Consumer-Goods Giant Henkel Unveils Plans for ‘True R&D Campus’ in Trumbull

Henkel, one of the largest consumer-goods companies in the world, has operated research-and-development facilities in Trumbull since 2016. Now, it is elevating the site into a fully fledged campus.

Henkel executives and some of the state’s top elected officials held a groundbreaking ceremony on Monday for the underway renovations at its recently acquired building at 9 Trefoil Drive. That edifice, along with Henkel’s two existing R&D buildings across the street, will form the company’s new Center of Research and Development. With a value of more than $70 million, the project represents the company’s largest non-manufacturing capital investment in North America in the past decade. 

“This is going to be a true R&D campus. Once completed, we’ll continue to lead our consumers and customers with groundbreaking innovations and please our consumers with iconic brands such as Snuggle, All, Dial and Schwarzkopf,” Phil Schaffer, Henkel Consumer Brands North America’s corporate senior vice president, said at the groundbreaking. “So this is not just an investment in a building, it’s also an investment in our people and an acknowledgement of the growth we have created here in North America.” 

The renovation of the approximately 45,000-square-foot building at 9 Trefoil Drive, which Henkel acquired at the end of last year for nearly $5 million, is expected to be completed by the end of next year. Nine Trefoil Drive will be the hub of the Center of Research and Development. Altogether, the three-building complex will cover more than 10 acres and more than 110,000 square feet of interior space — with a capacity of more than 200 employees. The $70 million-plus figure for Henkel's investment in the campus factors in the purchase and renovation of 9 Trefoil Drive, as well as improvements that Henkel is making to its existing buildings on the street.  

“I never mind the rain. My grandmother always said, ‘Rain is the thing you need to live, and it comes from the sky, and it’s free, so stop complaining,’” said John Bourdeaux, CEO and president of AdvanceCT, a nonprofit focused on economic development, referring to the wet weather on Monday. “This is the harbinger of a beautiful spring for us, where wonderful things are growing out of the ground. One of them will, of course, be the Center of Research and Development here.”

Henkel’s creation of the Center of Research and Development will unite its R&D teams for North American consumer brands, which include the All, Persil and Purex laundry detergents; Dial soaps; Snuggle fabric softeners; and Schwarzkopf hair-care products. As a result, the vast majority of the company’s approximately 80 Darien-based employees, who focus on hair-care R&D, will relocate to the new center, as will some number of Stamford-based employees who work on R&D.

The Center of Research and Development will house groups focused on product development, packaging, processing, microbiology, analytical functions, product safety and regulatory affairs.

About 80 employees are based at the current R&D facilities on Trefoil Drive. Henkel incorporated 30 Trefoil Drive into its R&D operations through its acquisition of Sun Products in 2016, and it leased 4 Trefoil Drive in 2018. 

“This investment is in innovation, new ideas, new products that make the quality of life better, and also contribute immensely to our economy here in the state of Connecticut,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Connecticut. “I’m really proud to be a fan of Henkel products. I use them myself.”

At the same time, Henkel will maintain its North American headquarters in Rocky Hill and regional offices for consumer brands in Stamford. The Rocky Hill and Stamford hubs each host about 350 employees.

Through the state's First Five Plus program, which was created in 2011 by the administration of Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, Henkel has received a $20 million loan, which was fully forgiven, or essentially written off, as well as $4 million in tax credits. It could receive another $1 million in tax credits. Those incentives are based on targets for creating and retaining jobs, as well as capital expenditures.

The First Five Plus funding was awarded to support the consumer-brands offices in Stamford, which opened in 2017, after relocating from Scottsdale, Arizona. The funding is not related to the R&D expansion in Trumbull. 

North America comprises Henkel’s largest market. Last year, the company’s approximately $6.1 billion in North American sales accounted for 26% of its global total. In addition to its home-care and personal-care products, Henkel also runs an adhesives business that includes the Bonderite, Loctite and Technomelt brands.

More than 7,000 employees are based in North America, with Connecticut comprising the state with the largest head count. Worldwide, there are about 47,000 employees. The company’s global headquarters is in Düsseldorf, Germany.

“I’m always struck by how much our two countries have in common,” Gov. Ned Lamont said, referring to a trade mission to Germany that he led in 2024. “We’re not the least expensive place in the world, but we have the best-trained, most-productive, most-innovative workforce in the world. And that’s why we don’t make simple things, but why we make sophisticated things. I’d like to think that’s one more reason that Henkel is here.” 

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