L’Oréal partners with Singapore universities to develop youth-led innovation and Green Sciences

This press release was issued by L’Oréal.

L’Oréal today announced a series of new major initiatives with Singapore universities during its inaugural Singapore Showcase event. The global beauty leader will embark on partnerships with Singapore Management University (SMU) and Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) to nurture the innovation and entrepreneurial business skills of final year undergraduates. L’Oréal will also collaborate with National University of Singapore (NUS) on pioneering soil microbe research that could shape the future of Green Sciences.

These partnerships were announced at L’Oréal’s Singapore Showcase, where the 115-year-old beauty leader shared its vision of the future beauty industry: beauty that is sustainable, personalised, and augmented by technology. Groundbreaking new beauty tech innovations on display at the event included AirLight Pro, a breakthrough professional-grade hair drying tool redefining hair drying for both people and planet; Rouge sur Mesure, an AI-powered at-home device for lipstick shade personalisation; and L’Oréal Water Saver, a state-of-the art water-saving showerhead for professional salons. The event was graced by Her Excellency Ms Minh-di Tang, Ambassador of France to Singapore, and Mr Chan Ih-Ming, Executive Vice President of the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB).

“Beauty is both an essential human need and an inclusive force. Our purpose is to create the beauty that moves the world, and we’ve been doing that in Singapore for 34 years. When it comes to beauty, Singapore consumers have a tremendous appetite for the latest products and services in skincare, makeup and hair care. We are transforming beauty; from personalised makeup devices, AI-powered skincare solutions to new codes of beauty, we are bringing the best of science and technology to Singapore to fulfil the beauty needs of Singaporeans,” added Mr Hruska.

SMU, SUSS to develop students' innovative thinking with L'Oréal Brandstorm

SMU and SUSS today signed respective MOUs with L’Oréal to introduce L’Oréal Brandstorm, its signature innovation competition for young people. The competition will be a key component of SMU’s curriculum, while SUSS will encourage its students to participate in this competition as part of their educational experience.

Starting in 2025, for a period of three years, final year undergraduates at SMU’s Lee Kong Chian School of Business (LKCSB) taking ‘The Design of Business’, a 13-week mandatory capstone course, will work on the L’Oréal Brandstorm competition challenge. This multi-disciplinary and experiential SMU-X course consolidates student knowledge and skills in finance, marketing, and innovation & entrepreneurship, and will involve mentoring by L’Oréal senior business leaders. L’Oréal will also share business insights into marketing and consumer behaviour through other undergraduate and postgraduate programmes held at SMU.

Additionally, SMU and L’Oréal will collaborate on career development, job placement opportunities, as well as capability building through training programmes. These will prepare undergraduates for careers in marketing and technology, and enhance their employability in an increasingly competitive global job market.

Under the partnership with SUSS, all students will be encouraged to participate in L’Oréal Brandstorm, with the aim of offering it as a credited module. SUSS and L’Oréal will also collaborate on career development and job placement opportunities, as well as capability building through training programmes. These initiatives are designed to equip SUSS students for careers in digital marketing and technological innovation, enhancing their employability in the competitive global jobs market and preparing them to contribute to entrepreneurial foresight and beauty technology ideation.

Open to all participants under 30, L’Oréal Brandstorm is dedicated to helping youth kickstart their commercial acumen and careers. Participants go beyond what they learn in a traditional academic setting. Over the course of the competition, they develop a diverse set of skills by ideating new value, pitching their innovative projects, working in teams and being coached by L’Oréal’s network of experts, including business leaders, researchers and scientists. Brandstorm is one the key initiatives under L’Oréal For Youth (L4Y), a program that enables the company to impact our ecosystem and contribute to youth employment.

In 2024, Brandstorm teams are challenged to imagine and present on the theme of “Reinvent The Future of Professional Beauty Through Tech.” The national winner from all participating countries, including Singapore, will travel to London to be part of the International Finals to pitch their idea in front of a global executive jury. The Global Brandstorm winner will be granted a three-month intrapreneurship at L’Oréal global headquarters in Paris. This year, over 1,800 students from Singapore educational institutions are participating in Brandstorm, with the national finals set to take place on 29 April.

L'Oréal Singapore and NUS launch strategic collaboration in Green Sciences

L’Oréal Singapore and NUS Environmental Research Institute have launched a strategic collaboration to conduct pioneering research on soil and plant microbes – the naturally occurring microorganisms in soil and those living in and around plants.

The joint research initiative aims to find new ways to improve soil health and increase plant yield without needing more land or relying on chemical fertilisers – a mutually important area of study given Singapore’s food security goals and L'Oréal’s sustainability programme “L'Oréal for the Future” target that 95% of its ingredients will be bio-sourced by 2030. This is the first beauty and personal care application collaboration with NUS in the field of regenerative agriculture.

Researchers in a joint L'Oréal and NUS Agritech Centre ‘grow zone’ will conduct research analysis and lab assessments that advance understanding and use of beneficial soil microbes to increase the yields of commercially important crops in a climate-controlled environment. If successful, this will be followed by field trials for potential deployment of these solutions commercially. The plant varieties selected are used in the formulation of cosmetics and skincare products.

This research initiative could also be potentially applied to Singapore’s food security research and innovation initiatives including Singapore's “30 by 30” food security goal, which aims to produce 30 per cent of the country's nutritional requirements locally by 2030 for a more resilient food future. 

The partnership with NUS Environmental Research Institute expands L'Oréal's research footprint in Singapore and demonstrates its Research and Innovation commitment towards collaboration with local partners. L'Oréal has also set up a joint lab with Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Science Engineering (SCELSE) in Nanyang Technological University to conduct research on skin and scalp microbiomes.