SINGAPORE INNOVATION
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From Singapore lab to No 1 US seller: P&G’s Olay serum a breakout success for Republic’s innovation push

The ‘super serum’ by Procter & Gamble is just one success story to come out of its innovation centre in Biopolis. In the first of an occasional series, The Business Times takes a closer look at the innovation scene in Singapore.

 Lee Su Shyan
Published Mon, Feb 10, 2025 · 04:34 PM
    • Procter & Gamble's beauty care segment is a US$15 billion business. The challenge for the company in Asia is to navigate the region's heterogenous consumer groups.
    • Procter & Gamble's beauty care segment is a US$15 billion business. The challenge for the company in Asia is to navigate the region's heterogenous consumer groups. PHOTO: REUTERS

    AFTER Procter & Gamble (P&G) launched the Olay Super Serum in the United States in 2023, the product shot to pole position among serums there. A bottle of this, combining five benefits of serums into one potion, was being sold every minute.

    It was flying off the shelves, but what was less well-known about it was that it was a product of the P&G Singapore Innovation Centre (SgIC) located in Biopolis, Singapore’s research and development (R&D) hub for biomedical science.  

    The SgIC is the consumer goods giant’s largest beauty innovation hub in Asia. The 32,000 square metre facility handles consumer understanding, formulation, advanced analytical capabilities, data science and modelling, along with state-of-the-art packaging design.

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