To Didier Saint-Leger, director of L'Oreal R&D China, his work in cosmetics is much like cooking.

"A common judgment for me is to combine attractive color, fragrance and good taste. The three elements are also targets for our R&D work on beauty products for China," the director said.

As part of L'Oreal's global expansion strategy, the company established a world-class R&D center in Shanghai's Pudong district in 2005.

The center integrates labs for color research, fragrance, and effects, as well as specially outfitted laboratory to ensure stability and safety of its products.

As one of the 150 "cooks" preparing a "feast of beauty" at the center, Saint-Leger said the strategy of starting a research facility in China gave L'Oreal a big leap forward.

"The one and only purpose of the center is to serve Chinese people - researching the characteristics of their skin and hair, and making unique products for them," Saint-Leger said.

"When first I came here, I realized France is so small," the director recalled, explaining that as an R&D expert with more than 650 patents in the cosmetics industry, he felt it was challenging and exciting to serve the Chinese market.

"People have more advanced demands for beauty almost every day, which mean we cannot to stop creation at any time," the director told China Business Weekly during a recent interview at L'Oreal's China R&D Center.

To meet local customers' demands over the past four years, the beauty giant paid great attention to integrating traditional Chinese medicine in their products.

The French cosmetic icon actually started R&D work for China long before it established its center in Shanghai.

In 1996, three years after L'Oreal founded its Chinese company, it began work in partnership with local universities, hospitals, research institutions and raw material provider to better meet the needs of local consumers.

"We did it from the beginning because research is one of the keys to L'Oreal's success over the past 100 years. Today better research increasingly supports our success in China," Saint-Leger said.

(China Daily 06/15/2009 page5)