Nouryon Opens New Innovation Center in Shanghai

Nouryon announced the launch of its new, state-of-the-art innovation centre in Shanghai, China, aimed at advancing localised innovation, fostering customer co-development, and promoting sustainable growth across China and the broader Asia-Pacific region.

The new centre more than doubles the size of Nouryon’s previous Shanghai facility and substantially boosts its technical capabilities through investments in advanced testing and analytical equipment targeting high-growth sectors such as agriculture, electronics, construction, and pharmaceuticals. Notably, the facility also includes a dedicated customer experience centre for the personal care industry.

“The launch of our innovation center in Shanghai marks another important milestone in Nouryon’s future in China,” said Charlie Shaver, chairman and CEO of Nouryon. “It deepens our commitment to innovation and customer intimacy, while enhancing our ability to co-develop high-performance, market-tailored solutions. This center will play a critical role in supporting our customers’ growth across key industries and accelerating our strategic ambitions in China and the broader Asia-Pacific region.”

Shaver noted that the centre—Nouryon’s 14th in its global innovation network—enables rapid prototyping, performance testing, and the development of customised solutions for industries across China.

The innovation centre strengthens Nouryon’s presence in China and includes eight specialised laboratories, among them newly established ones dedicated to its flagship products: Expancel® thermoplastic microspheres for lightweight plastics, Kromasil® chromatographic media for pharmaceutical purification, Levasil® colloidal silica for catalyst applications, and Bermocol® cellulose ethers for paints and coatings.

A key feature of the facility is the customer experience centre for Nouryon’s Personal Care business, designed to foster hands-on collaboration through workshops, live demonstrations, and formulation development. The centre enables Nouryon to showcase product performance in real-world applications and accelerate the co-creation of marketable solutions tailored to local consumer preferences.

Lab Specifications

Each laboratory is designed to meet the needs of specific markets:

• Personal Care: Focused on advanced cosmetic formulations for skin, sun, hair, and colour care.

• Cleaning: Develops innovative solutions for household, institutional, and industrial cleaning applications.

• Paints and Coatings: Dedicated to optimising Bermocoll® for high-performance water-based paints and coatings.

• Agriculture: Conducts formulation studies for both liquid and solid agrochemical products.

• Natural Resources: Supports industries such as batteries, electronics, natural fibres, oilfields, fuels and lubricants, and mining.

• Expancel®specialises in lightweight thermoplastics and collaborative co-engineering for application-specific needs.

• Kromasil®: Develops chromatography platforms for pharmaceutical purification processes.

• Levasil®: Serves as a catalyst application hub for emission control and petrochemical sectors.

The centre also advances Nouryon's sustainability objectives by accelerating the development of environmentally friendly solutions, such as low-VOC coatings, fully biobased chelates, biopolymer-based personal care products, and more sustainable microspheres. To commemorate the opening, Nouryon held an inauguration ceremony on November 7 at the Shanghai innovation Centre, attended by company executives, customers, local government officials, and members of the Chinese media.

Additionally, Nouryon recently announced plans to open a new organic peroxide innovation centre in Tianjin in 2026, aiming to enhance polymer application capabilities, expedite product development, and strengthen customer support.

Source: NOURYON