
L'Oréal Research & Innovation
L'Oréal Groupe
Open-innovation programmes from L'Oréal for startups: the Big Bang beauty-tech competition, the Beauty Tech Atelier accelerator, and BOLD investments in Indian beauty brands.
L'Oréal Research & Innovation at a glance
| Part of | L'Oréal Groupe |
|---|---|
| Established | 1909 |
| Address | Paris, Île-de-France, France |
| Programmes | 4 standing programmes |
| Official website | www.loreal.com |
Programs by L'Oréal Research & Innovation
1 past program · Filter all programs
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Which L'Oréal Research & Innovation programme fits you
4 programmes compared by who they are for, the stage they accept, how long they run and what they cost.
| Programme | Best for | Stage | Duration | Format | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Bang Beauty Tech Innovation Program | Beauty-tech startups that fit one of the challenge themes | — | — | Hybrid | Free |
| L'Oréal Beauty Tech Atelier | Early-stage tech and digital startups ready to scale | — | — | — | — |
| Sustainable Innovation AcceleratorWith Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership | Startups, SMEs and established companies with climate, nature or circularity solutions | — | — | — | — |
| BOLD and Nykaa minority investment in Indian beauty brandsWith Nykaa | Emerging Indian beauty and wellness brands with strong consumer traction | — | — | — | Takes equity |
Track record
What L'Oréal Research & Innovation reports about its portfolio.
All figures self-reported — loreal.com, as of Oct 2026.
Programmes they run
Standing programmes at L'Oréal Research & Innovation, separate from the funding calls above.
Each programme is run by a different part of the L'Oréal group. Two of the four calls have closed, and the other two give no open or close date, so check each one before you apply.
Big Bang Beauty Tech Innovation Program
CompetitionA regional competition for beauty-tech startups, with online regional finals and a Grand Finale in Singapore; the 2026 India round has closed.
Best for: Beauty-tech startups that fit one of the challenge themes
- Hybrid
- Free
What you get, who can apply and how to applyHide details
The Big Bang Beauty Tech Innovation Program is L'Oréal SAPMENA's open-innovation competition for beauty-tech startups. It features a startup competition and a pilot stage, and it runs by region. The 2026 India round is closed: applications closed on 15 July 2026. In 2024, the India regional semi-final was held on 11 September, and four Indian startups went on to the Grand Finale in Singapore in October.
What you get
- Ownership of the IP your company develops during the programme
- No application or participation fee
Who can apply
- Beauty-tech startups, applying through the route for the region where the company is incorporated
- The India route is for companies incorporated in India
- The challenge themes differ between editions; the current microsite lists its five themes
How selection works: Regional finals are held online. The Grand Finale is an in-person event in Singapore, planned for November 2026.
How to apply: Applications are submitted online by the closing date. Check the programme page for the next round.
L'Oréal Beauty Tech Atelier
AcceleratorAn accelerator for early-stage tech and digital startups, taking up to 10 each semester.
Best for: Early-stage tech and digital startups ready to scale
What you get, who can apply and how to applyHide details
L'Oréal's Beauty Tech Atelier welcomes up to 10 early-stage startups each semester and gives them strategic mentoring and operational support. L'Oréal calls it its global programme, and it says it wants partnerships with emerging companies from all over the world. The Atelier's page shows a community of 98 startups.
Who can apply
- Early-stage tech and digital startups ready to scale, ideally with experience of collaborating with corporate partners
- The Atelier prefers to start from existing proofs of concept, but startups can always make themselves known
How to apply: The page gives no open or close dates. Startups can get in touch through the programme page.
Sustainable Innovation Accelerator
AcceleratorA closed L'Oréal call for climate, nature and circularity solutions, with CISL-led acceleration and six-to-nine-month pilots.
Best for: Startups, SMEs and established companies with climate, nature or circularity solutions
With Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership
What you get, who can apply and how to applyHide details
The Sustainable Innovation Accelerator is a call from L'Oréal Groupe to identify, pilot and scale sustainable solutions in climate, nature and circularity. The first call closed on 30 September 2025. Selected companies enter an intensive acceleration phase led by the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) innovation team, focused on pilot readiness.
