Reckitt, the consumer health company behind Lysol and Mucinex, plans to invest up to $600 million across its U.S. operations, with projects in Nutley, New Jersey, and Wilson, North Carolina. The Nutley work will include a science and innovation center at the company's relocated North American headquarters at 100 Metro Blvd., while the Wilson project is expected to become Reckitt's largest U.S. over-the-counter manufacturing site.
The Nutley facility pairs a multi-million-dollar research and development hub with the doubled investment in North Carolina, according to Fierce Pharma. The North Carolina facility was initially slated for a $145.59 million outlay before Reckitt doubled that figure, the outlet reported. As Daily Voice reported, Reckitt is basing its commercial and operational teams at the Nutley campus and will break ground there on the new science and innovation center, which is designed to bring the company's research and commercial teams under one roof.
A Germ Protection Hub Built for Speed
Reckitt describes the Nutley center as part of its global research and development network, with work spanning disinfection, microbiology, surface care, laundry care and personal care. The company says the center will support brands including Lysol. Dr. Angela Naef, Reckitt's Chief R&D Officer, said the arrangement is intended to help the company move products from development to market more quickly, according to Fierce Pharma.
The 116-acre ON3 campus that now hosts Reckitt in Nutley and neighboring Clifton was formerly the North American headquarters of pharmaceutical giant Hoffmann-La Roche, according to Prism Capital Partners, which redeveloped the site into a multi-tenant life sciences hub. The site lost approximately 1,000 jobs when Hoffmann-La Roche shuttered its operations there, the firm notes. Reckitt's arrival places the company alongside other major corporate and healthcare institutions on the campus, including Ralph Lauren, Eisai Inc., Quest Diagnostics' 250,000-square-foot diagnostic lab, and the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, per Prism Capital Partners, which says the ON3 redevelopment has attracted over $500 million in site investments.
Nutley redevelopment adds context to Reckitt’s move
Reckitt's arrival is part of the conversion of a former pharmaceutical headquarters into a multi-tenant life-sciences and corporate campus. Township of Nutley records show Roche announced the sale of its 116-acre campus to PB Nutclif, an affiliate of Prism Capital Partners, on July 14, 2016, after which the property became known as ON3. According to ON3, Roche's closure cost the surrounding municipalities $10 million in annual tax revenue, underscoring the economic stakes of redeveloping the site. The campus now includes corporate, diagnostic and educational uses described by Prism Capital Partners, alongside Reckitt's headquarters and planned innovation center. The Nutley and Wilson projects also fit within a broader period of large U.S. pharmaceutical manufacturing commitments, although the projects differ in scale and purpose. Eli Lilly announced on Sept. 16, 2025, plans for a $5 billion manufacturing facility in Goochland County, Virginia, expected to create more than 650 new high-paying jobs and 1,800 construction jobs, according to Eli Lilly and Company.
North Carolina Plant Set to Become Reckitt's Largest OTC Site
Reckitt originally acquired its 310,000-square-foot North Carolina manufacturing site in late 2024 from generic drugmaker Sandoz, which was in the process of shutting the plant down, according to the North Carolina Biotechnology Center. The acquisition revived local life-science manufacturing capacity in the region known as North Carolina's BioPharma Crescent, the center said. Expected to open in the first half of 2027, the Wilson facility will become Reckitt's largest over-the-counter manufacturing site in the U.S., creating nearly 300 jobs to expand production of Mucinex tablets and liquids along with Move Free products, according to the same source. State incentives for Reckitt's Wilson project totaled $6.4 million, while local and county incentives could total $16.2 million.
Reckitt employed more than 3,800 people in the U.S. in 2024, and the company plans to host its first U.S. “Reckitt Focus On” event at its Nutley headquarters on November 19, where it will showcase its North American business.
A Bet on Core Health Brands After a Major Divestment
The expansion follows Reckitt's completion in December 2025 of a $4.8 billion divestment of a 70% majority stake in its Essential Home business, which included Air Wick, Woolite, and Calgon, to private equity firm Advent International, according to the London Stock Exchange. Reckitt retained a 30% equity stake in the business while freeing up capital to focus on its core consumer health and hygiene brands, the exchange noted. The U.S. investment in Nutley and Wilson reflects that pivot toward high-margin brands like Lysol and Mucinex.
Lysol is among Reckitt's brands.
Reckitt's portfolio includes cough, cold, and disinfectant products. Globally, the British-Dutch company operates in more than 68 countries, and approximately 30 million products are purchased daily across more than 200 countries and territories, with North America representing its largest regional market and the U.S. alone accounting for roughly one-third of its total worldwide revenue, according to the North Carolina Biotechnology Center.
