Unilever R&D’s vision is to innovate boldly for people and the planet. Our R&D teams are at the heart of our business, creating the innovations and products our consumers love.
We develop the leading science and technology that drives Unilever’s growth and purpose, and offer daily moments of joy; from the signature crack when biting into Magnum’s chocolate shell, to the confident feeling you get from our Rexona Clinical with patented technology and the touch of fresh laundry effectively washed in cool water, we develop the innovations behind products that make a difference to the lives of people and the health of our planet.
Our People
Our people are what makes R&D great. Our highly-skilled, creative and consumer-focused experts thrive on developing innovations that improve lives, livelihoods and the planet.
More than 800 science, technology and engineering experts work in our sites in Mumbai and Bengaluru, contributing their specialist skills to make best in class products.
We embrace a culture that empowers teams and individuals to make decisions and act with speed. Our R&D teams are diverse and gender balanced across work levels. We encourage our people to find and live their purpose and offer numerous opportunities to hone existing capabilities and develop new ones through digital learning experiences and internal development programmes.
Another key to Unilever R&D’s success is our partnerships with leading-edge science & technology and academic organisations, as well as our close collaborations with industry players. Our innovation ecosystem encourages everyone in R&D to partner with and leverage external expertise to take advantage of new technologies and trends to surpass consumer expectations.
Future-fit capabilities
To ensure our innovations are exciting, safe and competitive, we invest heavily in three strategic capabilities.
Brightening everyday life for all means giving consumers the confidence that our products are safe to use, better for the environment and compliant with all relevant regulations.
To deliver this assurance, Unilever has made the strategic decision to bring together our Safety and Environmental Assurance Centre (SEAC) with part of our Regulatory Affairs function to form a new Safety, Environmental and Regulatory Science (SERS) team.
SERS team members have technical expertise and new scientific approaches to:
- Enable commercialisation of new technologies and innovations.
- Support mitigation of ingredient risks and impacts.
- Ensure safe, sustainable and compliant products by design.
Digital R&D
Many of the digital advances our world is experiencing are influencing new consumer trends and rapidly evolving consumer expectations. Through Digital R&D, we explore opportunities to drive innovation and product superiority and stay connected with our consumers in a meaningful way.
Developing Products with Purpose
Whatever the product and wherever it is bought, R&D ensures it fulfils our purpose of making sustainable living commonplace.
Our innovations are a driving force behind our sustainability achievements; they enable circular plastic economies, reduce GHG emissions, improve water quality and access, lower salt consumption, support zero waste initiatives and improve hygiene standards, to name just a few of our purpose-led ambitions.
Our R&D experts work on some of the world’s biggest, most impactful brands across our four divisions:
Personal Care
Foods
Home Care
Each of Unilever’s Divisions is supported by
R&D Science and Technology Teams: Offering externally recognised expertise and capabilities to drive growth. Our Science & Technology teams keep a close eye on emerging trends, so that we can stay in touch with – and ahead of – significant developments.
R&D Global Design Teams: Responsible for developing and distributing the latest technical expertise and formulations.
R&D Cluster & Category Design Teams: Our agile, locally connected teams deliver our products to market.
Join us
Unilever R&D’s vision is to innovate boldly for people and the planet. Our R&D teams are at the heart of our business, creating the innovations and products our consumers love.
We have exciting job opportunities for you in:
If you would like to be involved in the creation and development of purpose-led innovations, please visit the careers section for more information.