Where science brings vitality to life
There's a big idea driving all our product development. We call it 'vitality' – a word that sums up the difference we aim to make to people's lives.
Enjoying life to the full
This is focusing us more than ever on helping people enjoy life to the full – with products that make them look good and feel great.
So when it comes to Research & Development (R&D), our scientists are constantly exploring and developing new 'vitality' innovations in nutrition, hygiene and personal care. Their goal is to help create products that enable people to live their lives the way they want – however their tastes, lifestyles and aspirations vary.
Vital questions
As we spend over €1bn a year on R&D, our scientists have the resources – as well as the knowledge and imagination – to equip them for the task. Working with some of the world’s leading academic institutions, they explore many fascinating issues. What makes food taste the way it does? What attracts people visually to food? What will the raw materials of the future be? And how can good nutrition help safeguard the health of our children?
Real consumer benefits
We have projects examining these and many other issues. And each is focused sharply on science that we can translate into products with real benefits for consumers.
This obsession with consumer benefits underpins everything we do in R&D. And with R&D operations across the globe, we can respond fast to evolving consumer needs, tastes and trends in different parts of the world.
Our R&D environment attracts world-class scientists. And as well as being experts in their field, our people have to be knowledgeable about our brands. They have to know what people expect from our brands and the specific benefits and sensations that the brands they work with promise to deliver.
Take Dove for instance. Dove aims to help people take care of themselves – it helps you feel good on the inside because your skin and hair feel clean, healthy and beautiful on the outside. So our scientists look at how we can formulate products with benefits that stimulate those feelings.
The food factors
Our food scientists face similar challenges. They not only have to understand people's tastes, they have to have a clear insight into changing lifestyles in order to create products that meet a range of needs - from convenience, to health, to pleasure, to affordability. They then have to create exciting new food innovations that fulfil our brands' promises. For example, Flora pro-acticv reduces the absorption of cholesterol.
The common thread running through all our R&D activities is this direct connection between science and consumer need. So no matter what our researchers are looking at they're always asking how consumers will benefit. And it's this focus that puts R&D squarely at the heart of our business.
