{"id":17883,"date":"2026-06-20T13:00:13","date_gmt":"2026-06-20T13:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.iita.org\/news-item\/the-worlds-largest-cosmetic-company-seeks-partnership-with-iita\/"},"modified":"2026-06-29T16:56:29","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T16:56:29","slug":"the-worlds-largest-cosmetic-company-seeks-partnership-with-iita","status":"publish","type":"news-item","link":"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/news-item\/the-worlds-largest-cosmetic-company-seeks-partnership-with-iita\/","title":{"rendered":"The world\u2019s largest cosmetic company seeks partnership with IITA"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Dr.
Dr. Adebowale Akande taking Philippe Rapold on a tour of IITA Genetic Resources Center.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n\n\n\n

IITA<\/span><\/a> is renowned for its strong partnerships with both the public and private sectors, with the aim to transform African agriculture. On 6 November, the institute had the pleasure of hosting the Head of Research and Innovation at <\/span>L\u2019Or\u00e9al<\/span><\/a>, Philippe Rapold. During his visit to IITA\u2019s headquarters, he met with experts, toured the institute’s facilities, and discussed potential areas of collaboration between IITA and L\u2019Or\u00e9al.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

During a comprehensive briefing by IITA Director, Partnerships for Development Directorate (P4D) and CEO, IITA Business Incubation Platform (BIP), Dr <\/span>Adebowale Akande<\/span><\/a>, provided an overview of IITA\u2019s organizational structure, key stations, and activities, highlighting its pivotal role within the <\/span>CGIAR<\/span><\/a> system. He explained that IITA and other CGIAR centers operate with distinct mandates to avoid duplication of research activities. He also shared information on IITA\u2019s collaborative work with these centers, particularly in the context of shared facilities and resources across sub-Saharan Africa.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rapold also shared the vision and objectives of L\u2019Or\u00e9al and described how the company has evolved from being a scientifically driven cosmetic company to one focused on inclusivity, sustainability, and modernity. He also outlined L\u2019Or\u00e9al\u2019s ambitious sustainability goal for 2040: to ensure that the company\u2019s materials are derived from bio-resources rather than chemicals. He added that only 5% of L\u2019Or\u00e9al\u2019s production currently includes chemical materials.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOpen research and innovation is one of the main reasons I am here,\u201d Rapold stated, emphasizing the company\u2019s interest in seeking partnerships, mentorship, and collaborative support to scale its activities and overcome challenges in its sustainability efforts.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"IITA
IITA Director P4D & CEO of BIP, Adebowale Akande and Head of Research and Innovation at L\u2019Or\u00e9al, Philippe Rapold discussing during the visit.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Akande welcomed the idea of collaboration between IITA and L\u2019Or\u00e9al, expressing that IITA is eager to partner with organizations that share its commitment to innovation and sustainability. \u201cIITA and CGIAR are always looking forward to collaborating with organizations like yours,\u201d Akande said. He proposed that an official partnership could be formalized through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), laying the foundation for future joint initiatives.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rapold expressed optimism about the potential for collaboration, stating, \u201cI feel this is very promising after hearing what IITA can offer.\u201d Following this, he visited several of IITA\u2019s facilities, including the Virology Laboratory, the Genetic Resources Center (GRC), the Bioscience Center, the Forest Center, and BIP. These visits provided valuable insights into IITA\u2019s research and innovation in biodiversity, sustainable agriculture, and capacity development, as well as the potential benefits of this partnership.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rapold appreciated IITA for the warm reception and the opportunity to explore the institute\u2019s work. \u201cI now understand the mission of IITA much more clearly. I came in search of top-notch research partners to help us address some of the challenges we face, and I am truly impressed,\u201d he said. He also highlighted potential areas of collaboration, particularly in biodiversity and capacity development, which he believes could be explored further in future discussions.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Akande assured him that IITA has the reputation, expertise, and capacity to support both government and private sector collaborations. \u201cBy signing an MoU, we can formalize this partnership and begin developing concrete action plans for both short- and long-term initiatives,\u201d Akande said, reiterating both organizations’ commitment to the partnership.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Contribu\u00e9 par Ochuwa Favour Daramola<\/span><\/i><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

IITA is renowned for its strong partnerships with both the public and private sectors, with the aim to transform African agriculture.<\/p>","protected":false},"featured_media":17884,"template":"","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}}},"tags":[],"science-area":[],"program":[],"location":[32],"news-type":[],"hub":[61],"crop":[],"impact-areas":[],"item-year":[202],"class_list":["post-17883","news-item","type-news-item","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","location-nigeria","hub-western-africa","item-year-202"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-item\/17883","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-item"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news-item"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-item\/17883\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20524,"href":"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-item\/17883\/revisions\/20524"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17884"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17883"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17883"},{"taxonomy":"science-area","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/science-area?post=17883"},{"taxonomy":"program","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/program?post=17883"},{"taxonomy":"location","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/location?post=17883"},{"taxonomy":"news-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-type?post=17883"},{"taxonomy":"hub","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hub?post=17883"},{"taxonomy":"crop","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/crop?post=17883"},{"taxonomy":"impact-areas","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/impact-areas?post=17883"},{"taxonomy":"item-year","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iita.org\/fr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/item-year?post=17883"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}