What you get
- Coaching and mentorship from the CISL innovation team
- Pilots of six to nine months with L'Oréal's global resources, with the group saying a solution could be scaled across its international operations
- A potential pilot and investment opportunity
Who can apply
- Start-ups, SMEs and established companies with innovative solutions for climate, nature and circularity
- The call does not name a country
How to apply: The 2025 call closed on 30 September 2025.
A minority-stake investment programme for emerging Indian beauty and wellness brands, run by BOLD, L'Oréal's venture fund, with Nykaa.
Best for: Emerging Indian beauty and wellness brands with strong consumer traction
- Takes equity
With Nykaa
What you get, who can apply and how to applyHide details
BOLD, L'Oréal's corporate venture capital fund launched in 2018, has joined with Nykaa to take minority stakes in emerging Indian beauty and wellness brands. The investments are purely financial and minority in nature. Founders keep full ownership and control and continue to run their businesses independently. The announcement gives no application route, cheque size or closing date.
What you get
- A minority equity stake, with the founders keeping full ownership and control
Who can apply
- Emerging Indian beauty and wellness brands with strong consumer traction and distinctive propositions
How to apply: No application route is stated in the announcement.
Support services
Help offered alongside funding and space.
Business advisory
Coaching and mentorship on the Sustainable Innovation Accelerator, and strategic mentoring at the Beauty Tech Atelier.
Market access
Pilots with L'Oréal's global resources, with a possible route to scale across its international operations.
How to apply to L'Oréal Research & Innovation
कार्यक्रम चुनना
- Big Bang उन बब्यूटी-टेक स्टार्टअप्स के लिए है जो वर्तमान चुनौती विषयों में से किसी एक में फिट होते हैं। इसका 2026 भारत राउंड बंद हो चुका है।
- Beauty Tech Atelier उन शुरुआती चरण के टेक और डिजिटल स्टार्टअप्स के लिए है जो स्केल करने के लिए तैयार हैं। यह मौजूदा प्रूफ ऑफ कॉन्सेप्ट से शुरू करने को प्राथमिकता देता है, लेकिन कहता है कि स्टार्टअप्स हमेशा खुद को सामने ला सकते हैं।
- Sustainable Innovation Accelerator जलवायु, प्रकृति और चक्रीयता में समाधानों के लिए है। इसकी 2025 की कॉल बंद हो चुकी है।
- BOLD और Nykaa उभरते भारतीय ब्यूटी और वेलनेस ब्रांड्स में निवेश करते हैं, जिनकी उपभोक्ता पकड़ मजबूत है। कोई आवेदन मार्ग नहीं बताया गया है।
आवेदन कैसे काम करते हैं
- Big Bang के आवेदन समापन तिथि तक ऑनलाइन जमा होते हैं। माइक्रोसाइट में 2026 भारत राउंड के लिए अब भी Apply बटन दिख सकता है, इसलिए उस पर कार्रवाई करने से पहले समापन तिथि जांच लें।
- उस क्षेत्र का मार्ग चुनें जहां आपकी कंपनी निगमित है। India मार्ग उन कंपनियों के लिए है जो भारत में निगमित हैं।
- Big Bang के स्टार्टअप्स कार्यक्रम के दौरान विकसित IP का स्वामित्व अपने पास रखते हैं, और कोई आवेदन या भागीदारी शुल्क नहीं है।
- Beauty Tech Atelier अपने पेज पर कोई खुलने या बंद होने की तिथि नहीं देता।
About L'Oréal Research & Innovation
L'Oréal Research & Innovation is the research side of L'Oréal, the beauty group founded in 1909 by the chemist Eugène Schueller. Its research teams work through a network of research centres around the world, and the wider group runs several open-innovation programmes for startups. Those programmes are run by different parts of the group, so each one needs checking separately.
How the programmes work
Four programmes are covered here. The Big Bang Beauty Tech Innovation Program is a regional competition for beauty-tech startups, run by L'Oréal SAPMENA, the group's regional team based in Singapore. The Beauty Tech Atelier is an accelerator for early-stage tech and digital startups, which L'Oréal calls its global programme. The Sustainable Innovation Accelerator is a group call for climate, nature and circularity solutions. BOLD, the group's corporate venture capital fund, makes minority investments in Indian beauty brands together with Nykaa.
Two of the four are closed. The Big Bang 2026 India round closed on 15 July 2026, and the Sustainable Innovation Accelerator call closed on 30 September 2025. The Beauty Tech Atelier takes startups each semester and gives no open or close dates. The BOLD announcement names no application route.
