IOI Oleo Launches CARE Studio APAC to Bring Global Beauty Innovation Closer to Asia-Pacific Customers
IOI Oleochemical Industries Berhad (IOI Oleo) officially launched its CARE Studio APAC in Penang on 4 September 2026, marking an important milestone in its global innovation strategy and strengthening its commitment to supporting customers across the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region.
CARE Studio APAC, a centre of technical expertise and innovation platform, is located alongside IOI Oleo’s sister company, IOI Esterchem Sdn Bhd. It serves as a collaborative innovation hub that brings together formulation development, sensory expertise, market insights and customer collaboration under one roof.
“The launch of CARE Studio APAC marks an important step in strengthening our innovation capabilities and bringing our expertise closer to customers in the Asia-Pacific region. By combining our technical know-how with a deeper understanding of local market needs, we can collaborate more closely with customers to develop solutions that are relevant, innovative and responsive to evolving consumer preferences,” said Mr Tan Kean Hua, Deputy Group Chief Executive Officer of IOI Corporation Berhad (IOIC).
The new facility builds on the success of IOI Oleo’s first CARE Studio in Hamburg, Germany, which has supported customers and partners globally since 2018. Carrying the same vision, our CARE Studio APAC is designed to be a centre of excellence for personal care and cosmetic formulation, a hub of application development, and a platform for customer collaboration. More than a formulation laboratory, CARE Studio APAC brings together IOI Oleo’s locally produced fatty acids and essential esters with specialty esters from Germany to develop consumer-relevant formulations tailored to the evolving needs of the Asia-Pacific market.
CARE Studio APAC provides an exclusive environment where our customers and partners can collaborate with our IOI Oleo experts to develop and refine innovative personal care formulations, with three key experience areas, namely the Social Media Room, Application Laboratory and Sensory Room, enabling the exploration of market trends, formulation development, product textures and sensory performance.
The Social Media Room showcases our latest customer insights through sensory evaluation, beauty trends and social media intelligence while the Application Laboratory provides hands-on opportunities to transform IOI Oleo’s specialty ingredients into innovative and consumer-relevant formulations, and the Sensory Room enables participants to evaluate product texture, skin feel and performance through established sensory methodologies.
The launch of CARE Studio APAC forms part of IOI Oleo's broader strategy to strengthen its specialty ingredients portfolio and deepen customer engagement across strategic growth markets.
The facility also complements future investments, including the Alcohol Ester Plant 3 (AEP 3) project, which is progressing according to schedule and is expected to further expand the Group's ester production capabilities upon completion in 2027.
By integrating innovation, technical expertise and manufacturing excellence, CARE Studio APAC will serve as a strategic platform to support the next generation of specialty ingredient solutions while reinforcing IOI Oleo's position as a trusted innovation partner to customers across the region.