Ashland Opens Mumbai R&D CenterAshland Opens Mumbai R&D Center

MUMBAI, India Ashland Specialty Ingredients opened a new technical center in Mumbai, India to supports its markets in India and Southeast Asia.

The new facility will focus on research and development (R&D) and technical support for its personal care and home care products. The Mumbai center features formulation laboratories for hair, kin and oral care, controlled environment labs for claims substantiation and a microbiology lab for testing, among others.

Ashland said it hopes to tap into an emergent Indian market, as the country experiences a 15-percent growth in personal care expenditures each year. Ashland is not the only company to boost its efforts in India and Southeast Asia; in September, Alchem expanded its India facility and Vedic Lifesciences announced a possible Malaysian expansion.