Groupe L'Oreal has a research and development department for cosmetics and dermatological research with about 2,900 people and support staff.
Laboratories in France, the United States and Japan employ over 2,900 people and support staff from over 30 disciplines : chemistry, biology, medicine, physics, toxicology, etc.

L'Oreal Research missions are :

• to gain an in-depth understanding of healthy skin and hair at cellular level;
• to pinpoint the biological processes behind the skin aging process, sun damages, pigmentation as well as natural hair color, graying and loss;
• to synthesize active molecules which protect, repair or color;
• to design and develop new products in all cosmetic fields, including skin care, haircaire and make-up;
• to evaluate products efficacy and safety using in vitro tests like human skin models, as well as sophisticated imaging techniques and sensory analysis.

L'Oreal Research collaborates with research units in some twenty countries worldwide in advanced scientific fields.
Part of the research activities consists of studying the effects of the sun's radiation and air pollution on skin and hair.
Currently L'Oreal uses hardly any atmospheric satellite data for their research.