5 June, 2026 15:41:36 IST 
Global FMCG giant, Unilever’s Indian arm, Hindustan Unilever Ltd. (HUL), has inaugurated a new ‘Unilever Fragrance House (UFH) hub at the IIT-Bombay campus in Mumbai, bringing fragrance design, development and evaluation closer to one of the world’s fastest-growing consumer markets.
The facility is the third global hub in Unilever’s global fragrance innovation network following the UK and US, and represents the latest investment under Unilever’s overall €100-mn programme to advance in-house, digitally enabled fragrance creation capabilities. The 200-sq-metre lab integrates proprietary creation software, real-time evaluation data capture and advanced compounding technologies, enabling end-to-end fragrance design, testing and refinement.
Fragrance plays a critical role in elevating the consumer experience and performance of everyday products from shampoos and body washes to deodorants and laundry detergents. As per Unilever, fragrances are a proven driver of product desirability, preference and repeat purchase.
Teams at the hub will deploy AI, digital modelling, robotics and neuroscience techniques to understand how fragrances affect consumer mood and confidence, and to accelerate development cycles. Colocation at IIT-Bombay is also expected to yield academic collaborations in science, technology and digital-first innovation.
“Fragrance is one of the most powerful ways we create desire for our brands. The new India hub strengthens our ability to combine science, creativity and digital technology to create fragrances that are locally relevant, globally scalable and developed faster than ever before,” said Ms. Jane Maciver, incoming Head of Unilever Fragrance House.
“The new lab reinforces India’s role not only as a priority high-growth market but also as a global centre of R&D excellence, enabling Unilever to create sensorially superior products for both local and global audiences,” a press note released on the occasion stated.
The new centre will allow Unilever teams to develop and evaluate fragrances faster, helping bring new products to market in response to changing consumer preferences. It will enable fragrance, formulation and consumer insight to be developed in partnership, helping create products that are “more distinctive, desirable and memorable to consumers”.
“While strategic partnerships with external fragrance houses remain critical, in-house capabilities boost agility and speed, as well as giving us greater control over design, performance and distinctiveness. It also enables us to integrate technologies and know-how in ways that simply weren’t possible before,” the company said.
“This marks a major step forward in our ambition to build a world-class in-house creation capability - strengthening our global footprint while bringing creation, application, and evaluation closer to one of our most important markets,” noted Mr. Mathieu Lenoir, Global Creative Director for Fragrance and Master Perfumer at Unilever.
The India hub will also collaborate with Unilever’s other fragrance centres globally.
“India is one of the most exciting growth markets in the world, with rapidly evolving consumer tastes and growing demand for premium fragrance experiences,” said Mr. Vibhav Sanzgiri, Chief R&D Officer, India. “This new capability helps us stay closer to our consumers, move faster from insight to innovation and create fragrances that make our brands more distinctive, desirable and relevant.”
