Rotterdam, The Netherlands (06 December 2024) – IMCD, a global leading distribution partner and formulator of speciality chemicals and ingredients, is enhancing its technical services and capabilities with the opening of two new expert facilities in the UK. The Centre of Excellence for hair care & toiletries, serving EMEA customers, and the Beauty Studio for skincare, serving UK markets, have been launched to bolster IMCD’s growing global network of technical support for beauty and personal care innovation.
These new facilities complement IMCD’s three existing UK-based application laboratories, further advancing the company’s technical capabilities in formulation development for skincare, hair care, and toiletries.
IMCD’s Beauty & Personal Care business group is supported by a worldwide network of 21 Technical Centres, including 13 Beauty Studios, 16 Application Laboratories, and 5 Centres of Excellence specialising in areas such as skincare, haircare, toiletries, suncare, and colour cosmetics.
This global infrastructure allows IMCD to collaborate closely with customers in spaces operating as innovation incubators for co-creation of bespoke formulation development, and providing them with cutting-edge testing capabilities, and advanced product prototyping. The result is faster time-to-market for new beauty products, backed by robust technical and regulatory expertise.
Centre of Excellence for hair care & toiletries
The newly launched Centre of Excellence for hair care & toiletries, located in Milton Keynes, UK, is the first of its kind for IMCD in Europe. This state-of-the-art facility is dedicated to supporting manufacturers across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa in developing high-performance hair care and toiletry products.
Fitted with cutting-edge equipment and a team of technical and sales experts, the Centre provides advanced testing, bespoke formulation development, and comprehensive ingredient analysis.
With specialised features such as a salon set-up for half-head tests and sensory analysis on various hair types, the Centre offers precise formulation development for shampoos, conditioners, hair treatments, and toiletries. From personalised product prototypes to full-scale ingredient testing, the Centre of Excellence helps customers to ensure a seamless product development process.
Beauty Studio for skincare
Complementing the Centre of Excellence is the new Beauty Studio for skincare, designed to streamline the development process for UK customers. The Beauty Studio provides a unique service, offering pre-formulated chassis that can be customised with active ingredients and sensory enhancers. This allows beauty brands, contract manufacturers, and consultants to develop new skincare products with reduced risks, lower costs, and a faster time-to-market.
The UK Beauty Studio is poised to expand its capabilities to include haircare and toiletries, further strengthening IMCD’s offering for the personal care market.
Global network for localised expertise
IMCD’s global network of technical facilities, including application laboratories, Centres of Excellence, and Beauty Studios, is strategically positioned to support customers worldwide. By offering hands-on technical support, real-time collaboration, and specialised research and development, IMCD ensures that customers have access to cutting-edge formulations and product innovations.
IMCD continues to invest in its technical capabilities and global infrastructure to empower its partners with the resources and expertise needed to thrive in today’s dynamic beauty and personal care industry.
“Our new UK facilities are designed to strengthen IMCD’s ability to offer technical excellence and innovation in beauty product development.
Our customers benefit not only from local expertise but also from the full strength of our global network,” comments Dr Laurent Blasco, Global Technical Director, Beauty & Personal Care at IMCD. “We empower customers with access to advanced laboratories, expert formulations, and the latest industry trends, ensuring they stay competitive in a fast-moving market.“
“The industry leading testing capabilities available at our Centre enable us to offer an innovative approach to our partners. Offering faster production of prototypes, access to extensive technical equipment and tailored support from the heart of the UK we can promise our European customers quicker turnaround times and tailored support,” said Ana da Costa, Hair Care & Toiletries Technical Leader, Beauty & Personal Care at IMCD.
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