 patents were filed in 2005
- 35,000 patents are active worldwide
- 100 active cooperation agreements with leading academic and research institutions
- L'Oréal USA's R&D facilities represent the largest laboratory facilities outside of Paris, with over 400 scientists.
- Two state-of-the-art development labs: in Clark, NJ and Chicago, IL
- Four Consumer Evaluation Centers: in Clark, NJ, New York, NY, Solon, OH, Chicago Illinois.
- At the Clark, NJ facility researchers are breaking new ground in color cosmetics, hair care, skincare, sun care, and fragrance development
- Established in 2000, The L'Oréal Institute for Ethnic Hair & Skin Research in Chicago is the first and only research facility operated by a beauty company whose sole mission is to conduct and support basic science research to better understand the unique properties of the hair and skin of people of African descent.
For more information on Research and Development at L'Oréal, please visit the following websites:
