Nestle Skin Health and GCOA to develop new innovation centres

Nestle's skin health division has announced a new partnership with the Global Coalition on Ageing (GCOA) that will lead to the establishment of new research and innovation centres.

The new facilities will be known as Nestle Skin Health Investigation, Education and Longevity Development (Shield) centres. The first of these hubs will be launched in New York in 2015, with others to follow in other countries.

Consisting of organisations such as Pfizer, Bayer, Lilly, Intel, Standard and Poor's and Galderma, the GCOA works with industry players, global policymakers and others to ensure that societies have the right policies and support structures in place for robust, healthy ageing.

The new Shield centres will aid this work by allowing scientists, healthcare professionals and other experts to meet and share information about the latest developments in skin healthcare, combining different technologies and practices to deliver innovative solutions.

Humberto Antunes, chief executive of Nestle Skin Health, said: "We are creating an ecosystem in which solutions and information can be developed to facilitate better maintenance, prevention, diagnosis and treatment strategies that will help people today and in the future enjoy improved wellbeing."

The company has been strengthening its skincare capabilities throughout 2014, having bought out former partner L'Oreal's stake in their skincare-focused Galderma joint venture earlier this year, thus turning it into a wholly-owned subsidiary of Nestle Skin Health.