Connect + Develop

This C+D case study highlights the power of partnerships within P&G’s newest brand, Spruce. 

P&G Ventures launched a new hard-working and worry-free weed and grass killer called Spruce in early 2025. This is P&G’s first Lawn & Garden product entry so the team engaged with experts in the field who could be strategic partners and ensure our product could offer irresistible superiority. 

P&G paired its expertise in chemistry, consumer understanding, and packaged goods with the herbicide research expertise of Dr. Doug Doohan and his team at The Ohio State University (OSU).  Dr. Doohan has over 40 years of experience in herbicide research and, along with the OSU Horticulture Department, conducted herbicide efficacy tests. These tests were foundational in creating a new herbicide formula that has both fast, visible results and is safe to use around people and pets when used as directed.  OSU also played a crucial role in upskilling P&G in weed science, enabling the Spruce team to become experts and leaders in this category.

This partnership has been instrumental in supporting the market launch in 2025, by playing a crucial role in product development, speeding up time-to-market, and establishing brand and product credibility with retailers, among other benefits. Furthermore, following his retirement, Dr. Doohan began consulting for Spruce and joined the Spruce Alliance. In this role, he acts as a brand ambassador, engaging with external-facing media and leveraging his expertise to further the goals of both Spruce and P&G in the Lawn & Garden category. Dr. Doohan has been a collaborative partner for the Spruce brand through both the development of the product and communicating the product benefits to consumers.  

Spruce has demonstrated how partnering with leading researchers and research organizations can lead to breakthrough innovations which bring meaningful benefits to market.  It takes a broad range of skills to develop and launch an irresistibly superior product.  At P&G, we welcome the opportunity to expand our knowledge with the help of leading experts, so that we can meet consumer needs with new products and experiences.

Procter & Gamble and the University of Michigan have a rich history of research collaborations spanning behavioral science, AI/ML, materials science, and colloid chemistry.  In the latter two areas, P&G has had a successful and on-going research partnerships with Prof. Ron Larson in the Department of Chemical Engineering.  Recent work on predicting the phase behavior of mixtures containing surfactants and cationic polymers has led to a publication in the journal Langmuir (2023, 39, 30, 10335–10351).  Understanding of the underlying physics helps guide formulation development.  This Connect + Develop collaboration with Prof. Larson was spearheaded by three P&G scientists:  Sumanth Jamadagni, Eric Johnson, and Mohsen Ghasemi.

P&G Scientists have proven that a nasal spray can effectively guard against cold and flu viruses.

The groundbreaking study, reported in the journal Viruses, was the result of a collaboration between the P&G Singapore Innovation Center and the National University of Singapore. It involved developing an accurate representation of the human nasal lining by creating a state-of-the-art Air-Liquid Interface model using human nasal epithelial cells.

With this model, the researchers demonstrated that the Vicks First Defence Nasal Spray not only provides broad spectrum defence against respiratory viruses but is also well-tolerated for continuous use over a week.

The study was led by Professor De Yun Wang and Dr Hsiao Hui Ong from the National University of Singapore, alongside Dr Yong Chiat Wong from P&G Singapore Innovation Center. Dr. Wong stated “Our formula shows broad spectrum efficacy against both Rhinovirus and Influenza A and its variants, making it a strong ally during cold and flu season.”

Key to its effectiveness is hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC), a safe, well-tolerated ingredient, which serves as a physical barrier to protect nasal passages from infections. Additionally, they found that an acidic buffer can destabilize viruses outside epithelial cells, enhancing the protective benefits of the Vicks nasal spray compared to other market solutions.

At Procter & Gamble, we are dedicated to advancing health and wellness through science-based innovation in collaboration with leading academic institutions around the globe. As we advance our efforts with academic partners like the National University of Singapore, we invite you to explore how Vicks First Defence Nasal Spray can be an essential part of your health toolkit. For more details, read the full findings published in Viruses 2025, 17(3), 376 at Inhibitory Activity of Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose on Rhinovirus and Influenza A Virus Infection of Human Nasal Epithelial Cells

P&G Connect + Develop partners with universities to engage academia in research that supports our R&D priorities and to provide exposure for academics to the commercial development process at P&G. These collaborations bring the best of academic minds together with the deep consumer understanding and in-market experience of P&G to enable both to grow and advance. One such collaboration is found at the P&G Digital Accelerator @ The University Of Cincinnati.

P&G China Connect + Develop has partnered with Donghua University (DHU) to launch multi-field Design cooperation projects that bring fashionable, superior product innovations and intuitive consumer communications to meet the increasing needs of Chinese consumers. These include:

• Upgrade the design of related products for best consumer values

• Co-Create new media product benefits and mechanism demonstration contents

• Deep sustainable development | Advanced materials and basic scientific research

The cooperation also contributed to the cultivation of future talents for the society, especially the student co-creation projects.

In 2023, P&G China and DHU established a cooperation memorandum, marking an important step towards the formalization of the cooperative relationship between the two parties. This proves that the previous multi-field exploratory cooperation has achieved a win-win outcome for the university and the enterprise. In the future, the parties will jointly promote the training of innovative talents, bring excellent products and services to global consumers, and contribute more to the development of society.

P&G recently renewed a 5-year Master Research Collaboration Agreement with the Agency for Science, Technology & Research (A*STAR), local universities including Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore), National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), and public healthcare clusters like National University Health System (NUHS) and National Healthcare Group (NHG).

After close to a decade of research collaboration with soft electronics experts at NTU and A*STAR, P&G has developed Hapsense to measure skin feel. In addition, P&G has also worked with NTU on a variety of research projects for simulating skin changes, detecting skin features and automated diagnosis.