Hyderabad | 21 January 2026: L’Oréal, the French beauty giant, is opening its first Global Capability Centre (GCC) in Hyderabad with a massive ₹3,500 crore (€350 million) investment running through 2030. The “Beauty Tech Hub” puts Hyderabad at the centre of the company’s global digital and AI strategy. Set to launch in November 2026, this facility will drive the company’s next wave of beauty innovation worldwide.

Beauty Meets Tech: A New Kind of GCC

L’Oréal’s Hyderabad centre is the world’s first GCC built specifically for beauty-tech. The facility is designed for more than typical back-office operations. It will run L’Oréal’s global work in data analytics, artificial intelligence (AI), and digital engineering. India’s engineering talent will power high-value tech including Generative AI (GenAI) and Agentic AI to build personalized beauty products at scale.

The Hyderabad hub joins L’Oréal’s global tech network spanning France, the United States, China, Singapore, Spain, Poland, Canada, Brazil, and Mexico.

2,000 High-Paying Jobs and Telangana’s Big Vision

L’Oréal announced the project at the World Economic Forum (WEF) 2026 in Davos during the 2026 India–France Year of Innovation. The GCC will create 2,000 specialized jobs for AI experts, tech engineers, and data scientists.

Chief Minister Shri A Revanth Reddy said the partnership supports “Telangana Rising: 2047 Vision,” which aims to make the state a global hub for digital innovation and tech-driven growth.

“For over 31 years, L’Oréal has been deeply committed to India. Building on this legacy, we are harnessing India’s world-class tech and AI engineering expertise to power our new global Tech Hub.”

– Nicolas Hieronimus, CEO of L’Oréal

Shri Sanjay Kumar, Special Chief Secretary, Government of Telangana, highlighted the state’s push to scale AI adoption across government, industry, and society, noting the centre fits perfectly with the newly formed Telangana AI Hub.

“L’Oréal’s decision to establish its new global tech hub in Hyderabad is a powerful endorsement of Telangana’s ability to attract world-leading innovation.”

– Shri D. Sridhar Babu, Minister for IT, Electronics & Industries, Government of Telangana

L’Oréal’s beauty-tech GCC signals a shift in how consumer companies use Indian capability centres. These aren’t traditional IT support hubs, their innovation labs where AI meets consumer insights, where product development happens in real-time, and where personalized beauty solutions get built on scale. Beauty and personal care companies are pouring over $1 billion annually into tech and digital transformation. India’s AI talent and engineering depth make it the natural home for these specialized centres. The work requires data science, consumer psychology, supply chain smarts, and creative technology exactly what India’s GCC talent delivers.

India-France Partnership Gets Stronger

L’Oréal’s move to Hyderabad shows how global companies now see Indian GCCs as innovation engines, not just cost centres. These facilities have become strategic hubs where real intelligence, science, and creativity happen. For India, GCCs boost competitiveness in applied AI and digital infrastructure. As beauty meets advanced tech, this investment shows the shift toward tech-driven customer experiences worldwide.

Hyderabad now hosts GCCs from McDonald’s, Heineken, Costco, Vanguard, Netflix, Marriott, and Jaggaer, proving it’s a top destination for specialized centres across med-tech, health-tech, hospitality, and now beauty-tech.

Beyond GCC, L’Oréal is eyeing future manufacturing investments in Telangana, potentially adding production capacity to its innovative footprint.

This partnership is a major win for the 2026 India–France Year of Innovation, strengthening tech collaboration between both countries. The investment goes beyond infrastructure, it is about training local talent to build “from India, for the world” beauty solutions using AI, Generative AI, and Agentic AI.

The timing works well with broader India-France bilateral efforts. Trade between the two nations hit $15 billion in 2024, and both governments are working to update their tax treaty framework for better tax transparency.

What’s Next for India’s GCC Landscape

India’s GCC count is expected to cross 2,100 centres by 2028. Projects like L’Oréal’s beauty-tech hub will be critical in building the financial and operational infrastructure that supports business resilience. For multinational companies, this confirms that India is not merely a backup option, but a primary driver of high-tech innovation and digital transformation.

The tech solutions built at the Hyderabad GCC will roll out across L’Oréal’s operations worldwide, showing how Indian innovation centres are becoming the backbone of global digital initiatives.

Curated by SSF Global to track developments shaping the future of GCCs, enterprise ecosystems, and India’s commercial real estate landscape

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For Consumer Goods and Beauty Leaders:

Consumer companies are betting big on personalization tech, AI-driven innovation, sustainable supply chains, and direct-to-consumer platforms. The smart ones know that GCCs aren’t back-office anymore, they’re where competitive advantage gets built. SSF Global supports companies set up and grow GCCs that move the needle. We focus on finding specialized AI and data science talent, building frameworks that let you scale fast, connecting you with universities and tech partners, and creating governance that works for both innovation and compliance. The goal is simple: turn your Indian centre into an innovation engine that builds personalized products, delivers real consumer insights, and powers the digital infrastructure your global customers expect.

About SSF Global
SSF Global is a Global Community for Enterprise Function Leaders and serves as a research & advisory platform focused on Global Business Services (GBS), Global Capability Centres (GCCs), and the evolution of enterprise innovation in India and beyond. We track, publish, and partner in narratives that shape how capability centres transform into hubs of trust, intelligence, and sustainable growth. We also evaluate, assess and benchmark the GCCs for their performance, maturity and other parameters using our proprietary tools built from the knowledge gained from direct interaction with our members (GCCs & GBS).