• New plant to produce emollients for skin care and sun protection products
• Start-up planned for autumn 2025

BASF invests in the production of emollient specialties at its Düsseldorf site targeted for skin and sun protection products. A new reactor and upgrade of the distillation units enable an expansion of production capacity to meet the increasing demand for these specialty products. The new facilities are scheduled to go into operation in the third quarter of 2025.

Emollients bind and maintain skin moisture and improve the sensory properties of a care product. The need for special emollients for formulations that for instance enable silicone-free skin care and octocrylene-free sun protection continues to increase in Europe. BASF's production site in Düsseldorf, Germany, specializes in ingredients for the cosmetics and personal care industries and already offers the most comprehensive portfolio for emollients. Here, the capacity is now being expanded in a targeted manner to meet growing market demand with an investment in the mid double-digit million range.

Mary Kurian, President of BASF’s Care Chemicals division, about the project: "BASF sees the growth potential in specialties for the personal care industry in Europe and, as the market leader, we are consistently investing to support this growth with our customers."

Düsseldorf is home to BASF's third-largest site in Europe and is also the world's largest and the key BASF site for the production and development of cosmetic ingredients.

At her recent visit to the site, Mary Kurian (President of BASF’s Care Chemicals division) had an opportunity to review the progress of the project with the site team. (Photo: BASF SE)

About the Care Chemicals division at BASF

The BASF division Care Chemicals offers a broad range of ingredients for personal care, home care, industrial & institutional cleaning, and technical applications. We are a leading global supplier for the cosmetics industry as well as the detergents and cleaners industry, and support our customers with innovative and sustainable products, solutions and concepts. The division’s high-performance product portfolio includes surfactants, emulsifiers, polymers, emollients, chelating agents, cosmetic active ingredients and UV filters. We have production and development sites in all regions and are expanding our presence in emerging markets. Further information is available online at www.care-chemicals.basf.com.

About BASF

At BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. More than 111,000 employees in the BASF Group contribute to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio comprises six segments: Chemicals, Materials, Industrial Solutions, Surface Technologies, Nutrition & Care and Agricultural Solutions. BASF generated sales of €87.3 billion in 2022. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchange in Frankfurt (BAS) and as American Depositary Receipts (BASFY) in the United States. Further information at www.basf.com.