Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) has inaugurated its new Unilever Fragrance Hub (UFH) in Mumbai, marking a significant milestone in its global innovation strategy. This third global hub, co-located at IIT Bombay, will leverage consumer insights, advanced science, and AI to accelerate fragrance innovation. The initiative underscores HUL’s commitment to India as a key growth market and a center for R&D excellence, aiming to enhance product desirability and drive growth.
HUL Inaugurates World-Class Fragrance Hub in India
Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) announced on June 2, 2026, the inauguration of its new Unilever Fragrance Hub (UFH) in Mumbai. This development represents a significant milestone in Unilever’s global innovation journey and reinforces India’s position as a crucial growth market and R&D hub. The UFH is the third such global facility, following those in the UK and US, and is part of Unilever’s broader €100 million investment program aimed at advancing in-house, digitally enabled fragrance creation capabilities.
Strategic Location and Capabilities
The new hub is strategically set up at the IIT Bombay campus. It integrates consumer insight, advanced science, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to expedite innovation, improve product experiences, and support premiumization across various categories. The colocation with IIT Bombay is expected to foster collaboration with academia, particularly in scientific and technological advancements, data analytics, and digital-first fragrance innovation. Fragrance is identified as a critical driver for product desirability, premiumization, and brand preference across HUL’s diverse product portfolio.
Driving Innovation and Market Understanding
Vivek Sirohi, Head of Unilever Fragrance House, highlighted India as one of Unilever’s most important growth markets and a vital engine for global innovation. He stated, “The inauguration of the Unilever Fragrance Hub in Mumbai reflects our continued investment in cutting-edge capabilities that bring together science, technology and deep consumer insights.” He further emphasized that the hub enables faster local response, deeper market understanding, and improved self-reliance in application and evaluation, allowing for better design of fragrances tailored to product and consumer contexts.
End-to-End Fragrance Solutions
Vibhav Sanzgiri, Executive Director, R&D, Hindustan Unilever Limited, added, “Fragrance plays a critical role in elevating the consumer experience and performance of everyday products.” He described the India lab as a fully integrated facility for fragrance creation, application, and evaluation. It combines proprietary creation software, real-time evaluation data capture, and advanced compounding technologies, enabling teams to design, test, and refine fragrances end-to-end while collaborating seamlessly with other Unilever fragrance hubs worldwide. The establishment of the UFH underscores Unilever’s strong commitment to India as both a priority market and a global center of excellence.
About Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL)
Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) is recognized as India’s largest Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) company. Its products touch the lives of nine out of ten households in the country. HUL is dedicated to creating a better future every day. More information is available on their website: https://www.hul.co.in/.
Media Enquiries
For media inquiries, please contact: [email protected].
Source: BSE
