Global specialty chemical company Ashland has set up a technical research and development center Mumbai to support producers of personal and home care products in India and southeast Asia.
The facility will focus on bringing new personal and home care innovations to market and providing technical support that may be required to meet consumers’ rising expectations for higher-performing products in these regions, the company said. “With 15 per cent year-on-year growth in personal care expenditures, India is a market that increasingly requires the formulating expertise of our technical team.
“This center reflects our vision of aligning our R&D resources to support our customers’ innovation in personal and home care in this emerging market,” John Panichella, Group operating officer said. The facility is expected to cater to clients such as Hindustan Unilever, Procter & Gamble, Colgate Palmolive, L’Oreal, Godrej Consumer Products, Emami, Dabur India, Cavin Kare, Himalaya and Marico Industries. “In addition, the technical team here will also provide preservative efficacy studies and general formulation support upon request. The center will also serve as headquarters for key account managers in India and as a base of operations for distributor training and technical seminars,” Panichella said.
This facility has dedicated formulation laboratories to hair, skin, oral and home care, controlled environment laboratories for measurement science to support claims substantiation and a microbiology laboratory for preservative optimization and micro challenge test
