Nestlé Skin Health invests in first Asia based hub to support healthy ageing

21-Jul-2015 - Last updated on 21-Jul-2015 at 14:52 GMT

To address the 'under appreciated' needs of an increasingly ageing population, Nestlé Skin Health's innovation hub in Shanghai will look at skin health issues including intense dryness, skin cancer and ageing.

The hub, which will open its' doors in 2016, is the first in Asia for the company, referred to as the Skin Health Investigation, Education and Longevity Development (SHIELD) center.

According to Nestlé Skin Health, staff based there will focus on improving the condition of the skin through medical investigation, education and applications as well as merging technologies.

“We are very enthusiastic about opening our first Asia-based SHIELD center in Shanghai. It will be a hub for developing solutions to meet China’s growing skin health needs and will serve as a platform for collaboration and innovation,” says Humberto Antunes, CEO of Nestlé Skin Health.

“We will engage with scientists and healthcare professionals to create an environment where medicines and technologies can be combined with bio-informatics to develop preventative, diagnostic and treatment strategies to advance next generation of skin health regimens,” he adds.

Nestlé plans to set up various SHIELD centers around the world to meet 'skin health challenges', the first of which will open in New York City in the fourth quarter of 2015.

China’s ageing challenges

According to official statistics, the elderly population in China will reach 248,000,000 by 2020, which accounts for 17% of the country’s total population.

The need to maintain and restore skin health as well as treating skin conditions and diseases have become more of the essential part of wellness, active ageing and good health care than ever before.

According to Nestlé, each year there are more cases of skin cancer and other skin diseases in the elderly population, and they are often associated with a considerable amount of physical and emotional burden.

“We are delighted to see the SHIELD Center being launched in Shanghai,” says Professor Zheng Jie, Chair of China Society of Dermatology.

“This center will not only provide new resources, allow local skin health professionals to communicate with experts from other fields and share experiences with each other, but will also raise awareness of the importance of skin health among the public," Zheng Jie concludes.