The Estée Lauder Companies Inc. (ELC) has announced the opening of the Estée Lauder Companies Asia Innovation Center, located in Shanghai, China. This new facility expands the company’s existing research capabilities, reinforcing its strong commitment to local consumers by developing products tailored to the specific needs of Chinese and Asian skin. The new center will explore the genetic basis for differences in the response of human skin to environmental stressors and study the safety and efficacy of topical botanical and synthetic materials.

“Chinese consumers have very high standards regarding their skin care and serve as an inspiration to us in developing world-class products specifically tailored to Chinese and Asian skin,” says Fabrizio Freda, ELC president and chief executive officer. “We are bringing to China the best technologies from the U.S. and combining them with top Chinese scientists and researchers. Through this collaboration, we are gaining critical consumer insights in China, closest to the most demanding consumers who have the highest expectations for beautiful skin and sophisticated, innovative skin care regimes. As a result, we will be able to create even better products for consumers in China and around the world.”

The company first entered China in 1993 and successfully opened its first research lab in 2005. Since that time, the Estée Lauder Companies has been committed to serving consumers in this region by investing resources in research and development, consumer insights and branding capabilities.

“Skin care represents two-thirds of prestige beauty in China. To have a facility right in the heart of this very important region – a region particularly focused on high-performance products and safety – will drive our creativity on all levels,” says Carol Shen, ELC Asia Pacific general manager. “We are committed to our efforts in China and believe the region will continue to be a major growth opportunity for the Company as well as providing world-class products to Chinese consumers.”

In addition to scientific and consumer research, the Estée Lauder Companies Asia Innovation Center will focus on the company’s Green Chemistry program, which is the design and implementation of innovative processes to make products more environmentally sustainable. The program examines the full life cycle of a product, from conception to end-user and beyond. The company’s Green Chemistry program includes applying sustainable practices such as energy conservation, recyclable packaging, waste reduction and limiting the amount of ingredients in product formulations.

“Our Green Chemistry program is truly a pioneer within the industry. We are continually finding new ways to embed the principles of Green Chemistry in our global manufacturing and product innovation. Our best-in-class scientists and researchers in China are using the most advanced technologies developed from our team in the U.S. to create highly innovative and effective products for our consumers,” states Harvey Gedeon, executive VP of R&D.