L’Oréal Completes $160M Research Center

More than two years after breaking ground, L’Oréal Groupe has completed its nearly 250,000-square-foot scientific research center in Clark, N.J., and has begun full operations at the Union County property. The $160 million facility is L’Oréal’s largest outside of France and biggest investment in a R&I center.

L’Oréal started work on the project at 30 Terminal Ave. in September 2022 and began welcoming some employees in mid-2023. It replaces the company’s existing facilities in the New Jersey area.

The center features a 26,000-square-foot modular laboratory and a consumer center for product testing and co-creation that will accommodate up to 400 consumers daily. The property also has a mini-factory to scale final formulations before full-scale production.

Sustainability highlights include 10,000 solar panels, which meet 70 percent of the center’s energy needs, an eco-retention pond for stormwater management and employee-led gardening and composting initiatives that create a green workspace.

Flagship R&I center

The facility, now considered the flagship in L’Oréal’s global scientific research ecosystem, will employ more than 600 scientists, engineers and researchers. The team at the center, which complements R&I hubs in France, Brazil, South Africa, India, China and Japan, will be working across product innovation, development and testing to develop high-quality and safe beauty products, including hair, skin and makeup.

L’Oréal USA, the largest subsidiary of L’Oréal Groupe, is headquartered in New York City. It employs more than 12,000 people and operates administrative, research, manufacturing and distribution facilities across 16 states. In April 2021, L’Oréal USA opened a second company headquarters in El Segundo, Calif., in the Los Angeles area.

New Jersey growth

Revlon, another global personal care product company, is also moving its science and innovation lab within New Jersey. In November, Revlon leased 62,000 square feet at The Northeast Science and Technology Center, a 100-acre campus in Kenilworth, N.J., dedicated to research and development innovations. The firm was the first tenant there since pharma giant Merck left.

With more than 12 million square feet of space, New Jersey is one of the top 10 life science clusters in the U.S., as ranked by JLL. Of the top 20 pharma companies, 14 are located in New Jersey and eight of the top R&D companies are also in the state, according to Newmark’s third-quarter life science market report for Northern New Jersey.

In January, global oncology company BeiGene completed its $800 million manufacturing and clinical development center in Hopewell, N.J. The campus marked one of the largest recent investments in biopharmaceutical manufacturing in the U.S.