Who can apply
Big Bang asks applicants which region their company is incorporated in, and the India route is for companies incorporated in India. The Beauty Tech Atelier wants early-stage tech and digital startups that are ready to scale, ideally with experience of working with corporate partners. The Sustainable call invited start-ups, SMEs and established companies with innovative solutions for climate, nature and circularity. BOLD and Nykaa back emerging Indian beauty and wellness brands with strong consumer traction and distinctive propositions.
Big Bang in India
The 2024 India regional semi-final was held on 11 September 2024. Four Indian startups then qualified for the Grand Finale, held in Singapore in October 2024. The Big Bang regional finals are held online, and the Grand Finale is an in-person event in Singapore, planned for November 2026. Startups keep ownership of the IP they develop during the programme, and there is no application or participation fee.
The challenge themes changed between editions. The 2024 announcement named five themes: Consumer Experience, Content, Media, New Commerce and Tech for Good. The current microsite lists five different ones: Connected Brand Experience, Creators & Affiliates, AI Powered Commerce, Innovation for Good, and Science for Beauty.
The Sustainable Innovation Accelerator
The Sustainable Innovation Accelerator is a call from L'Oréal Groupe that aims to identify, pilot and scale sustainable solutions in climate, nature and circularity. Selected companies enter an intensive acceleration phase led by the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) innovation team, focused on pilot readiness. They can then run pilots of six to nine months with L'Oréal's global resources, and the group says a solution could be scaled across its international operations. The call does not name a country.
Scale
According to its latest group release, the Research and Innovation team includes over 4,000 scientists. The group also reports more than 120 million uses of its beauty tech services across 66 countries and 31 brands. The Beauty Tech Atelier page shows a community of 98 startups.
Locations
L'Oréal India is headquartered in Mumbai. Its Research and Innovation facilities in India are in Mumbai and Bengaluru. The SAPMENA team is based in Singapore, where the Big Bang Grand Finale is held.
Who runs it
L'Oréal Groupe runs these programmes through several teams. SAPMENA runs Big Bang. The Beauty Tech Atelier is the group's global programme. BOLD, launched in 2018, is L'Oréal's corporate venture capital fund and runs the India investments with Nykaa. The Sustainable Innovation Accelerator is a Groupe call, with CISL as its acceleration partner.
Who they work with
Stage
Sectors
Technology
Tags
Frequently asked questions about L'Oréal Research & Innovation
What is L'Oréal Research & Innovation?
L'Oréal Research & Innovation is a corporate based in Paris, Île-de-France.
What does L'Oréal Research & Innovation do?
L'Oréal Research & Innovation is the research side of L'Oréal, the beauty group founded in 1909 by the chemist Eugène Schueller. Its research teams work through a network of research centres around the world, and the wider group runs several open-innovation programmes for startups.
Where is L'Oréal Research & Innovation located?
L'Oréal Research & Innovation is based in Paris, Île-de-France, France.
What programs does L'Oréal Research & Innovation run?
L'Oréal Research & Innovation runs Big Bang Beauty Tech Innovation Program, L'Oréal Beauty Tech Atelier, Sustainable Innovation Accelerator and BOLD and Nykaa minority investment in Indian beauty brands.
What sectors does L'Oréal Research & Innovation support?
L'Oréal Research & Innovation works with startups in D2C and DeepTech.
What stage of startup does L'Oréal Research & Innovation support?
L'Oréal Research & Innovation supports startups at the Validation, Early Revenue and Growth stages.
How do I apply to L'Oréal Research & Innovation?
- Big Bang उन बब्यूटी-टेक स्टार्टअप्स के लिए है जो वर्तमान चुनौती विषयों में से किसी एक में फिट होते हैं। इसका 2026 भारत राउंड बंद हो चुका है। - Beauty Tech Atelier उन शुरुआती चरण के टेक और डिजिटल स्टार्टअप्स के लिए है जो स्केल करने के लिए तैयार हैं। यह मौजूदा प्रूफ ऑफ कॉन्सेप्ट से शुरू करने को प्राथमिकता देता है, लेकिन कहता है कि स्टार्टअप्स हमेशा खुद को सामने ला सकते हैं। - Sustainable Innovatio…
When was L'Oréal Research & Innovation founded?
L'Oréal Research & Innovation was founded in 1909. It is a corporate.
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